Europa Europa (1990)

A boy in Nazi Germany, trying to conceal that he is Jewish, joins the Hitler Youth.

Director:

Agnieszka Holland

Writers:

Agnieszka Holland, Solomon Perel (memoir: Ich war Hitlerjunge Salomon)

Stars:

Solomon Perel, Marco Hofschneider, René Hofschneider

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Solomon Perel	...	Salomon Perel heute (as Salomon Perel)
Marco Hofschneider	...	Salomon Perel jung
René Hofschneider	...	Isaak
Piotr Kozlowski	...	David
Klaus Abramowsky	...	Vater
Michèle Gleizer	...	Mutter
Marta Sandrowicz	...	Bertha
Nathalie Schmidt	...	Basia
Delphine Forest	...	Inna
Andrzej Mastalerz	...	Zenek
Martin Maria Blau	...	Ulmayer
Wlodzimierz Press	...	Stalin's Sohn
Klaus Kowatsch	...	Schulz
Holger Kunkel	...	Kramer
Bernhard Howe	...	Feldwebel

Storyline

A Jewish boy, separated from his family in the early days of WWII, poses as a German orphan and is thereafter taken into the heart of the Nazi world as a 'war hero' and eventually made a Hitler Youth. Although improbabilities and happenstance are cornerstones of the film, it is based upon a true story.

---

Plot Keywords:

circumcision | hitler youth | nazi | jewish | german | 

---

Taglines:

In the tradition of Voltaire's Candide and Jerzy Kosinski's The Painted Bird.

---

Genres:

Drama | History | War

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for mature treatment of holocaust issues

Details

Country:

Germany France Poland

Language:

German Russian Polish Hebrew

Release Date:

14 November 1990 (France)

Also Known As:

Europa Europa

Filming Locations:

Poland

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,433, 30 June 1991, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$5,575,738

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR),Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA),The Senate of Berlin

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Julie Delpy did not speak German and performed her role in English and was later dubbed over.

---

Goofs

When Salomon rides his bike through the sheet of glass he cycles on past the shoe shiner, in the next shot he has fallen off his bike lying in the glass 6-8 feet in front of the shoe shiner.

---

Quotes

Rosemarie: [while having sex with Solly] Mein Führer!

---

Connections

Referenced in The 64th Annual Academy Awards (1992)

User Reviews

an incredible life and death adventure

This has absolutely got to be one of the best movies dealing not only with World War II, but also with the Holocaust. It tells a most incredible and almost unbelievable story with so many amazing twists of fate for young Solomon Perel. It is one of the few films that I feel puts a very personal face on what it was like during WW II. If you know German you will find the actual German dialogue to be particularly fascinating, especially the scenes in the elite Hitler Jugend school. The line where he says, "I was very confused..." is the understatement of any film ever made. I consider this film a "MUST SEE" if you are a member of the human race. If you are a student of German or of German history, then it is even more than a "MUST SEE"!