“When two ideologies clash, the one with the bigger number of crazy people will survive” – Cookie, 2006
Sophie Scholl was crazy. I don`t know how else to call her, knowing the things she did. During second world war, when the end for the german reich was approaching and approaching fast she with the help of her friends decided to start a mini-revolution. She decided to help shorten the war effor by influencing the public opinion, telling them “the other” side of the truth that was being emitted on the radio waves.
She was living in Munich and was a graduate nurse. Her boyfriend was fighting on the east front and the chances of seeing him were getting slimmer and slimmer as the Russians were winning the battle of Stalingrad. Sophie and her brother, along with some friends decided it was high time the public back home knows of these loses and so they started printing leaflets filled with anti-war propaganda. They scattered them all over the University of Munich…and were caught doing so. They were incarcerated, trialed and decapitated the next day. The whole trial lasted under an hour.
The movie has its flaws. Number one, it is trying to say too much in too little of time and therefor has to omit certain things. The whole thing therefor feels too fast or that is lacking details. The viewer does not get the implications nor the size of the “White rose” group nor does it get the full scale of the stunts they pulled before they were finally captured and killed.
Still, it`s not all bad and you should find the whole experience quite satisfying. The acting is great, especially on the nervous, stressed out, pompous nazi part (I could not find the names of all the actors, but the one who plays the judge is phenomenal!) who are trying everything to save the failing empire.
The music is phenomenal, camera-work uses some nifty tricks in depicting the war-riddled Austria and the whole thing manages to avoid the mayor stereotyping and showing only one-dimensional characters, the bad nazis and the good fighters against evil. They are all humans, caught in the turmoil of war. Fighting for the opposite sides.
We shouldn’t forget the faithfull & monumental performance of Julia Jentsch.
What I found best was the psychology behind it all.
In the movie, you can see,as Domen said, the craziness of Sophie and her brother, along with the rest of the White Rose members. What I found really brave, was how Sophie sticked to her believes. She was proud of her idea. Deep down she knew she’s right, she knew she believes in good. Even when she got a choice, either to back down and save her life or stay true to herself and die, she stayed true to herself.
Her parents were great too. Her father was proud of her. He knew she ‘killed’ herself, but also knew she did the right things. He taught her and her brother, to be a good person, to think for herself and act when needed.
I am not so sure I would do what Sophie did if I was in a similar situation. I could say I’d do the honorable thing and stick to my believes, but when you’re faced with death… It’s a question of what would you do to keep your life. The Saw -the movie- deals with the same question.
But all isn’t that good. Let’s say you have a family. One of the convicted in the movie had a wife and three kids-very youngs kids. The wife was also sick. So. Do you stick with your believes and follow up your idea. Or do you have a responsibility to take care of your kids and a sick wife? Is the guy who gets killed too, a moron or a brave hero? It is romantic to say he’s a hero, believeing in a higher truth, being brave and all. No. I don’t see it like that. He was a moron. A selfish prick. Even though he fought against Hitler. Being a father bring responsibilities. You don’t get to just make then, you have to bring them up untill they can support themselves.
I didn’t find her crazy at all, she maybe went fanatic in facing high risks of her conviction, which suddenly developed it’s own dynamic (this the film meticulously portrays). It surely is a unique brave act of opposition – if just more people would use their brains then – maybe the history would be different from now.
The bottom line is: she was right, she rooted the right spot. She would be crazy if she went ‘wrong’. The fact that she was killed is not her fault alone, moreover it’s the fault of the (early) nazi prosecution. Later on they didn’t discuss anymore, they simply killed without any legal dispute.
If you want to research this topic deeper, go ahead for the http://www.im-toten-winkel.de/ or here http://www.sonyclassics.com/blindspot/core/hasFlash.html
Traudl Junge was same age than Sophie, yet she was naive. Later she has suffered for the rest of her life.