Generation War

Generation War will open in New York on January 15th, then in Chicago on January 24th, and following those dates, the U.S. Film Distributer, Music Box Films will open the film across the nation. This is the theatrical film version of the six part, six-hour, mini-series that ran on German Television last spring. Music Box Films will release the film in two parts.

Simply it is a tale of five close friends who get caught up in the madness that began in Germany. The film begins in 1939 and carries through until the end of World War II in 1945.

What began with idealism and a desire to be heroic, valorous, and courageous would ultimately lead these five people to question their values, beliefs, and sense of humanity, as they realized, and came to understand, their betrayal by their own nation.

None of them could have imagined that they, and millions more, would have begun an adventure that would change them forever, and beyond that, change the face of Europe and the rest of the world.

Here are the five leads –

Wilhelm played by Volker Bruch, is a career officer in the German Army. He will head off to the Eastern front.

Friedhelm played by Tom Schilling, is Wilhelm’s younger brother. He’s a quiet boy, intrigued by books and education.

Charlotte played by Miriam Stein, is a young idealistic nurse who is in love with Wilhelm. She too will go off to the Eastern front.

Greta played by Katharine Schüttler, is a talented singer who dreamed of becoming the next Marlene Dietrich.

Victor played by Ludwig Trepte, is Greta’s boyfriend, and he is Jewish.

The TV series won the German Television Award as Best Miniseries for 2013. The series and this the theatrical version have been called the German Band of Brothers. While the series won awards, and some of the actors were nominated for awards, the series/film has been called controversial. Especially by the Polish press.

Check out the trailer.

I’ll have a full review of Generation War prior to the film’s opening. Please watch for it.