Germany Year Zero is available on YouTube with English Subtitles
Germany Year Zero is a merciless view of 12 year old boy, once an avid Hitler Youth, caught between the designs of a pedophilic Nazi, shady black-marketers, and his own ailing family. The background of the bombed out buildings is magnificent.
The film tells the story of 12-year-old Edmund Köhler (Edmund Meschke), who lives in a bombed-out apartment building in Berlin with his ailing father (Ernst Pittschau) and his adult siblings, Eva (Ingrid Thulin) and Karl-Heinz (Wolfgang Krüger). Eva manages to obtain cigarettes by going out with soldiers of the Allied forces, but she resists others' expectations to prostitute herself. Karl-Heinz is the older son who fought in the war and is a burden to the struggling family, refusing to register with the police and get a ration card because he is afraid of what would happen if they found out he fought to the bitter end.
Edmund is left to fend for himself, and he soon gets involved in the black market. He also comes under the influence of a former schoolteacher (Eduard von Winterstein), who encourages him to give up on life and commit suicide.
The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1948 Cannes Film Festival, and it won the award for Best Director. It has since been recognized as a classic of Italian neorealism and one of the most important films about the aftermath of World War II.
The title of the film, "Germany Year Zero," refers to the fact that Germany was essentially a blank slate after the war. The country had been destroyed by Allied bombing, and its people were demoralized and hungry. The film suggests that Germany needed to start over, to create a new society that was free from the evils of fascism.
Germany Year Zero is a powerful and disturbing film that offers a harsh but realistic look at the aftermath of war.
"Roberto Rossellini was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such as Rome, Open City (1945), Paisan (1946), and Germany, Year Zero (1948). He is also known for his films starring Ingrid Bergman, Stromboli (1950), Europe '51 (1952), Journey to Italy (1954), Fear (1954), and Joan of Arc at the Stake (1954).
Rossellini was born in Rome in 1906. He began his career as a journalist and documentary filmmaker. In 1945, he made his first feature film, Rome, Open City, which was a critical and commercial success. The film, which was shot on location in Rome during the German occupation, helped to define the Italian neorealist movement.
Rossellini continued to make neorealist films in the years that followed, including Paisan and Germany, Year Zero. These films were praised for their realism and their unflinching portrayal of the human condition.
In the 1950s, Rossellini began to experiment with different film styles. He made a series of films with Ingrid Bergman, including Stromboli, Europe '51, and Journey to Italy. These films were more personal and introspective than his earlier work.
Rossellini continued to make films until his death in 1977" From Bard
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