Germania anno zero (1948)

Director:

Roberto Rossellini

Writers:

Roberto Rossellini (story)
Max Kolpé (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 September 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Edmund, a young boy who lives in the destructed Germany after the 2nd World War has to do all kinds...

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Nazi | German | Germany | Young Boy

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Edmund Moeschke	...	Edmund (as Edmund Meschke)
Ernst Pittschau	...	Il padre
Ingetraud Hinze	...	Eva (as Ingetraud Hinz)
Franz-Otto Krüger	...	Karl-Heinz (as Franz Grüger)
Erich Gühne	...	Il maestro

Also Known As:

Germany Year Zero (USA)

Runtime:

78 min | Brazil:71 min | USA:71 min (TCM print)

Country:

Italy

Language:

German | English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (f) | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Produzione Salvo D'Angelo

Trivia:

The film is dedicated to Romano Rosselini, Roberto Rossellini's son who died prematurely in 1946.

Quotes:

Edmund: Is he your brother?
Christl: Who? Jo? No.
Edmund: You're always together.
Christl: So? What about it?
Edmund: Wherever he goes, you're right behind.
Christl: And that makes him my brother?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Rossellini visto da Rossellini (1992)

Grim and accurate

I must confess to a lingering fascination of the condition of Germany, and the German peoples, immediately following WWII. The country, of course, was broken - destroyed - in ruins. More importantly, so were the people. The real life stories I have read speak to so many aspects of their condition: shame, starvation, disbelief, shock of the revelations of the evil of their own doing, and despair. Always despair. They are stories of how the human spirit can overcome the most horrific nightmares and conditions.

This movie drills to the heart of many of those issues, sometimes subtly, sometimes brazenly. Rossellini was never better.

I consider this movie to be a must view on two levels: First, it is quite frankly one of the best moves ever made. Easy words to throw around, and said too often about too many films. Those words apply here. Second, it is a must view for the understanding it can provide of what the world - particularly Germany and Europe - were like after WWII. It belongs to a small suite of movies (such as Schindler's List) that show real insight, a true view into the world during this bleak time in history.