The Russians Are Coming
‘Die Russen kommen’, GDR 1968/87, directed by Heiner Carow, 95 min, with English subtitles, rating: 12
15-year-old Günter is an ardent Hitler supporter. During a hunt for an escaped forced laborer, he turns the fugitive into the police. The fleeing boy, who is the same age as Günter, is shot dead by the village policeman, and Günter proudly accepts the Iron Cross. When the Soviet Army advances, however, he is arrested for murder. During the days that follow in the detention room, he is plunged into turmoil, torn between a misplaced sense of honor and the realization that he is guilty. Heiner Carow’s film, shot in widescreen format and expressive black-and-white images, was banned until 1987 and restored in 2014.
Featuring: Gert Krause-Melzer, Viktor Perewalow, Dorothea Meissner, Norbert Christian, Wsewolod Safanow