Rotation, in German with subtitles, 1948, from Netflix.
I didn't realize that this one was directed by Wolfgang Staudte who also directed Murderers Are Among Us in 1946, the first post war German film. Both were filmed in Berlin, a lot more rubble to be sure in the 1946 film but the 1948 film still had so much that you need not go far to do a war scene where the bullet holes in the background are real. Both films were made in the Soviet sector after being rejected by the Western authorities for some reason.
Rotation looks at the lives of an ordinary sort of German family through the Nazi era. Behnke is stone broke during the depression but finds good work as a printing press mechanic when Hitler comes to power. Although Behnke is not interested in politics he has to join the Nazi party to keep his job. But his brother in law is in the underground and tries to convince him that he has to do more to fight the Nazis. And Behnke's teenage son is a rabid Hitler Youth so Behnke has troubles all around to struggle with.Well, Staudte tries to show us how the average guy got involved (as apparently Stautde did himself) and went along for the wild ride even though he didn't want to. Both Rotation and Murderers Are Among Us have hopeful endings. At least we get to see what the German director thought of it all before the Cold War distorted the view.
Jimski
I didn't realize that this one was directed by Wolfgang Staudte who also directed Murderers Are Among Us in 1946, the first post war German film. Both were filmed in Berlin, a lot more rubble to be sure in the 1946 film but the 1948 film still had so much that you need not go far to do a war scene where the bullet holes in the background are real. Both films were made in the Soviet sector after being rejected by the Western authorities for some reason.
Rotation looks at the lives of an ordinary sort of German family through the Nazi era. Behnke is stone broke during the depression but finds good work as a printing press mechanic when Hitler comes to power. Although Behnke is not interested in politics he has to join the Nazi party to keep his job. But his brother in law is in the underground and tries to convince him that he has to do more to fight the Nazis. And Behnke's teenage son is a rabid Hitler Youth so Behnke has troubles all around to struggle with.Well, Staudte tries to show us how the average guy got involved (as apparently Stautde did himself) and went along for the wild ride even though he didn't want to. Both Rotation and Murderers Are Among Us have hopeful endings. At least we get to see what the German director thought of it all before the Cold War distorted the view.
Jimski
