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Before the Fall

Original title: Napola - Elite für den Führer
  • 20042004
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
16K
YOUR RATING
Before the Fall (2004)
Friedrich's boxing skills gets him in an elite Nazi high school in a castle in 1942. He enrolls against his dad's wish as it promises a brighter future. It's not what he expected.
Play trailer2:03
1 Video
46 Photos
DramaSportThriller
Friedrich's boxing skills gets him in an elite Nazi high school in a castle in 1942. He enrolls against his dad's wish as it promises a brighter future. It's not what he expected.Friedrich's boxing skills gets him in an elite Nazi high school in a castle in 1942. He enrolls against his dad's wish as it promises a brighter future. It's not what he expected.Friedrich's boxing skills gets him in an elite Nazi high school in a castle in 1942. He enrolls against his dad's wish as it promises a brighter future. It's not what he expected.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
16K
YOUR RATING
    • Dennis Gansel
    • Dennis Gansel(screenplay)
    • Maggie Peren(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Max Riemelt
    • Tom Schilling
    • Devid Striesow
    • Dennis Gansel
    • Dennis Gansel(screenplay)
    • Maggie Peren(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Max Riemelt
    • Tom Schilling
    • Devid Striesow
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 67User reviews
    • 61Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:03
    Watch Trailer

    Photos46

    Before the Fall (2004)
    Max Riemelt in Before the Fall (2004)
    Max Riemelt and Devid Striesow in Before the Fall (2004)
    Max Riemelt and Tom Schilling in Before the Fall (2004)
    Tom Schilling in Before the Fall (2004)
    Max Riemelt in Before the Fall (2004)
    Max Riemelt in Before the Fall (2004)
    Max Riemelt in Before the Fall (2004)
    Max Riemelt in Before the Fall (2004)
    Max Riemelt in Before the Fall (2004)
    Max Riemelt in Before the Fall (2004)
    Max Riemelt in Before the Fall (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Max Riemelt
    Max Riemelt
    • Friedrich Weimer
    Tom Schilling
    Tom Schilling
    • Albrecht Stein
    Devid Striesow
    Devid Striesow
    • Vogler
    Jonas Jägermeyr
    Jonas Jägermeyr
    • Christoph Schneider
    Leon A. Kersten
    • Tjaden
    • (as Leon Alexander Kersten)
    Thomas Drechsel
    Thomas Drechsel
    • Hefe
    Martin Goeres
    Martin Goeres
    • Siegfried Gladen
    Florian Stetter
    Florian Stetter
    • Justus von Jaucher
    Joachim Bißmeier
    Joachim Bißmeier
    • Anstaltsleiter
    Michael Schenk
    Michael Schenk
    • Sportlehrer
    Justus von Dohnányi
    Justus von Dohnányi
    • Gauleiter Heinrich Stein
    • (as Justus von Dohnàny and Justus von Dohnányi)
    Claudia Michelsen
    Claudia Michelsen
    • Frau Stein
    Julie Engelbrecht
    Julie Engelbrecht
    • Katharina
    • (as Julie Marie Engelbrecht)
    Johannes Zirner
    Johannes Zirner
    • Torben Send
    Alexander Held
    Alexander Held
    • Friedrichs Vater
    Sissy Höfferer
    Sissy Höfferer
    • Friedrichs Mutter
    Max Dombrovka
    • Hans Weimer
    • (as Max Dombrowka)
    Marian Schole
    • Peter Fischer
      • Dennis Gansel
      • Dennis Gansel(screenplay)
      • Maggie Peren(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Parts of the story are based on incident's in the life of Dennis Gansel's grandfather.
    • Goofs
      At least one of the Napola boxers and one of the training officers have pierced ears. Very unlikely, this being set in Nazi Germany.
    • Quotes

      Albrecht Stein: [reading from his essay] "As childish as it sounds, the winter time and the sight of freshly fallen snow always fill us with inexplicable joy. Perhaps because as children, we associated it with Christmas. I always imagine myself the hero who killed dragons, rescued virgins, and freed the world from evil. As we went out yesterday to find the prisoners, I felt like that little boy who wanted to save the world."

      Vogler: Albrecht, stop.

      Albrecht Stein: But as we returned, I understood that I am part of the evil that I wanted to save us from.

      Vogler: Albrecht, stop.

      Albrecht Stein: Shooting prisoners is wrong. They were not armed, as Governor Stein told us, to incite us. We didn't shoot men, only children.

      Vogler: Out!

    • Connections
      Featured in Videotagebuch von Dennis Gansel (2005)
    • Soundtracks
      Uns're Fahne flattert uns voran
      (Vorwärts! Vorwärts! schmettern die hellen Fanfaren)

      Music by Hans-Otto Borgmann (as Hans Otto Borgmann)

      Lyrics by Baldur von Schirach

      Performed by chorus featuring Max Riemelt

    User reviews67

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    A great film, meaningful, deeply moving emotionally
    This film which depicts an elite Nazi teenage male youth training facility takes place in Germany during 1941 or 1942. Students are being trained to become future leaders after Germany wins the war. Much of the training is brutal. Students are taught to win regardless of any pain that their actions might cause their fellow man - whether friend or foe, fellow countryman or enemy. The film tells how the students accept or reject their training and the consequences of their decisions/indecisions.

    I saw this film at the 2005 Palm Springs International Film Festival at a "Best of Fest" special showing. It certainly should be a candidate for an academy nomination as "Best Foreign Language Film" but I do not know if it has a distributor for North America. It reminded me somewhat of a 2003 Palm Springs festival entry - EVIL/ONDSKAN (Dir. Mikael Hafstrom/Sweden) - which also packed an emotional kick in the gut that left me stuck in my seat for at least five minutes after the film had ended. Napola is the better of the two films by far. Great acting, script, direction, music, etc. See it on a big cinema screen if at all possible since film makes great use of the colors that will not have a similar impact in a video format.
    helpful•58
    5
    • vinylvision
    • Jan 20, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 13, 2005 (Germany)
      • Germany
    • Official sites
      • Official site (Germany)
      • Official site (Singapore)
      • German
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Hamburg, Germany
    • Production companies
      • Olga Film
      • Constantin Film
      • SevenPictures Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 50 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

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