INTERVIEW Claus Räfl e about THE INVISIBLES “He said: Now make something good out of it” vive in a climate of fear, insecurity and ill-founded hope. With fake identity papers, without food rations or safe accommodations, relying on their bra- ve aides, whom Räfle commemorates with this film. Four Jewish survivors learned that sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight, thus dodging the Gestapo and their network of inform- and Count Ciano, who were system- schlag, who snitched on many of her ants, knowing that death was just one atically spied on. Janson’s story gave fellows to the Gestapo. mistake away. Living so recklessly in me and my wife, co-author Alejandra the middle of Berlin, they became Lopez, the idea of searching for more Then how did you find your intervie- practically invisible to the Nazi re- ‘invisibles’ and tell their inherently ex- wees? gime. THE INVISIBLES mixes dramatic citing survival adventures. Räfle: Historians Barbara Schieb and reenactment with interviews with the Beate Kosmala of the ‘German Resist- real survivors whose lives inspired the How did you further develop that ance/ Silent Heroes’ Memorial were film. idea? of great help. After we had convinced Räfle: We started reading biographies, them of our project, they provided us Claus Räfle: In 2004, I made a TV doc- most of which had been written by the with information, recommendations Claus Räfle’s docu-drama tells about umentary about a Nazi brothel, in persons concerned or by their (grand) and addresses. The first one we called four young Jews, two women and two which the young Jewish Rosalie Jan- children. We found many cross-refer- was Eugen Friede, who lived in Ger- men going underground in Berlin, af- son survived as a house clerk. The so- ences to wonderful humanitarians, many after an adventurous life in the ter the Nazis officially declared the called Salon Kitty near to the Kurfürs- who have all been honoured as “right- DDR, GDR and Canada – he died in Oc- city to be “free of Jews” in February tendamm was frequented by high eous among the people” in the Yad tober 2018 at the age of 92 years. As 1943. Of those 7000 “invisibles” 1700, Nazi dignitaries such as Minister Rib- Vashem Memorial in Jerusalem, but a typical Berliner he was a bit rough, mainly young people, managed to sur- bentrop and guests such as Mussolini also to a Jewish “rat” like Stella Gold- but finally we were allowed to come, 21 | Journal 01 | 2019 INTERVIEW taking some biscuits with us. Only a agency, and Hanni Lévy was taken to week later, at our own expense, since Paris by an uncle who had found her we didn’t get funding yet, we went on a Red Cross list of displaced per- back with our equipment, a camera- sons. All of them have become 90 man and a sound engineer and spent years and older. two days talking about his life in the post-war period, interrupted only by a How did you find your actors? lunch. When we were done, he looked Räfle: We developed profiles accord- at me and said: “Man, I’ve told you my ing to the real-life individuals. Ruby O. entire story, now make something good Fee is an extraordinary talent I once out of it.” spotted in a TV crime story. Passport forger Max Mauff had played a servile What about the other protagonists? employee in a GDR ministry in Spiel- Räfle: All in all, we spoke with ten sur- berg’s BRIDGE OF SPIES. He had an vivors - including Inge Deutschkron, uncanny resemblance to the original whose moving story has already been and hid his feelings behind a “perfect adapted many times. We went for cousin” facade. I thought his quick itarian Hans Winkler, a humble justice mal TV documentary. When taking lesser-known stories: those of Eu- physicality was brilliant. Aaron Altaras employee, who accepted young Eu- this plan to different TV stations, I got gen Friede and Cioma Schoenhaus, (as Eugen Friede) already attracted gen Friede into his family, thus endan- nothing but refusals. Apparently that the orphan Hanni Lévy and doctor’s attention as a child when playing the gering his wife and children. Through kind of film already had been done a daughter Ruth Arndt. She and her role of a German-Jewish boy on tel- him and his companions, we wanted thousand times before. ARD and ZDF friend Ellen worked as housemaids evision. And Hanni Lévy recognised to show that helping people in need had contributed a lot to that tradi- for a colonel who organised in his villa herself in the wonderful Alice Dwyer. was possible. This also applies to the tion, however, in 2009 and 2010 there tastings for officers with black mar- We wanted the feature film to have situation today, now a populist whirl- was a general consensus that the au- ket goods. Colonel Wehlen was like a its own power and beauty, not simply wind is drastically changing the social dience had seen enough of it. Even if more ambivalent Schindler character running alongside the documentary climate in many European countries. I could sense the uniqueness of our who impressed his customers with narrative. A casting agency proposed That is why our story has obtained a stories and their strong emotional im- French delicacies, wines and pretty us actors that granted authenticity to timeless relevance and the feeling pact, more and more it felt like I was girls, whom he thus offered a chance even the smallest roles. about it is completely different from trying to sell plutonium. Facing our to survive. The Arndt-Gumpel family how it would have been ten years ago. defeat, we considered how to devel- right after the war migrated to New In a supporting role we see the op a more intense emotional power York, Cioma Schoenhaus managed recently deceased Andreas Schmidt Did you think of a documentary in order to reach out to a larger au- to escape by bicycle across the Swiss in his last performance. from the very beginning? dience. That’s when the idea came up border where he opened a graphic Räfle: He plays the wonderful human- Räfle: First we wanted to make a nor- to combine documentary with feature 22 | Journal 01 | 2019 INTERVIEW widespread distribution. It’s fantastic umentaries, that almost becomes im- how many countries the film has been possible. Due to THE INVISIBLES, now screened in cinemas, on TV, as video that chance has come. I am currently on demand and at festivals… Many working on two fiction projects based young people, four or five genera- on true stories: one set after the end tions after the war, have witnessed of World War II and one contemporary the crimes of the Nazi era, that go story. so far back that they almost seem unreal to us. It is so important that Is there something more you want history will not repeat itself. In this to add? respect, our story feels very contem- Räfle: Television stations and Film porary, now that societies can sud- Funds these days in the first place denly take a drastic turn, as you see seem to look at what the major com- in Brazil, where a right-wing populist panies are producing. The whole has become president. It is crucial to sector has embraced a sort of indus- film, like Heinrich Breloer did in his film to your protagonists? protect the achievements of liber- trial feel, it’s about brands and for- outstanding political documentaries Räfle: Only Eugen Friede and Hanni al democracy – and THE INVISIBLES mats. I think those in charge at pub- in the 90s. When we finally had the Lévy were at the premiere in October might contribute to that awareness. lic broadcasters and cinemas should TV stations convinced, we needed a 2017. Cioma Schoenhaus died a few That is the legacy of these four brave use their wonderful ability to create distributor. The same thing happened months before filming began, but ‘invisibles’ who’s interviews made it programmes in a more creative and again: everywhere we were told that his children and grandchildren were possible that many young people can open-minded way. a documentary drama simply couldn’t there and Mrs. Arndt-Gumpel, who see their story. In Germany, the film work in cinemas. Until we met the new seemed so incredibly vital in the inter- has reached almost 100,000 viewers – team at Tobis-Film shortly before the view, died as well, but her sons were with 54 copies, which is a lot for this Uta Beth expiration of our funding deadline. there. For these families, the movie is type of film. In 2016 we finally shot the film with- a true salute, and they are very proud in three weeks. Finding the original and happy about it. Hanni Lévy is 94 What is your background as a film- documentary footage was relatively now and she’s coming with us to the maker? easy. After making a whole series of New York première of the film in Jan- Räfle: Since the beginning of the 90s documentaries about Nazism and the uary 2019. I have made socio-political historical post-war era, I knew exactly where to documentaries for public television, look for it. What wish do you have for THE IN- as well as several satirical works. I’ve VISIBLES? always wanted to do something fic- Did you finish in time to show the Räfle: I’m already very happy about its tional, but once you start making doc- 23 | Journal 01 | 2019.