Bonhoeffer (2003)

Director:

Martin Doblmeier

Writer:

Martin Doblmeier (writer)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | History | War

Tagline:

Pastor/Pacifist/Nazi Resister

Plot:

Dramatic documentary about the young German pacifist and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer who resisted the Nazi regime and was hanged two weeks before World War II was over.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Germany | Religion | Church | Nazi Resistance

Cast

Martin Doblmeier	...	Narrator (voice)
Klaus Maria Brandauer	...	Dietrich Bonhoeffer (voice)
Adele Schmidt	...	Sabine (voice)
Richard Mancini	...	Bishop Bell (voice)
John Conway	...	Himself
Wolfgang Huber	...	Himself
John De Gruchy	...	Himself
Jean Lasserre	...	Himself
Otto Dudzus	...	Himself
Victoria Barnett	...	Herself
Renate Bethge	...	Herself
Christian Gremmels	...	Himself
Desmond Tutu	...	Himself
Eberhard Bethge	...	Himself
Winfried Mächler	...	Himself

Runtime:

USA:93 min | Finland:57 min (TV)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG

Company:

First Run Features

A great subject but made rather boring

The story of Dietrich Bonhoffer has been waiting to be told for some time. His life had many elements that easily make for a compelling movie. His refusal to fall in line with the Nazi party, his secret machinations to help overthrow Hitler and his eventual hanging as a spy are just a few of them.

Unfortunately, this documentary does little to build any excitement and mostly relies on a number of talking heads. Most of them are theological experts and historians. Some of them are prone to wander off on verbal tangents, losing the audience and losing focus.

The more interesting speakers are the people that actually knew the man, such as his brother-in-law and the sister of his fiance. Their recollections are the most insightful and interesting.

In the few times Bonhoffer is quoted, actor Klaus-Maria Brandauer speaks the words and does an excellent job. As someone else has noted, he would have done even better to have been the narrator. The person narrating the film seems rather wooden and distant from the material.

What truly seemed to be missing from this film was a sense of what drove Bonhoffer to do what he did --- which was to essentially break stride with the rest of the German Church and draw attention to himself in a time when such actions could cost him his life (which they eventually did). He spoke out against the mistreatment of Jews and even formed his own seminary. He went against his own pacifist views to take part in a plot to assassinate Hitler. What compelled him to do these things? The movie doesn't truly attempt to get at this.

While Bonhoffer is a good attempt at telling the story of a man who gave his life for what he believed in, it's honestly a rather boring documentary that will sadly be overlooked by most who aren't already familiar with Bonhoffer's life.