The Murderers Are Among Us
by Wolfgang Staudte
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Elly Burgmer, Erna Sellmer, Hilde Adolphi, Hildegard Knef, Marlise LudwigDirector: Wolfgang Staudte
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); German (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 81 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-05-21
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: FIRST RUN FEATURES
Movie Reviews of The Murderers Are Among Us
Movie Review: A movie that focusses on Germans rebuilding their lives after the War
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie centers on Susanne Wallner, a young Berliner who for reasons unknown was interred in a concentration camp during WW II. She is portrayed as a German Gentile and a Christian. She returns to her old apartment and finds it already inhabited by a man, who is actually Dr Hans Mertens, a surgeon who had served in the German army during the war. An uneasy and awkward co-existence develops into a deeper bond between the two, though Susanne is unable to understand why Hans seems so tormented to the point that he can't practice his profession and drowns himself in drinking.
Hans meets Bruckner, his commanding officer in the German army who had ordered the execution of innocent men, women and children on Christmas Day 1942, and this has haunted him since. Hans desires vengeance and the rest of the movie deals with him coming to grips with what he has witnessed and how he puts his past to rest.
In this movie, we are given a glimpse of what Berlin was like after the war - a city in ruins. Most civilians were living in apartments with windows broken[as a result of the heavy bombing] and also dealing with the repercussions of war. BUT, there is a big flaw in this movie - nowhere is it acknowledged about the annihilation of the Jews. I'm not sure if this was deliberate but Susanne Wallner and all the rest of the characters are portrayed as Christians, and at the end of the movie, the many dead are symbolised by a grave with many crosses dotting the landscape - perhaps this is to show the loss suffered by the Germans themselves, excluding the Jews. In any case, though this is definiely not a Holocaust movie [as I was initially led to believe by the title], it is a well-made drama dealing with the traumas of war and its aftermath.
Summary of The Murderers Are Among Us
Critically ranked in the top ten of Germany's 100 most important films, Wolfgang Staudte's THE MURDERERS ARE AMONG US is a haunting film about personal accountability and the process of healing in post war Nazi Germany. The first feature film produced amid the ruins of East Germany after World War II, under the auspices of the newly created DEFA Studios, THE MURDERERS ARE AMONG US featured the budding star Hildegard Knef. Susanne Wallner (Hildegard Knef) is a concentration camp survivor who, despite unspeakable experiences, is filled with a desire to return to some semblance of the routine of her former life. She wants to move back into her Berlin apartment, but soon finds that Dr. Hans Mertens has taken up residence. Once a successful specialist surgeon, Hans cannot return to his medical practice after the war, incapable of tolerating the sound of anguish and human despair. She offers to share the apartment with Hans until he can find other lodging, but soon finds herself drawn to the troubled, self-destructive, and angry young man who is trying to suppress his terrible memories through excessive drinking. With Susanne's help, Dr. Mertens slowly returns to his former self. But first he must confront his former commanding officer, now a prosperous and respected businessman, over a wartime atrocity. THE MURDERERS ARE AMONG US is a compassionate portrait of hope, resilience, and personal atonement. Rooted in the tradition of German expressionism, Wolfgang Staudte juxtaposes realistic filmmaking with rapid montage sequences, unusual camera angles, and sharp lighting contrasts to create a disorienting harsh reality that reflects the fractured lives of the war's survivors. What emerges is not a menacing portrait of a faceless Cold War enemy, but a poignant tale of profound humanity and a sincere, desperate cry for justice.Ranked by critics as one of Germany's most important films, The Murderers Are Among Us offers a wrenching look at history and humanity. The first feature film produced in Germany after World War II, it is set in Berlin just after the surrender, and the city is still being battered by air raids. The characters move through the half-destroyed husks of old buildings, and even simple acts like serving a meal at a table take on new meaning as the people try to put their lives back together. Susanne Wallner is a concentration camp survivor, eager to taste life again after her living death. Dr. Hans Mertens is a former German officer, unable to live with the guilt of what he and his former comrades have done. The two must quite literally learn to live side by side as they come to terms with the past and start to look toward the future. The film is beautifully and sensitively made, and possesses a shining optimism that is surprising for its time. --Ali Davis
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