Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Napola" or "Before the Fall" is a 110-minute German movie from over 10 years ago. Writer and director is Dennis Gansel (around 30 at this point), pretty famous for "The Wave" and this one here is his breakthrough film (unless you already count the abysmal "Mädchen Mädchen!". Gansel has worked a lot with Riemelt in his career, so it's no surprise that he also plays the main character in here. Still, I am not sold on Riemelt after having seen many of his movies. I believe with another lead actor this may have been a really strong movie and contender for best German film of 2004. Tom Schilling, who's a pretty big star today, easily gives the more convincing performance as the soft-spoken son of a well-respected Nazi official, who realizes how wrong his father's deeds are.The best scenes were probably the ones with the sports teacher. They were really baity written, but also gave a crass insight into the methods of operation at the training camp. The popular Nazi message of natural selection, even at the most cruel circumstances, is even more present in here than usual. We follow a young man who has a talent for boxing and may dream of the Olympic Games when he gets recruited for this training camp. The first scene at the camp was already very telling. He tells the officer right away that he left without his dad's permission, but even fakes his dad's signature. The Nazi officer acts negatively and surprised, but in the end he does not hesitate to accept the boy's presence instead of sending him home. A crime here and there is okay if it serves the Fuehrer and Vaterland. And the irony in how he tells him about honesty and obedience, while he himself is dishonest that very moment is priceless. I believe the film's biggest strength is the script. Moments of greatness are rare, but Gansel managed to come up with a screenplay that almost never drags and that is a decent achievement for a film that runs for almost 2 hours. I enjoyed the watch and everybody who likes Nazi-themed films should check it out. And if you already have, take a look at "Berlin' 36", which is sort-of the female-centered version of "Napola". Thumbs up and I recommend it.

Bene Cumb It took a while, but gradually has Germany got over its Nazi/WWII shame and depression, and has been able to start dealing with what happened during Hitler regime in a varied manner. Life is never black and white, even in totalitarian states, and lots of people try to live, to make their dreams come true, even if their romantic or innocent ideas are subordinated to crazy or dangerous ideas of others, of those with more money and power. So were most boys in NaPolA as well, it was just the war reaching Germany that accelerated their comprehension what was really going on, it was a sort of eyes-opener. And the truth in war time is always ugly, even if there are some excused reasons for waging war...The plot is skilfully created, there are tensions and twists, the development of characters is evident and logical. The most catchy performances to me were Max Riemelt as Friedrich Weimer, Tom Schilling as Albrecht Stein, and Devid Striesow as Heinrich Vogler; the rest were either too briefly on screen or did not distinguish from the crowd - well, and the uniforms did help that either.Additionally, it has to be noted, that such schools were not a phenomena of the Nazi regime only. Similar schools, with emphasis on ideology/values/strength did exist in the Soviet Union and still do exist in current Russia, and in many other not-too-much-democratic countries, often under hidden slogans and agenda. As children and teens are easy to manipulate with, and many parents like to reckon in black-and-white categories: better a future soldier than e.g. drug addict or criminal.

Atavisten This is a brilliant movies about how kids were given a chance for great fortune in the future German empire, happily without the morality a Hollywood movie would portray the same material with. This is a movie that asks the viewer to think for himself instead of being predisposed. However much this is filmed in a style akin to that of Leni Riefenstahl, master director of nazi-propaganda films, it is a critical movie. And it also shows how people could sympathize for the cause, however brutal it was seen with historical hindsight. The actors of Albrecht and the boxer both do a good job here and the strength of the movie lies in what is cuts out, it's a sparse tale with just the bare necessities left, at least in what we're used to with western cinema.

Tom Erik Høiås this movie tells the story of German youth. in the year 1942 the Nazis are at the peak of their power. but it is not just war, the Nazis are up to lots of different things. like creating an elite of arian top trained men, brainwashed in to believing whatever they are being told. i was intrigued by this movie, because i cant imagine the terror and strict upbringing of these young men. but they where the elite, and in the elite there is no time for sympathy or mercy. "if you die you are weak". the few men that does not buy in to the propaganda that is being fed to them are considered outcasts. those that actually understand that the Nazis are the evil side. this is a very interesting subject of history that i haven't seen a lot of, therefore the film is.. in my opinion original and entertaining.