The film The Murderers are Among Us was the first film to be produced after the Second World War and was also the first film during that period to evaluate the sense of collective guilt among the German people for the atrocities committed in WWII. This film focuses on the character Dr. Mertens, who is a returning soldier after the war. He is plagued by guilt derived from an execution order given by his superior officer, Brückner, which resulted in the death of many women and children. Dr. Mertens eventually finds out that Brückner is still alive and attempts to kill him, however, in the end decides that personal revenge is not the best option, and that wartime offenses are best left punished by the law.
This ending is slightly different from the original (in which Dr. Mertens follows through with Brückner's murder), because the Russian occupying power in Germany at the time of its production called for a more constructive approach. The Russians were the only occupying power in Germany to give consent for this films production, because the other occupying powers felt the German people needed to undergo much more post war re-education before they would be ready to produce films free of propaganda. This film was a great first example to show that the German's were capable of producing a film after the war that was both democratic and humanistic. This film also began a trend of "rubble films". Rubble films, such as this one, employ the use of Berlin's demolished buildings to evoke emotion and add a realistic edge to the setting.
I personally really enjoyed this film, as the use of rubble throughout the film brought a piece of history to life. This film also successfully gave me another impression of Germany post WWII, that being of a more innocent side of Germany that felt guilt for the atrocities of war, and also a Germany that was taking lawful action against guilty parties. I would recommend this film to anyone who is interested in learning more about German history or WWII history, as it realistically portrays the physical and emotional damages of the war, and also, is itself a historically relevant film, marking the beginning of a new age of German cinema.
This ending is slightly different from the original (in which Dr. Mertens follows through with Brückner's murder), because the Russian occupying power in Germany at the time of its production called for a more constructive approach. The Russians were the only occupying power in Germany to give consent for this films production, because the other occupying powers felt the German people needed to undergo much more post war re-education before they would be ready to produce films free of propaganda. This film was a great first example to show that the German's were capable of producing a film after the war that was both democratic and humanistic. This film also began a trend of "rubble films". Rubble films, such as this one, employ the use of Berlin's demolished buildings to evoke emotion and add a realistic edge to the setting.
I personally really enjoyed this film, as the use of rubble throughout the film brought a piece of history to life. This film also successfully gave me another impression of Germany post WWII, that being of a more innocent side of Germany that felt guilt for the atrocities of war, and also a Germany that was taking lawful action against guilty parties. I would recommend this film to anyone who is interested in learning more about German history or WWII history, as it realistically portrays the physical and emotional damages of the war, and also, is itself a historically relevant film, marking the beginning of a new age of German cinema.