NaPolA (Before the Fall)

A potent example, Dennis Gansel's "Before the Fall" commands attention from its very first frame and never lets up right through the fade-out.....It is a splendid example of classic screen storytelling with no false steps.... ... Full Review

In time, Weimer begins to lose his enthusiasm for NAPOLA, especially after a mission to find escaped Russian prisoners leads to the death of unarmed teenagers, and he looks for a way to rebel against the repressive system. Vogler invites Weimer to join the NAPOLA training facility in Allenstein, and he accepts, despite the strong misgivings of his family. ... Full Review

Before the Fall," a touching and beautiful film, takes us into one of those schools through the eyes of Friedrich Weimer (Max Riemelt), a ridiculously handsome blond-haired boy who, were he American, would be described as "all-American. Gansel is to be commended for finding a way to tell a beautiful story simultaneous with indicting his countrymen for their ugliness. ... Full Review

it becomes more provocative gradually.... ... Full Review

For better or worse, the Oscar-nominated 2004 drama "Downfall" has inspired a bunch of like-minded films trying to take a more humanistic look at Germany's Third Reich. ... Full Article

Just imagine the mood on the set of this film, set during Hitler's regime in Germany and slavishing praise on that leader. The repeated cries of "Heil Hitler" would be enough to turn the stomach of an American cast far... ... Full Article

Just imagine the mood on the set of this film, set during Hitler's regime in Germany and slavishing praise on that leader. The repeated cries of "Heil Hitler" would be enough to turn the stomach of an American cast far... ... Full Article