bruce_katherine Reviews

Unsolved (2002– )

Germany's version of "Cold Case"

[20 January 2005]

Or at least that seems to be how this show is touted here in Australia. Personally I thought it was very 'German', with all that implies (positive things to me, at least). It is a thoughtful drama series that takes the viewer along with the detectives in an attempt to solve the case of the week, in a similar manner to CSI, except that the members of this crime team do not do the work of an entire criminal department.

They are led by Matthias Steiner, a man with a photography memory, who has suffered the loss of his pregnant wife six years earlier. His works with Julia Gerling and in the first episode they are joined by Andreas Zier. They are helped by Dr. Melanie Heitmann, a pathologist, and overseen by Frau Dr. Krueger.

I certainly enjoyed the first episode of the series and was disappointed to see that, by the lack of websites on the 'Net, it has not aired in enough countries to get a good following. It deserves them.

Rosenstrasse (2003)

Major disappointment!

[4/10 · 9 June 2004]

One thing that astonished me about this film (and not in a good way) was that Nathan Stoltzfus, who seems to pride himself on being the major historian on the topic of the Rosenstrasse, was one of the historians working on this film, considering how much of the actual events were altered or disregarded.

Another reviewer said that von Trotta said she never meant for Lena to bed Goebbels, but in that case, why did she give every impression that that was what had happened? Why not show other possible reasons for the mens' release, such as the disaster that was Stalingrad, or the Nazis' fear that the international press, based in Berlin, would find out about the protest.

Also, why did the whole storyline play second fiddle to a weak family bonding storyline that has been done over and over again? Surely something as awesome as this could carry its own history! In places, it was as if the film had two story lines that really seemed to have little in common.

Overall, this film failed in its aim, which was to draw attention to a little-known act of resistance, which is a shame, because done better, it could have had a major impact.