Labyrinth of Lies

This is definitely one of the more powerful holocaust films. It doesn't have any visual images of the holocaust. It's about the aftermath. To bring the perpetrators on trial, the effects on a Germany (or West Germany) in total denial, of the children of the Nazi era and their latent guilt of what their parents may have done or did. One feels what it was to grow up German during this period of the late 1950's.

It's very emotional performance by Alexander Fehling. We feel his anguish as he learns the scale of his country's complicity of what happened – and his anger and frustration at the lies to circumvent it all. And this is told at the personal level – it is individuals whose lives were shattered and it is individuals who did the destroying.

Unique and impressive.

An agreeable and well-acted approach to a historically significant but little-known event. In Germany, 15 years after World War II, one young man forces an entire country to face its past. Set in Frankfurt, 1958, for the first time, the Germans judge the Germans. The young state prosecutor Johann Radmann - Alexander Fehling- finds some documents that allow him to launch a judicial process against some members of the SS who served in Auschwitz. But the horrors of the past and the hostility towards his work bring him close to collapse, as he finds it almost impossible to make his way through a labyrinth in which everyone seems to be involved or guilty. A young and ambitious prosecutor discovers how important German institutions and some members of the government are involved in a conspiracy whose purpose is to cover up the crimes of the Nazis during World War II (1939-1945).

This is the remarkable true story of the pursuit of justice for the victims of Auschwitz. An interesting and pleasant film with a lot of social content and good performances. Here we witness the struggle of a young prosecutor who, avoiding all kinds of obstacles from both higher authorities and other people who hide or wish to live in peace without problems, nevertheless manages to bring those guilty of heinous crimes to trial. This intelligent and attractive film, endowed with extreme honesty, without an iota of falsehood and a lot of courage was well directed by Giulio Ricciarelli. It got several prizes and nominations , such as: 20 Satellite Awards (International Press Academy), nominated Best international film. German Film Awards 2015 - films of 2014 nominated Best film, Best Supporting Actor (Gert Voss), Best Screenplay (Elisabeth Bartel, Giulio Ricciarelli), Best soundtrack (Niki Reiser, Sebastian Pille).

The Auschwitz trial began in 1963, 211 survivors of the Auscwitz concentration and extermination camp told their story. In the best trial in the history of the Federal Republic, 19 members of the SS who had served in Auscwitz appeared. 17 of the accused were convicted, during the 20 months that the trial lasted the accused did not show any repentance. Fritz Bauer died in 1978 from a myocardial infarction. Josef Mengeles lived in Brazil until his death in 1979, he died of a stroke while swimming. The trial marked a milestone in the history of the German Federal Republic, the crimes of the Nazi era could no longer be silenced. The film is taught to Attorney General Frtz Bauer, prosecutors Joachin Kugler, George Vogel, Gerhard Wiese and journalist Thomas Gnielka.

Based on the true story of a young Public Prosecutor from Frankfurt named Johann Radmann (Alexander Fehling – 'Inglorious Basterds'). He encounters a survivor of Auschwitz and a journalist who want to bring the perpetrators of the atrocities that took place there to trial. The problem is that Germany seems to not want to rake over the coals of the past and there are former Nazi's everywhere who just don't care.

What follows are the travails he and his friends go through in order to do something, try to build a case and wake the German people from their wilful apathy towards the war. We also have his personal life and that of those around him and who are swept up in the investigation.

This is an extremely well made film, the story is completely gripping and I loved the period detail too. It does not sugar coat what took place but is also not horrific in terms of the graphic abuse that sadly occurred, especially at the hands of Mengele and co. It is very moving in places and features some truly excellent performances especially Fehling and his love interest Friedrike Becht ('Hannah Arendt')who plays Marlene – it is in German with very good subtitles and runs for 123 minutes and is one that is very easy to recommend indeed.

Labyrinth of Lies is a 2014 German film about the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials that took place between 1963 and 1965. What distinguished the Frankfurt trails from all the other trials was that they were based on German law and because they happened 20+ years after the war, they were limited to murder charges. Several Nazis had been tried previously but they were convicted under international law and occurred right after the war.

The film begins in 1958 as a young prosecutor Johann Radmann (marvelously played by Alexander Fehling) is attracted to the case by a reporter (Andre Szymanski), and given support by the federal Attorney General (Gert Voss who is simply riveting). They must work against the denials, cover-ups and vested interests that try to keep the issue quiet.

The film gives you a real feel of the late 50s, and the photography and music support an excellent cast who do wonderful work. In a film about the holocaust, there is a tendency to shock, but director Giulio Ricciarelli skillfully shows that less is more.

There are some places where the film seems more like a docudrama, and some issues (e.g., Radmann's relationship with his mother) are only hinted at. But overall it's an excellent film, and while it may not be an equivalent to "Judgment at Nuremberg", it is well worth viewing.

Nowadays, the word Auschwitz has become a synonym for the worst kind of human evil. But there was a time when, at least in Germany, nobody knew the word, let alone what happened there. In the years after the war, German society wanted to forget everything about this terrible period, including the atrocities committed.

'Im Labyrinth des Schweigens' (In the Labyrinth of Silence) shows how this period came to an end. A journalist presses charges against a former Auschwitz camp commander, who is now a school teacher. A prosecutor starts an investigation, but his efforts are obstructed by all kinds of procedures. It is clear that most Germans don't want to be confronted with the mass murders committed by their fellow compatriots. In one scene, the prosecutor asks his young colleagues what the word Auschwitz means to them. None of them come up with an answer.

The film clearly shows how complex the past was for post-war Germany. Lots of people had been a member of the National Socialist Party, without being a nazi by conviction. Some became a nazi because it was convenient to be part of the ruling power-base. The prosecutor learns that even some people who are very close to him, were on the wrong side of history. Still, he is convinced that the men who committed war crimes should be punished.

This is an interesting story about an unknown period in the German history. Unfortunately, the film maker decided to include a cheesy love story in the script. The prosecutor's love affair is distracting, unnecessary and predictable. Towards the end, there are too many side stories and subplots, and the film starts dragging on. At the same time, there are some very nice creative scenes. I particularly liked the scene without words, when the prosecutor starts interviewing the witnesses from the concentration camps. Small gestures and facial expressions show, better than any dialogue, the horror these people must have gone through.