Rotation
(1949/DEFA/First Run)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Film: B-
Wolfgang
Staudte’s Rotation (1949) is an
ambitious attempt to examine why the Nazis were able to get Germans to go along
with their plans, no matter how horrid.
His Murders Are Among Us
(reviewed elsewhere on this site) is a classic and strong film. Just daring to address the problem of
conformity in that nightmare was bold enough, but the West German studio DEFA
was thrilled until he used footage from Leni Riefenstahl’s Olympia and ended on a highly peaceful note. The Soviets banned it as a result, only
surfacing when the U.S.S.R. collapsed.
The story
tells of a father who refuses to be complicit to the Nazis, while his son joins
them in the Youth Leagues. His Jewish
neighbors suddenly start disappearing as well, meaning the unthinkable is
obviously happening. There are those who
will accept it, those who will deny it and those who will go along with the
Nazis either way. It traces the story to
the end of the war, with shaky consequences.
The film
may not be as bold as later examinations of the same material (Porcile, Garden Of The Finzi-Continis), but for its time, was a great
starting point and another triumph for the filmmakers and its director. Nice to see it out on DVD.
The 1.33
X 1 black and white image is good for its age and has some detail limits, but
the Video Black is thick enough to offset some of that and makes it more
watchable. Bruno Mondi’s camerawork is
very good here. The German Dolby Digital
2.0 Mono is a bit brittle at times, but good for its age. Extras include stills, text on the
filmmakers, newsreels, solid Christiane Muckenburger analysis on the film and 1945 – 65: The Cold War – The Film In
Historical Context essay worth your time.
- Nicholas Sheffo
