Review - THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX
May 7th 2009 06:24
RELEASE DATE: May 7 2009
RUNNING TIME: 150 minutes
Andreas Baader - Moritz Bleibtreu / Gudrun Ensslin - Johanna Wokalek
Ulrike Meinhof - Martina Gedeck
Andreas Baader - Moritz Bleibtreu
Gudrun Ensslin - Johanna Wokalek
Brigitte Mohnhaupt - Nadja Uhl
Peter -Jan Josef Liefers
Holger Meins - Stipe Erceg
Jan-Carl Raspe - Niels Bruno Schmidt
Peter-Jürgen Boock -- Vinzenz Kiefer
Horst Mahler - Simon Licht
Petra Schelm - Alexandra Maria Lara
Susanne - Hannah Herzsprung
Josef Bachmann - Tom Schilling
Christian Klar - Daniel Lommatzsch
Rudi Dutschke - Sebastian Blomberg
DIRECTOR: Uli Edel
WRITING CREDITS: Bernd Eichinger (based on the book by Stefan Aust –pub: 1985)
DISTRIBUTOR: Icon Film Distribution
RATING: MA
SYNOPSIS:
Their aim is to create a more human society but by employing inhuman means they not only spread terror and bloodshed, they also lose their own humanity. The man who understands them is also their hunter: the head of the German police force Horst Herold (Bruno Ganz). And while he succeeds in his relentless pursuit of the young terrorists, he knows he’s only dealing with the tip of the iceberg.
Baader Meinhof ; courtesy IMDB
REVIEW:
For anyone who grew up in Germany during this period of time, this film will bring back haunting memories of a time when the enemy was no longer attacking from outside the country as it had been less than a quarter of a century before, but had now become internalised.
With the post World War II generation not willing to stand by as imperialism began to rear its ugly head this time in Africa and Asia arguments raged about the apathy of their forefathers, the ones who had stood by in the 1930’s and allowed Hitler to sweep to power with little or no resistance. History has shown what happened to those who did resist, but for the young twenty and thirty something’s, this was a coward’s way out. The way to evolution was through revolution.
Started during angst ridden student demonstration of the 60's and following some of the teachings of Chairman Mao the agenda of these new radicals and communist sympathies were growing within the German State. And while they wanted a better society for everyone, these misguided ‘children of the revolution’ believed that anarchy was the only way. Once the violence had begun, it set in motion a train of events that could not be stopped. Carnage and bloodshed began to escalate further and further until it had become so out-of-hand that the original ideals had all but evaporated and the group had become nothing more than another internal terrorist mob killing innocent civilians. This occurred within a decade of the Frankfurt incident in 1968 where the four founding members set fire to a department store to protest the right wing press of the time.
Stefan Aust lived through this period of fear and uncertainty where no German citizen felt safe and actually worked with some of the leading members of what finally became known as THE RED ARMY FACTION (RAF). He wrote the book on which the movie is based only 7 short years after the deaths of the RAF leaders. With this inside knowledge, you could worry that his storytelling could be too sympathetic to the people he once knew intimately, but he has managed not to support either side in telling the story of Germanys darkest period since the war. Bernd Eichinger has then adapted this chilling tale of anarchy into an extremely strong script allowing enough time to explain the events accurately without taking longer than necessary in the telling. The film is at times quite brutal in it’s depiction of left wing German militants but Edel’s use of violence is well controlled. This is a wonderfully contructed montage of a bitter and antagonistic world which was mirrored throughout the world.
At times you feel that anyone who has ever had a radical thought themselves about improving society can in some way relate to the initial birth of the RAF and their early ideals behind this new faction. Then again it would be easy to try to compare them with other internal terrorist groups such as the IRA in Ireland or the Basques in Spain, but that would be wrong. What the RAF wanted was a cultural revolution much like what they imagined had occurred in China.
This needs to be emphasised as the film runs for two and a half hours. Add to this the fact the film is in German with English subtitles and you may think that this is not the film for you. Unsurprisingly, because this period in time many of us can remember or at the very least our parents can is extremely engaging. The characters are compelling throughout the film’s entirety.
Outstanding performances by every single actor whether they be leads or in minor support roles add strength to what is already a powerfully written and directed piece. The creative team behind the film all had some first hand experience of the events whether it be Stefan Aust working as sub editor for ‘Konkret’ where he met all of the leaders of the RAF or Bernd Eichinger’s years as a film student in Munich in the 60’s and the new solidarity forming amongst the students in the 60’s and 70’s. This proximity to events is what makes the story so powerful yet there is no moralisation made at any stage as to the breakdown of the State’s authority or the militancy of the RAF.
Filming inside the courtroom where the group were tried and inside Stammheim Prison also add to the authenticity of what is an extremely powerful film. Don’t worry that you may not understand the language. Eli Udel’s has managed to create a strong visual element with the film. The style and tone of the period has been created beautifully to the point that you don’t really need any dialogue. The intensity of the events is enough for you to understand.
If there is one criticism of the film, there are small pieces left unanswered. What happened to the remaining members of the RAF? Was there an enquiry into the events in the ‘German Autumn’ of 1977? Perhaps that’s a good thing. If you really want to know, you’ll find a way to find out.
Each year a small measure of foreign films manage to reach Australian shores. This is one to see.
RANKING 8/10
www.baader-meinhof.com/
Links: Wikipedia-RAF
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SimonC
