The People vs Fritz Bauer (Foreign Film Review & Trailer)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review by John Delia

Taking a closer look at the effects of WWII on the German “final solution”, the film The People vs. Fritz Bauer adds another true story for all to see. Intriguing and convincing the film’s not a documentary but more of a biography of a man who helped to insure that his beloved country would never take the despotic road to ruin again.

It’s been more than ten years since the war and several German Nazi criminals are still unaccounted for including Adolph Eichmann. Considered the most despicable of the men under Adolph Hitler, Eichmann (Michael Schenk) is on top of the list of West Germany’s Attorney General Fritz Bauer (Burghart Klaussner). Born a Jew, Fritz worked his way up to a judgeship in Frankfurt before the war. When the Nazi’s came to power he was shipped off to a concentration camp until the end of the war. Never forgetting his ordeal, he wanted his country to know its true history and never forget what happened to Germany as a result of the Nazi party (National Socialist German Workers’ Party).

One day, Bauer gets a letter from Lothar Hermann (Christopher Buchholz) who had read an article in an Argentinian Newspaper that he had been looking for Adolph Eichmann. Being interested because his daughter had been dating a Nick Eichmann, he wondered if the war criminal may be the boy’s father. With several of the German federal security agencies having members of the National Socialist party (Nazi party), Bauer decides to take another tact. It’s a chess move that may put him in danger and lose a chance to get the people of Germany to never forget their awful past.

The film goes into the very dangerous plan of getting proof that it’s really Eichmann and risking committing treason by getting Israel involved. Director and writer Lars Kraume draws out his story with introductions to the many players involved at the time of the true event. This plus a side story that really doesn’t belong may tend to have audiences not as rapt in this amazing event that changed West Germany forever.

Excellent acting all around does make the film an intriguing thriller much like the movie that plays out production wise, Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy. And if you are more of a film buff, Funeral in Berlin. The center of attraction actor Burghart Klaussner gives the audience a beleaguered Bauer who has to deal with many factors in order to bring Eichmann to justice before his country. Dealing with many dynamics of the government and taking dangerous chances, Klaussner shows what the Attorney General had to go through to accomplish a feat where others had failed. His performance is truly a work of art.

The downside of the film comes with having a hard time identifying the importance of the German division heads and other characters who influence Bauer’s decision. Here are a few that may help; Paul Gebhardt (Jorg Schuttauf) is an officer of the Federal Office of Criminal Investigation that does not want Bauer to succeed for political reasons. Ulrich Kreidler (Sebastian Blomberg) is an ambitious public prosecutor who would advance to Attorney General if Bauer can be eliminated from the position.

Although somewhat important to the script the role of Karl Angermann played by Ronald Zehrfeld does detract a bit from the meat of the film. His subplot shows his weakness for homosexuality when he meets transsexual Victoria (Lilith Stangenberg). Being a married man and one of Bauer’s attorneys, Angermann becomes a thorn that may have an effect on the plan to get Eichmann. I’m not completely sure Angermann’s side story is a necessary attribute as it does tend to divert from the importance of the historical facts surrounding Bauer’s amazing effort to catch the Nazi’s architect of mass murder. It also seems to be a bit of Hollywood thrown in to get an R rating, but you can be the judge of that.

The People vs. Fritz Bauer has been rated R for some sexual content. The movie spools out in several languages, but mostly German with English Subtitles. I will mention that the subtitles are a bit hard to read due to the background so be prepared to get a seat a little closer to the screen.

FINAL ANALYSIS: A nicely acted true story that fills in pieces of the capture of the most despicable Nazi of them all. (B)

Additional Film Information:
Cast: Burghart Klaussner, Ronald Zehrfeld, Lilith Stangenberg, Jorg Schuttauf, Sebastian Blomberg, Michael Schenk, Rudiger Klink, Laura Tonke, Gotz Schubert, Paulus Manker, Cornelia Groschel, Tilo Werner, Dani Levy, Robert Atzorn
Directed and written by: Lars Kraume
Genre: Biography, Drama, Foreign (Germany)
MPAA Rating: R for some sexual content
Running Time: 1 hr. 45 min.
Release Date: September 16, 2016
Distributed by: Cohen Media
Released in: German, Israeli, Spanish with English Subtitles