Der neunte Tag (2004)

Director:

Volker Schlöndorff

Writers:

Jean Bernard (memoir "Pfarrerblock 25487") and
Eberhard Görner (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 November 2004 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

A drama loosely based on Jean Bernard's Nazi-era prison diary.

Plot Keywords:

Bishop | Gestapo | Catholic Church | Letter | Concentration Camp

Awards:

5 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Ulrich Matthes	...	Abbé Henri Kremer
August Diehl	...	Untersturmführer Gebhardt
Hilmar Thate	...	Bischof Philippe
Bibiana Beglau	...	Marie Kremer
Germain Wagner	...	Roger Kremer
Jean-Paul Raths	...	Raymond Schmitt
Ivan Jirík	...	Armando Bausch
Karel Hromadka	...	Pater Laurant Koltz
Miroslav Sichmann	...	Pater Marcel Bour
Adolf Filip	...	Professor Klimek (Kraków)
Vladimir Fiser	...	Bischof Kozal
Peter Varga	...	Józef (Polish Inmate) (as Petr Varga)
Petr Janis	...	Pater Nansen
Zdenek Pechácek	...	Lagerführer
Vaclav Kratky	...	SS-Mann

Also Known As:

Devátý den (Czech Republic)
Le neuvième jour (Luxembourg: French title)
Pfarrerblock (Germany) (working title)
The Ninth Day (International: English title)

Runtime:

98 min | Argentina:98 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Germany | Luxembourg | Czech Republic

Language:

German | French

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Hungary:14 | Czech Republic:12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Germany

Company:

Provobis Film

Goofs:

Anachronisms: While their fellow-prisoner is being crucified, the priests are singing the hymn "Pange, lingua, gloriosi" by Thomas Aquinas (1264). However, they are singing a German version of this song, which was not in use before 1969. In addition, even if they happened to know a German version, it would be more likely for them to sing the original Latin version, as there were priests from all over Europe imprisoned in this block.

Soundtrack:

Frauen sind keine Engel

Very realistic and refreshing

After reading some of the reviews below, I could not resist the frustration and decided to register and express my own opinion on the subject. First of all, it is a great movie, very humanistic and powerful. It is a movie about inner human struggle, it has nothing to do with church propaganda or any other nonsense so cheaply expressed by some "commentators". Being myself raised and atheist (in the former Soviet Union), subsequently going through Christian transformation but eventually abandoning it and becoming a naturalistic pantheist, I found the movie extremely resonating and devoid of any propaganda at all. It is a story about life the way it was, about people cast into the horror of the state machine, powerless and nearly broken. You will see no heroics, no pretty faces, no romantic interludes, only the bleak atmosphere and a masterful portrayal of the events. The most persistent feeling the movie leaves inside is the torturous question "What character could I actually be had I lived back then?" – and the chilling realization of the answer – "anyone of them." I only hope that the History is not going to repeat itself the way it always persistently did over the past millennium.

Most people are "conditioned" with the false sense of Hollywood "reality" in movies, but the real life is very different and this movie provides a great example of it. It actually is a big plus that the language is German, it adds a lot to the authenticity of the feeling. I have no difficulties following the English subtitles, the dialogs are sparse and do not divert from the main flow (needless to say, my native language is Russian). Finally, the soundtrack is simply incredible. The morons who call it "weak" should check the credits at the end – the bulk of the sound uses Alfred Schnittke's symphonic works – a perfect ornament to the gloomy and hopeless flow.

If you are looking for a movie to entertain yourself, you are definitely in a wrong place. By if you are like me, looking for a movie to enhance your soul and understanding of the drama of our life, then it is definitely worth checking out. 10/10