Sophie Scholl: The Movie Reviews

Movie Review
by David DiCerto, Catholic News Service

Based on the true story of Germany's most famous anti-Nazi heroine, director Marc Rothemund's gripping drama chronicles, as its title suggests, the last six days in the life of Sophie Scholl (Julia Jentsch), a 21-year-old college student executed by the Nazis for treason in 1943. . . .

Hoping to incite a student uprising, Sophie agrees to help her brother Hans (Fabian Hinrichs) -- they are both members of a resistance group known as the "White Rose" -- to distribute anti-war leaflets on campus, an act for which they are promptly arrested. . . .

Like the protagonists in last year's similarly themed "The Ninth Day" (also from Germany), the exchanges between Sophie and [Gestapo interrogator Robert] Mohr become a battle of wills, as much as ideologies, as Mohr's atheistic views clash with Sophie's unruffled appeals to "decency, morals and God" and unwavering conviction that "all life is precious." . . .

Unvarnished by oversentimentality, the film is a quietly powerful testament to bravery in the face of evil that examines themes of freedom of conscience and peaceful resistance to tyranny while imparting a strong anti-war message. . . .

Movie Review
by Steven D. Greydanus, National Catholic Register
Overall Recommendability: A+

Marc Rothemund’s Sophie Scholl – The Final Days is a riveting portrait of a young woman of formidable intellect, dogged self-possession, and excruciatingly steady nerves. At 21, Sophia Magdalena Scholl (Julia Jentsch) is old enough to have outgrown the brash overconfidence of immaturity, but not yet too old for the purity and ardor of youthful idealism. She is realistic enough to be afraid, yet bold enough to act unhesitatingly, even dramatically when the situation seems to call for it. . . .

Drawing on once-unavailable Nazi transcripts from Sophie’s interrogation among other historical sources, Rothemund’s film, like Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc, bypasses the events that lead its heroine to her trial by fire in order to contemplate how a young woman courageous enough to be brought to such an extremity acquits herself when it comes to the point. . . . The sheer intellectual and emotional rigor of the back-and-forth between this terrible old lion and his cagey young prey is both crushing and exhilarating. . . .

Throughout her ordeal, Sophie’s guiding light — symbolized by the rays of the sun, often regarded by Sophie with upturned face — is her Christian faith, a cornerstone of her critique of Nazi ideology and atrocities, and a taproot of her moral strength. A devout Protestant, Sophie unapologetically invokes God and conscience under cross-examination as the basis for her actions, the source of human dignity and the necessary guiding light to put the German people on the path to recovery. In her private moments, when she allows herself to be vulnerable and afraid, Sophie opens her heart to God, pleading for help and strength. In an hour of extreme need she gladly prays with a prison chaplain, receiving his blessing in the name of the Holy Trinity. . . .

Throughout the film, viewers are invited to put themselves in Sophie’s place: Would I have had the courage and vision to do what she did? In the scene with her parents, viewers may find themselves identifying as much with father or mother as with their daughter: What if it were my child? Would I be as proud and supportive amid such overwhelming circumstances? Not for all the world would I want to go through what Sophie’s parents do; but I hope and pray to see my children grow up into young adults not unlike Sophie Scholl. . . .

Movie Review
by Jeffrey Overstreet, Christianity Today

If the real Sophie Scholl was anything like the character played by Jentsch here—and the extensive research performed by director Mark Rothemund and screenwriter Fred Breinersdorfer indicates that she was—then she deserves a place alongside history's most revered and celebrated Christian women. . . .

In the opening scenes, she's an enthusiastic, appealing student with an irrepressible zeal for the truth. She helps her brother Hans (Fabian Hinrichs) and a covert operation called "The White Rose" produce and distribute pamphlets that describe how the Third Reich caused the massacre at Stalingrad and forced Jews into concentration camps.

But when she's arrested, after a nerve-wracking covert operation at the nearby university, the true tests of her character begin. The virtue and verve that Scholl demonstrated, first in deceiving her interrogators, and later in endeavoring to save her friends and family from execution, will amaze you, just as the real Sophie Scholl inspired Germans. Today, more than a hundred German schools are named after her, and Jentsch's portrayal of Scholl may just inspire more brave young souls to pursue their own quests of justice and truth against all odds. . . .

Ignatius Press on Bernadette

Movie Review by Ignatius Press

Highly recommended and endorsed by the Vatican . . . This two-hour film is the official dramatization of the story of St. Bernadette, and is shown daily at the world-famous Lourdes Shrine in France. Shot entirely on location under the famed French director, Jean Delannoy – one of France’s foremost filmmakers – Bernadette is based solely on recorded, factual history. Nothing in the film is embellished or over-dramatized for cinematic appeal. Delannoy wanted it to be historically accurate with no distortions or arbitrary changes – as had been done with other films on her.

[Sydney] Penny says that the opportunity for her to play the main character in the film, St. Bernadette, was truly a rare opportunity.

“Not only was this a marvelous chance to work with one of France’s most respected film directors, but as a person, I wanted to be part of something that intended to tell a beautiful story honestly.” . . .

St. Bernadette – whose body still remains incorrupt and displayed lying-in-state in a glass coffin in The Sisters of Charity Chapel in Nevers, France – was buried and exhumed three times as part of her canonization process. During each exhuming, she looked exactly as she had been the last time … uncorrupted. The incorrupt body of Bernadette is shown at the end of the film. This was particularly moving for Ms. Penny.

“When I actually saw her there, she was so tiny and fragile. It was probably the only time an actor has ever come face to face with the historical figure he was portraying.”

Penny says that although there was great interest by the French press when the film was released originally in the late 1980s, the film world at large has taken little notice of it until now. . . .

“The story of Bernadette seems almost incredible, living in these modern times. But many magnificent and incredible things happen everyday; we just have developed the habit of analyzing them into insignificance,” says Penny. “Bernadette’s story is a symbol of hope, an example of the power that one person’s faith can have on the world. I hope the word gets out that there is a film with a beautiful, simple story to tell that is still relevant to people today, whether one is Catholic or not.”

Evil and Suffering in Beyond the Gates

When evil triumphs
Movie Review
by Abigail Coleman
culturewatch.org

Shooting Dogs (entitled Beyond the Gates in the United States), set in Kigali, depicts vivid and historically accurate images of the traumatic events that took place all over Rwanda in 1994. Although the characters are fictional, the experiences of BBC news reporter David Belton were used to enrich the film’s relaying of the real events. We learn of the suffering and pain inflicted upon the Tutsis by the Hutu extremists, and of the delayed response by the UN, which led to over 800,000 deaths in 100 days of oppression. The film is based around the Ecole Technique Officiale where Father Christopher (John Hurt), an English Catholic Priest, and gap year teacher Joe (Hugh Dancy) attempt to shelter Tutsis with the ‘help’ of the Belgian UN troops.

Survivors of the atrocities were involved in the production of the film, with some being co-producers in order to ensure good accuracy. The title of the film alludes to the frustration which Christopher and Joe face as they witness the UN troops’ lack of involvement in the events. The UN soldiers have a mandate not to shoot the rebels, and so do nothing to prevent the Tutsi from suffering. However, they do decide to shoot the dogs that are eating the dead bodies beyond the gates of the school because ‘they are becoming a health problem.’ It is this tension between the inactivity of the UN soldiers and Christopher and Joe’s desperate need to help the Tutsis which highlights the struggles of the war. . . .

The film follows the events of the genocide, starting with the shooting down of President Habyarimana’s plane by Tutsis, which triggered the mass killings by the Hutu rebels. . . .

The United Nations initially viewed these events in relation to cultural identities, and took a culturally relativist stance. It saw Rwanda’s crisis as a cultural problem, and not something the West should have to deal with since it was part of a different culture. It also failed to see the need to aid Rwanda in a crisis which it did not recognise as being genocide. Shooting Dogs highlights the frustration that this caused many Westerners and Tutsis. . . . Through this tension, the film raises questions of how people can commit such evil acts, how humanity deals with such suffering, why innocent people suffer, and why God allows suffering at all.

The relationship between Christopher and Joe shows the contrasting responses people have when faced with suffering. Father Christopher, whose worldview is based around his Christian belief, constantly refers to his faith in God to try to explain how they should deal with the crisis. Joe, however, refers to his inner sense of justice and knowledge of morality, believing that practical help for the Tutsis is what is needed. A prime example of their differences is when Christopher prepares for mass shortly after the Tutsis start to shelter in the Ecole. Joe questions if this is the best thing to do in time of crisis stating, ‘I think maybe they’d prefer some food. Water. A spot of reassurance.’ Christopher replies, ‘Well, come to Mass. Get all three on the same ticket.’ Here we see how Christopher’s faith motivates his actions to help the Tutsi, and suggests that what Joe thinks the Tutsis need can be provided by God. . . .

Joe especially struggles with [the question of why there is suffering if God loves us]. As he witnesses more and more atrocities whilst attempting to save those he cares for, he comes to realise that he will not be able to save them himself. He therefore starts to question Christopher as to where God is in the crisis. . . . [Christopher responds], ‘You asked me, Joe, where is God in everything that is happening here, in all this suffering? I know exactly where he is. He’s right here. With these people. Suffering. His love is here. More intense and profound than I have ever felt.’ Once again, here we see the Christian understanding that God is not the cause of the evil and suffering; rather that it is the work of humanity’s sinful nature. But because God loves those he created, he is with them in their time of trouble, as someone they can turn to for peace. God is present in his followers, such as Father Christopher, as they provide comfort to people in their time of struggle. As Christopher conducts his final Mass before the UN soldiers leave the school, the Rwandans are aware of God’s love for them and they feel a sense of peace.

As today’s situation in Darfur, Sudan, continues, mirroring in some ways what took place in Rwanda, we can question why lessons were not learnt from this previous genocide. We can once again ask why the UN is not providing more aid to the people of Darfur, preventing more deaths. And we can again question why more people are being allowed to suffer unnecessarily. The creators of Shooting Dogs obviously felt that the Christian worldview, which is so prominent within the film, is a valuable one to consider in such times of crisis. In recreating the events on screen, and paralleling them with the questions many of us find ourselves asking God in times of crisis, we can be challenged to seek God for ourselves.

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Beyond the Gates Movie Reviews

Variety Movie Review
by Scott Foundas

Eleven years [after it happened], the Rwandan genocide continues to intrigue filmmakers, even if the full horror of the bloody events seems too demanding for many of them to confront. Although in many respects a more stylish, authentic, tougher-minded film than "Hotel Rwanda," director Michael Caton-Jones' respectable and well-intentioned "Shooting Dogs" (Beyond the Gates in the U.S.) still falls into the trap of filtering an inherently African story through the eyes of a noble white protagonist -- in this case, two of them. . . .

Like the Hotel des Mille Collines that provided the inspiration for "Hotel Rwanda," the Ecole Technique Officielle was a real place -- a secondary school located in the capital city of Kigali that similarly came to serve as a makeshift shelter for Tutsis and moderate Hutus at the height of the killings. The school, which also served as base camp for a company of Belgian UN peacekeepers, came to harbor some 2,500 refugees until, some five days after the start of the genocide, the UN pulled its troops out of the school, consigning those left behind to the knowledge they would soon be killed.

Slightly fictionalized screenplay by David Wolstencroft unfolds through the eyes of Joe Connor (Hugh Dancy), a young British schoolteacher spending a year at the Ecole. There, he is taken under the wing of the avuncular Father Christopher (John Hurt), whose weary face fails to conceal the ethnic violence he has witnessed during his long African sojourn.

Pic's early sections do an accomplished job of mapping out the simmering tensions between Rwanda's Hutu and Tutsi factions: The bright Tutsi pupil, Marie (Claire-Hope Ashitey), to whom Joe has taken a particular liking, is teased and pelted by Hutu classmates, while the school's Hutu custodian (David Gyasi) is shown to be one of the many Rwandans whose sensibilities have been corrupted by the incessant hate propaganda of the infamous RTLM radio station. Location shooting in Kigali is also a major plus.

In many respects, the character of Joe seems a surrogate for "Shooting Dogs" producer and co-story writer David Belton, who was himself a BBC news cameraman on location in Rwanda in 1994 and who, in the pic's press notes, expresses a feeling of guilt over the speed with which he -- like nearly all other Americans and Europeans -- evacuated the country as soon as the going got tough. . . .

"Shooting Dogs" is unquestionably at its most compelling in its depiction of Father Christopher's steadfast reliance on spirituality, even when confronted with such a startling display of inhumanity. Even as the violence reaches its zenith, he continues to perform Mass and seems more concerned with making sure each child receives Communion than in formulating a possible exit strategy. . . .

With a drawn, harrowed face like a relief map of suffering, Hurt proves one of the pic's chief assets, as does newcomer Ashitey, though Dancy's performance rarely advances beyond one-note outrage. Despite its many shortcomings, pic benefits immeasurably from the fluidity of Caton-Jones' direction and the depth, texture and immediacy of d.p. Ivan Strasburg's lensing.

National Catholic Register Movie Review
by Steven D. Greydanus

Beyond the Gates focuses on a Catholic priest named Father Christopher (John Hurt) and an idealistic young teacher Joe Connor (Hugh Dancy) who offer sanctuary to Tutsi refugees at a Christian school near Kigali.

Fr. Christopher and Joe, along with BBC reporter Rachel (Nicola Walker), are fictional composites, but the school is real, along with the substance of the events portrayed in the film. In fact, the film was shot on location at the actual school, the École Technique Officielle, with the active involvement of survivors of the genocide among the cast and crew.

Beyond the Gates played abroad in many markets last year under the title Shooting Dogs, a bitterly ironic reference to the wild dogs shot in the street by Belgian U.N. forces near the school, where the U.N. has set up a base of operations.

The dogs are attracted by Tutsi corpses lying at the feet of the Hutu mob surrounding the school, and the U.N. forces decide that the animals constitute a “health risk.” Fr. Christopher is beside himself over the mendacity of the U.N. forces, which won’t do anything about the murderous mob itself unless directly attacked. “I suppose,” the priest says in a voice dripping caustic fury, “that the dogs were firing on your men.” . . .

Although Michael Caton-Jones’s film focuses on its European protagonists, some of its most haunting moments involve the African characters, particularly a young student named Marie (Claire-Hope Ashitey, Children of Men) and a doomed Tutsi father whose chillingly fatalistic acceptance recalls the title of the book that inspired Hotel Rwanda: We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families. . . .

Essentially, Fr. Christopher is the voice of Western conscience, and Joe is the embodiment of Western guilt. . . .

Refreshingly, Fr. Christopher is equally concerned with the spiritual and temporal well-being of his flock. He insists on the importance of celebrating Mass, and baptizes a newborn baby, but furiously upbraids the Belgian U.N. commanding officer (Dominique Horwitz) for his refusal to take action. . . .

Perhaps his best lines come toward the end, as he offers a familiar but worthwhile answer to the perennial question “Where is God in the midst of tragedy?” . . .

Beyond the Gates is most worth seeing for its uncompromising portrait of an episode more representative of the Rwandan genocide than the events depicted in Hotel Rwanda.

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Coming Soon: Beyond the Gates

Beyond the Gates (originally titled Shooting Dogs)
Based on true events and filmed in Rwanda at the Ecole Technique Officielle and other actual locations.


Movie Review
Catholic News Service

"Beyond the Gates" (IFC) towers above most current films, with even the more worthy ones seeming like fluff in comparison. It's a gripping film about one of recent history's most regrettable episodes: the international community's failure to come to the aid of the thousands of men, women and children who lost their lives during the Rwandan genocide.

This dramatization focuses specifically on the 1994 siege of a secondary school there. Father Christopher (John Hurt), a dedicated Catholic priest who runs the Ecole Technique Officielle and Joe Connor (Hugh Dancy), an idealistic young British teacher who hopes to "make a difference" -- both fictional characters -- view with growing alarm the escalating violence just outside their gates by the Hutu majority against their Tutsi brethren whom they regard as mere "cockroaches."

Father Christopher is inspired by an actual Bosnian priest named Father Vjeko Curic who sheltered Tutsis during the genocide.

The school grounds -- guarded by Belgian security forces on the behest of the United Nations (but only to maintain the peace, not enforce it) -- become a sanctuary against the violence just outside its gates. Among the students is a sensitive young Tutsi girl, Marie (Clare-Hope Ashitey), to whom the priest and Joe form a paternal attachment.

When the violence reaches a critical stage, Father Christopher finds hundreds more Tutsis begging for shelter. The U.N. security forces are inclined to refuse entry, but Father Christopher insists they be let in.

Some 2,500 Tutsi citizens ultimately found refuge there, but it would only be temporary.

Even with machete-wielding Hutus hovering with deadly intent, the U.N. -- which refused to label the Rwandan atrocities "genocide" as it would oblige them to intervene (a stance echoed by the United States and the United Kingdom) -- would recall its troops, leading to a hasty evacuation, but shamefully, of only the white people. The decisions made by Father Christopher and young Joe at this point are pivotal to the film's theme of personal choice.

The Catholic element here is strong. Father Christopher believes in saying Mass no matter what the outside danger, and throughout, is shown carefully explaining the significance of Catholic doctrine and rituals. Despite a short-lived despair, stemming from his helplessness at the violence he's powerless to alleviate, his character is one of the most positive cinematic depictions of a priest in recent memory.

Hurt -- in real life, a clergyman's son and monk's brother -- gives a wonderfully committed and believable performance, and Dancy -- currently winning raves on Broadway for his terrific performance in the classic World War I drama "Journey's End" -- convincingly conveys the growing horror and disillusionment of his character.

Director Michael Caton-Jones has shot the film (from a compelling script by David Wolstencroft) at the actual locations of the horrific events with survivors among the cast and crew, some of whom are poignantly showcased in the closing credit sequence.

This important film -- with its cautionary reminder of worldwide indifference that must not be allowed to happen again -- is acceptable for mature teens, despite the primarily adult classification.

The film contains much disturbing if discreetly handled violence, description of atrocities, images of dead and wounded, some rough language and mild profanity uttered under duress, and a childbirth scene. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.