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Second World War films from a German perspective

Die abenteuer des Werner Holt. I read the book when I lived in Germany. The film is okay, but the book is better.

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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057816/
 
Oh, and Holland's Europa Europa is about a (Jewish) German boy who masquerades as an aryan and becomes a Hitlerjunge to survive.
 
I've not yet seen it, but Costa-Gavras did a film about the connections between Nazi Germany and the Vatican, Amen.
 
There's a decent if very outdated film called Rotation from 1949 that looks back at one w/c family from 1925 to 45 with a particular eye on the political aspects - odd for the period in that the communist was the only one to come out of it with 100% integrity, even the hero was shown as joining the party when career advancement demanded it. Interesting historcial film, if not especially noteworthy on aesthetic grounds.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041826/
 
Mephisto, about an actor/director set around the time the Nazis were getting powerful. It's alright, but better films have been mentioned.
 
I can't think of any more German perspective WW2 films at the moment, but what about some Polish ones?

Wajda's Pokolenie (A Generation), Kanał and Popiół I Diament (Ashes And Diamonds), and then later Katyń; and submarine melodrama Orzeł.

Or how about Czechoslovak/Czech/Slovak ones, like Obchod Na Korze (The Shop On Main Street), and Ostře Sledované Vlaky (Closely Observed Trains)? Or Kachyňa's Eastern front flicks Práče and Tenkrát O Vánocích? Or Atentát, about the Heydrich assassination?

On the Axis and associated side of things, Talvisota is a grim All Quiet-meets-Platoon (or 9-ya Rota etc) take on the Finnish Winter War; and Két Félidő A Pokolban is the Hungarian precursor to Escape To Victory.
 
"The Counterfeiters" is a good film, about a German Jewish camp inmate used by the Nazis to produce fake foreign currency so that the Allied powers can be destabilised.
 
thanks for the replies, the thread was inspired by watching a british war film dubbed into german last week (a proper headfuck). Thats a lot of video to watch. Much appreciated.
 
ViolentPanda said:
"The Counterfeiters" is a good film, about a German Jewish camp inmate used by the Nazis to produce fake foreign currency so that the Allied powers can be destabilised.
Click to expand...

Based on the true story of 'Operation Bernhard' (named after it's commander SS captain Bernhard Kruger) which was intended to wreck the war economies of the Allied powers by flooding the global economy with fake money, yes.

A fascinating story and it's been the subject of a few good books, IIRC. The main effect of 'Operation Bernhard was to cause the UK Government to withdraw much of its old paper money (especially the old white fivers) because the Russians had captured the printing plates for the forged money and were thus in a position to do exactly what the Germans originally intended.
 
ViolentPanda said:
"The Counterfeiters" is a good film, about a German Jewish camp inmate used by the Nazis to produce fake foreign currency so that the Allied powers can be destabilised.
Click to expand...

Yup, thats a good 'un.

"Conspiracy" with Kenneth Branagh is possibly the most accurate account of how arrogant and inhuman the top brass were, and likely still are, regardless of political slant.

Die Ehe der Maria Braun is indeed a good film too, well worth a look.

Downfall is bleak, but not accurate IMO, too many historical flaws.
 
pk said:
"Conspiracy" with Kenneth Branagh is possibly the most accurate account of how arrogant and inhuman the top brass were, and likely still are, regardless of political slant.
Click to expand...

A very good HBO TVM, that, basically a real-time retread of the Wannsee Conference during which the 'final solution' was drawn up in perfunctory fashion and bureaucratic doublespeak.

For a film which is mostly a bunch of dull lawyers (albeit wearing spiffy uniforms) sitting in a room talking, it's pretty powerful stuff, with lots of good performances.
 
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