Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer (2015) Reviews

• Succeeds in every regard

  Horst_In_Translation2015-10-05

  There has been a lot of talk about the German movie "Labyrinth of Lies" recently as this one starring Alexander Fehling was chosen as Germany's official submission to the next Academy Awards and I have seen that one almost a year ago. It was a decent film dealing with a prosecutor who attempts to bring former high rank Nazi official to their responsibility and have them tried in course. Now this is a very similar plot compared to "The People vs. Fritz Bauer" with one major difference. Bauer is near the end of his career/life apparently, while Fehling's character is a rising star. You could even say that with the bathtub scene early in this film here, the protagonist could very well have died before the film even began. Yet there is another difference, namely that "The People vs. Fritz Bauer" is the far far superior movie. I must say that these 105 minutes were an amazing watch and it shows that Germany can not only produce excellent films about legal issues, but also that it is still very much possibly to come up with a convincing plot on the whole Nazi issue that has been done so many times in movies. The main reason here is possibly Lars Kraume's excellent script and direction. The Italian-born filmmaker has made movies for 20 years now and experience pays off. I must say I was not really familiar with the name, maybe because he worked a lot on television in recent years, but he certainly won me over. Another reason for this film's success is Burghart Klaußner. Is there anything that needs to be said about him? I don't think so. He has been among the most consistent German actors for years and I am not scared to say that he is generally among the best actors currently working. You may have seen him in works like "Das weiße Band", "Requiem", "The Edukators" or "Goodbye Lenin". His Fritz Bauer is certainly on par, if not better, compared to these performances. I may be biased as I have loved him as an actor for years, but he really is that great in my opinion and it would be nice to see him get some awards recognition for his turn here. Definitely a good bet at the German Film Awards next year. Same can be said about Ronald Zehrfeld who has slowly, but steadily entered into Germany's acting elite over the last couple years. He plays a role stuck between co-lead and supporting and adds a lot to the movie as well thanks to his good range and great chemistry with Klaußner. He sure holds his own here. Finally lets not forget the supporting actors, who also deliver and make the most out of what they are given, especially Sebastian Blomberg being one of the main antagonists in here. I thought the film's script is absolutely outstanding. It manages to be politically interesting and relevant without going too much into detail and becoming boring this way. We not only find out about the characters in terms of their professions, but also about their private lives (or lack thereof). And last but not least, the movie even manages to be pretty funny on several occasions, like the socks reference or the talk about what a perfect marriage looks like. An excellent lead performance that results in everything you could ask for in a mix of drama and political thriller that still manages to put a smile on your lips on several occasions. You really don't get all this very often these days. Do not miss out and watch it if you can. Deserves all the accolades it hopefully gets. Highly recommended.

  More

• Sadly, it was apparently more scandalous to be a homosexual than an ex-Nazi in post-war Germany.

  MartinHafer2017-02-02

  "The People vs. Fritz Bauer" is an interesting film about a mostly forgotten piece of history. It seems that the Attorney General for Hesse (one of the most populous of the German states), Fritz Bauer, learned about the whereabouts of one of the most infamous Nazis in the post-war era. Yet, inexplicably, the folks in the government had very little interest in finding this man, as he could expose many in the Adenaur government who had Nazi ties--something that could prove embarrassing. So Bauer approached the Israelis with the information and ultimately the Nazi scum-bag was caught. What makes this film so interesting is the ambivalence towards Eichmann in Germany. Instead, the Federal Police seem much more interested in prosecuting homosexuals and preventing Eichmann's capture! Overall, a very interesting portrait of a bygone day. While I knew a lot about the Eichmann capture already, I didn't realize that they might have never found him if it wasn't for Bauer- -and that the Germans themselves couldn't have cared less! Very well made and well worth seeing. By the way, if you enjoy this film I also recommend you watch another exceptional German movie, "The Nasty Girl". It, too, discusses the German people and their ambivalence about confronting their Nazi past.

  More

• "Do you like to hunt?" "Yes, but not on animals"

  paul-allaer2016-10-19

  "The People vs. Fritz Bauer" (2015 release from Germany; 105 min., original title "Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer") brings the dramatic retelling of the circumstances within which Hesse Attorney General Bauer prosecuted former Nazis in post- WWII Germany. As the movie opens, we are reminded it is "Frankfurt in the late 1950s", and we get to know Fritz Bauer. In the opening scene he almost drowns in his bath tub (an accidental overdose of sleeping pills, it turns out). But the incident has caused concern with others. One of Bauer's State Attorneys (i.e. more junior prosecutor) invites Bauer to the country side. "Do you like to hunt?" he asks, to which Bauer replies "Yes, but not animals", ha! Indeed Bauer is working feverishly to track down Adolf Eichmann. At this point we're 15 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out. Couple of comments: first, this is NOT a bio-pic of Fritz Bauer. Indeed, we get little to no background information as to his life prior to 1957 or after 1960 (starting and closing points of the movie). In a way, this is unfortunate, as an unsuspecting viewer may not fully realize the importance of this man in German politics. Second, the movie's central theme that "the people" or "the state" (as the original German title reads) is against Bauer is somewhat misleading. It's really the German political establishment, which was riddled at the time with former Nazis, which tries to stifle Bauer's efforts. This theme was something of a taboo in Germany for decades following WWII. Just last year there was another German movie, also involving Bauer, called "Labyrinth of Lies", which also addressed this. Thirdly, strictly from a film viewing perspective, the production is rather "dry" and at times it feels like watching a European TV drama. But I nevertheless enjoyed it quite a bit. Last, the movie also spends quite a bit of time looking at one of Bauer's closest aides, State Attorney Angermann. At the end of the movie, there are some announcements about what became of Bauer. But inexplicably nothing is said about what became of Angermann. Not sure how that could've happened (and leading me to deduct one further star from my overall rating). "The People vs. Fritz Bauer" opened this weekend without any pre-release advertising or hype at my local art-house theatre here in Cincinnati. The Tuesday early evening screening where I saw this at was not attended well (1 person besides myself), which is a shame. Hopefully this is the type of movie that will find a larger audience once it gets exposure on Amazon Instant Video, and eventually is released on DVD/Blu-ray. If you are in the mood for a true historical drama about an important episode of German politics post -WWII, I can readily recommend that you check this out.

  More

• the war wasn't quite over, it seems

  blanche-22017-08-29

  "The People vs. Fritz Bauer" is the story of one man's determination to bring Adolf Eichmann to Germany for trial, and the opposition to it that he faced. Fritz Bauer was a district attorney in Hessen, Germany, and the story begins really toward the end of his life. He is shown drowning in his bathtub at the beginning, but he is saved. In reality, that is how he died in 1968. Bauer was a man who did what he had to do in order to achieve his ends, and the movie makes no bones about it. He keeps quiet about the fact that he is Jewish because of his determination to enter politics. And he commits treason in order to bring Eichmann to justice. His part in that capture was not made public until 10 years after his death. Unfortunately for Bauer, in 1957, the government was filled with ex- Nazis and SS officers who didn't want these monsters tried and naming names. There was a lot of resistance and anti-Semitism. When Bauer learns that Eichmann is living in Argentina, he has to appeal to Massad for help - a treasonous offense if anyone found out. There is a subplot concerning his young associate, State Attorney Angermann, a fictional character. Very good movie, with wonderful acting by Burghart Klaußner as Bauer and Ronald Zehrfeld as Angermann.

  More

• Deliberately Paced But Important Film

  larrys32017-01-12

  This deliberately paced but important film highlights the severe frustrations of Attorney General Fritz Bauer, as he attempts to prosecute former Nazis in his own country of Germany, in the late 1950's and early 60's. Many of the German people do not want to look back at the horrors that occurred in their country a decade before, instead wanting to move forward and enjoy an economic boom and democracy. Also, Bauer comes up against geopolitical resistance at the highest levels across the globe, as many nations to do want to aggressively pursue ex-Nazis for their own individual reasons. Bauer is ably portrayed by Burghart Klaussner, and his efforts, along with State Attorney Karl Angermann (Ronald Zehrfeld), will eventually lead to the capture, in Argentina, of the former high-ranking Nazi Adolf Eichmann, and his subsequent trial and execution in Israel. Also, Bauer's efforts would lead to the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials, where additional ex-Nazis were tried and sentenced. I might mention that some of the same ground was covered in the fine 2014 movie "Labyrinth of Lies".

  More