Napola
2004
NAPOLA, a moving portrayal of a young boy's struggle to remain true to himself against heavy odds, unfolds in 1942 in an elite school that trains the finest German youth to be Nazi leaders. Friedrich is a champion boxer who has been chosen to attend; he defies his anti-Nazi father in order to do so. At the school he is .. Read more
| Starring | Max Riemelt, Tom Schilling, Devid Striesow, Joachim Bissmeier |
|---|---|
| Director | Dennis Gansel |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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Napola
NAPOLA, a moving portrayal of a young boy's struggle to remain true to himself against heavy odds, unfolds in 1942 in an elite school that trains the finest German youth to be Nazi leaders. Friedrich is a champion boxer who has been chosen to attend; he defies his anti-Nazi father in order to do so. At the school he is subjected to brutal training methods of often dubious morality, and his friendship with fellow student Albrecht grows as they face them together. Albrecht is a highly emotional writer whose governor father disapproves of his supposed softness even as he revels in Friedrich's successes; Friedrich himself is swayed by his friend's sensitivity. When a supposed war game turns deadly, Albrecht is unable to cope with his disillusion and guilt, and Friedrich is forced to decide where his loyalty lies.
| Starring | Max Riemelt, Tom Schilling, Devid Striesow, Joachim Bissmeier |
|---|---|
| Director | Dennis Gansel |
| Studio | PARASOL PICTURES RELEASING |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 50 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: German |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 08 May 2006 Production year: 2004 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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Set in Berlin in 1942, Dennis Gansel's intensely beautiful film brings us inside Hitler's network of elite schools to groom young Germans for positions of power
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A work of exemplary craftsmanship... Ranks high among the year's films
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Most helpful member's review
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18 out of 18 people found this review helpful
Powerful thought provoking beautiful cinema.
This film is a tremendous eye-opener. Although one should take into account that it is cinema and hindsight can distort, this film tries to offer different sides of the reality of living in Nazi Germany and the education they tried to invoke on the children. Imagine that you are a child and you want to belong, what line of truth would you pursue? Which side do you feel in your heart of hearts is the one for you and at what cost? Yes, there is a small love story and homophobes should stay away, but it is not the main issue. The love of country, Fuhrer, and the Nazi machine is forced to replace indivdual thought, action, and love. It is a powerful idea and looks at the unfairness and unnaturalness of the Nazi beliefs and how their extremism led them to failure and the destruction of so many young lives. Looking for metaphors? Definitely there on so many levels, but equally you can enjoy this one without too much analysis. If you love cinema see this one. Not quite on the scale of Brokeback Mountain, but a cinematic equal none the less.
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Most recent members' review
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4 out of 7 people found this review helpful
Fantastic. Emotional, atmospheric and real.
This film reminded me immediately of 'Dead Poets Society'. It's about discovering who you are and what you believe to be right. Whereas DPS is set in 1950's America and Napola is set in 1942 (when Germany was still winning the war), themes such as the immortality of youth, what's expected of you by your peers and by society, friendship & bonding, suicide etc. are all developed here.
Although you could probably argue this film is almost a complete carbon copy of 'Dead Poets', it is, nontheless, brilliant. Superb performances from (I assume) an unknown cast of young actors, real character depth and exploration of themes and emotions make this film quite exceptional. German film-making at its best. -
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Napola
NAPOLA, a moving portrayal of a young boy's struggle to remain true to himself against heavy odds, unfolds in 1942 in an elite school that trains the finest German youth to be Nazi leaders. Friedrich is a champion boxer who has been chosen to attend; he defies his anti-Nazi father in order to do so....
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