Army of Saviours [DVD]

During the horrors of the holocaust,non-Jews saved many thousands of Jews from death and depravity at the hands of the Nazis and its allies.We know the stories of many of these brave ordinary people;Schindler,Wallenberg and Ten Boom are but a few and there were many more "Good Germans" who knew the risks of harbouring Jews yet still faced evil at every turn.
Every so often a small film comes along that just keeps me mesmerised and this is one of the best of them.Wonderfully acted,softly directed and with a story littered with interesting characters all of which is true.Luckily for us the consumer the artwork isn't misleading us into believing this is a war film full of gung-ho action but a delicate story of human decency when the world around had gone mad.

Based on the personal memoirs of Marga Speigel this film is an accurate narrative on the years she and her daughter spent living on the Aschoff family farm under the surname Krone whilst her Jewish husband (Menne) hid on another farm close by.
During WW1 Menne and his farmer friend Aschoff served in the trenches together and were awarded the Iron Cross,now that same country that honoured his bravery wanted him dead along with every other Jew in Europe.Although his long time (non-Jewish) friends are willing to shelter them there is still danger at every turn where any slight mishap could see the end of them all.
Amongst the Aschoff family loyalties are somewhat confused,the same night they see their son of to the Russian front they harbour Jews.Their daughter is a member of the BDM and whose boyfriend is an over zealous Nazi Youth leader.Plus being a large farm there are many other "guests" who could turn them in at a minutes notice so vigilence becomes an exhausting practice.
Now I don't perceive myself as shallow but a lot of war dramas I have seen in the past have bored me to tears and although not a lot happens plot wise in this film I was gripped from start to finish and would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in the holocaust or indeed if you have a heart at all.Simply put its a stunning piece of film making where nothing is rammed down your throat its just told as it happened.
Just as the credits roll there is an interesting vignette of the real life Marga Speigel and Frau Aschoff sharing a moment on set together which just warms your soul.
Filmed in German with well translated English subtitles.

This film is based on the memories of Marga Spiegel (Veronica Ferres) which was published in 1965. It tells her story about how the farmers of South Munsterland hid her, her husband and their daughter to avoid deportation to the Nazi death camps during WWII. It follows them from the decision to go into hiding right through out the war. Menne Spiegel had served with these men during the First World War and earned an Iron Cross First Class for defending the country that now sought his destruction.

Whilst Mara and her daughter Karin, pretended to be evacuees from the allied bombing, her husband Menne the Horse Jew had to be hidden as they had to pretend he was in the army. Thus he was forced to become a recluse for the duration - a bit like solitary but where you have to keep quiet all the time. When Marga arrives at the farm it is just as her hosts the Aschoff's are bidding farewell to their eldest son Klemens who is off to do his bit for the Fatherland on the Russian front. He is offered a last minute reprieve from his dad who says he can still be hidden, but the young lad insists on going.

The problem is that the rest of the Aschoff family don't know that they are hiding Jews, a crime punishable by shooting on the spot. Heinrich Aschoffs daughter is a member of the BDM a sort of more feminine Hitler Youth and she has a brain washed would be suitor who is a Grupen Leader in the aforementioned Youth organisation who believes the Nazi Party are always right, Jews are to blame for everything and anyone who has the temerity to voice an alternate opinion is a traitor.

What develops is at first a painful situation for everyone but soon becomes a learning experience for all involved. The whole thing is done at a pace that is spot on, it is moving and inspirational as well as having its fair share of suspense. There is a piece on the run out of the film with Marga and Frau Aschoff who attended the filming and that was a really nice touch. We are reminded that the option to shelter Jews was open to quite a few Germans and actually 455 did so. This is not an action war film but still conveys the anxiety and heart break that such violence inevitably brings with it. In German with a run time of 100 minutes, this is a beautifully made film that I found to be utterly engrossing.

This is a quite superb movie, with an original take on the Holocaust theme - dealing, as it does, with ordinary Germans working to save Jews. Most emotions come through in this film; empathy, sympathy and solidarity between people, irrespective of their origin. I especially enjoyed seeing the change of heart experienced by the BDM member, Annie, who changes her opinion of the Jews after hearing of the suffering they had endured. All in all this is a top notch film and one I heartily recommend.