Movie Review:
Sophie Scholl — The Final Days

Director: Marc Rothemund
Production Company: Zeitgeist Films
Cast: Julia Jentsch, Fabian Hinrichs, Gerald Alexander Held, Johanna Gastdorf, André Hennicke, Florian Stetter
Rating: not yet rated; contains only mild language and violence

By Gregg Tubbs

(UMC.org)— In modern times, there has never been so grand a stage for the battle between good and evil as World War II. Great leaders and common soldiers amassed for epic battles and bold gambits that would rewrite world history. However, not all heroes trod the battlefield. Some acts of courage and sacrifice were played out in nondescript rooms, with words and ideas as weapons. Those heroes were no less real and their risk no less dangerous than that of any soldier. Sophie Scholl—The Final Days is the story of one such heroine—the true story of a young woman who did what few in Nazi Germany dared to even think.

Sophie (JULIA JENTSCH) and her brother Hans (FABIAN HINRICHS) were captured while attempting to distribute anti-war pamphlets on a Munich campus. Copyright © 2006 Zeitgeist Films

Most Germans know the name Sophie Scholl. Sophie, her brother Hans, and the other members of a small group called The White Rose have become modern folk heroes in Germany. The setting is 1943, the height of the war, and Hitler is at the zenith of his maniacal power. A small band of college students in Munich, calling themselves The White Rose, dared oppose the war, question the Fuhrer, and advocate freedom of speech and thought in the midst of a suffocating totalitarian regime. During this time, neighbors turned in neighbors for disloyalty, and the Gestapo terrorized the German people as if they too were the enemy. In such a climate, to be associated with a dissident group like The White Rose was tantamount to signing one’s own death warrant.

The whole story of Sophie Scholl was not known until recently, when previously secret interrogation records became available. Relying heavily on the actual interrogation transcripts, director Marc Rothemund expertly re-creates the last six days of Sophie Scholl’s life: a dizzying journey from arrest to interrogation, trial, sentence and most horribly, execution. The movie retells this harrowing and inspiring story of how a young coed became a fearless activist, dedicated to the downfall of the monolithic Third Reich war machine. Sophie and her brother Hans were captured while attempting to distribute anti-war pamphlets on a Munich campus. Her interrogation and trial become a steely battle of wills. As brought to luminous life by young German actress, Julia Jentsch, Sophie is a compelling figure—a mix of moral outrage, sly calculation, stubborn courage and girlish fragility. Sophie is a lover of life, yet unafraid to face death.

Much has been said about Sophie’s (JULIA JENTSCH) bravery, and even her executioner claimed that he never saw anyone, man or woman, approach him standing so tall and unbroken. Copyright © 2006 Zeitgeist Films

One of the horrors of Nazi Germany was how fear and nationalism turned ordinary citizens into instruments of unimaginable cruelty and moral blindness. Robert Mohr, Sophie’s interrogator, was a career civil servant, who had worked under two previous German governments. As he badgered Sophie, broke her down, and sealed her fate, he was not only “just following orders” as so many Nazis rationalized, but also believed it was his patriotic duty.

The glory of Sophie’s struggle was that she refused to let slogans and blind nationalism cloud her vision or compromise her moral integrity. A devout Christian, she knew that supporting the government and its disastrous and immoral war, even through passive inaction, made her complicit in a great sin. Persecution, torture, destruction and death were the fruits of Hitler’s regime—no matter what lofty words and patriotic images these acts were wrapped in. For Sophie, the choice was not easy, but it was clear. Her Christian duty was to oppose the war on moral grounds.

Relying heavily on the actual interrogation transcripts, director Marc Rothemund expertly re-creates the last six days of Sophie Scholl’s life: a dizzying journey from arrest to interrogation, trial, sentence and most horribly, execution. Copyright © 2006 Zeitgeist Films

Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.” Sophie Scholl lived those words. Although Sophie Scholl—The Final Days is a German language film with English subtitles, its message is universal. While it might be hard to find a showing at your local multiplex, I recommend you hunt it down because it is worth the extra effort. This film is passionate testament to freedom and personal responsibility that is both haunting and timeless. It should not be missed.

*Gregg Tubbs is a freelance writer living in Columbia, Md.

This review was developed by UMC.org, the official online ministry of The United Methodist Church.

Study Questions

• Had you ever heard of Sophie Scholl or the White Rose? Were you aware that there were Germans who opposed Hitler? Who are some other famous examples of people who opposed Hitler? (A couple of notable examples are Oscar Schindler and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.) What risks did those who opposed Hitler’s regime face—both from the government and from the citizens?
• Discuss whether Sophie’s crime warranted death. Did the fact that her country was at war make her actions treasonous? Why or why not?
• The film opens with a scene of Sophie singing a song with a friend. Why do you think the filmmaker made that choice? What did the scene tell you about Sophie?
• Do you believe her interrogator, Mohr, regretted what he did? If you had been in his place, how would you have felt? Why do you think he offered her a way out?
• Sophie had the chance to act as a “Judas” and betray her collaborators. Why do you think she didn’t?
• Why do you think Sophie threw the last set of leaflets off the balcony? Did she want to be caught or did she simply want the leaflets to be noticed?
• Do you believe Christians have an obligation to oppose their government when it acts immorally? Why or why not? Could you ever take such a stand?
• Do you see any parallels between Sophie’s world and the world today? Do we always need people like Sophie Scholl?
• Was it ironic that the court that rushed to convict Sophie was called “The People’s Court”? Why do you think it was named this? (See the Wikipedia article on Volksgerichtshof, “The People’s Court.”)
• Who are some other “heroes of conscience” throughout history who remind you of Sophie Scholl?

Group Activities

Design a Pamphlet: As hard as it is to believe, Sophie and her friends were executed for distributing anti-government, anti-war pamphlets. Knowing the risk, they must have believed deeply in what was on those pamphlets. Divide your group into small teams, provide each team with paper and drawing/writing tools, and ask them to design a pamphlet. Ask them to write about something they believe in and are passionate about, something they think needs to be changed—either stopped or supported. Set a time limit of no more than 30 minutes. Be sure to ask each group to support their point of view from a Christian perspective. Then ask each team to share its pamphlet and lead a brief discussion of the issue. Debate can be constructive, but the group leader should set the ground rules that no matter what the issue, discussion should stay civil and be carried out in the spirit of Christian love, avoiding becoming heated or personal.

Group Discussion: Many see Sophie Scholl—The Final Days as a story of courage, but a case could be made that it is equally a story of faith. The film’s director, who happens to be an atheist, has said: “How does such a life-affirming, positive-minded young woman like Sophie Scholl come to terms with the fact that her life is being taken away from her? How does she find a meaning in her death? And, of course, as an atheist I ask myself: is it easier to face death as a believer?” As a group, discuss the role Christian faith plays in the film. How do we know Sophie is a Christian? When do we see her pray? Discuss the director’s statement. How would you answer his question? In what way did Sophie’s path echo the life and sacrifice of Christ? Couldn’t Christ have spared himself? For reference, see John 10:17-18 and John 15:13.

The Great Interrogation: The centerpiece of Sophie Scholl is dramatization of her interrogation by the authorities. The Bible records perhaps the most famous interrogation in history—Jesus before Pilate. For this exercise, stage your own dramatization of Jesus before Pontius Pilate. You can use the words from the Bible as your script. Assigned roles should be Narrator (to read all lines not ascribed to a character), Jesus, Pilate, Herod and various members of the council of priests and assembled officials. All the Gospels describe the event, but you might prefer to use either Luke 23:1-7 or John 18:28-40 and 19:1-16. How would you compare Jesus’ trial to Sophie’s? Was Pilate more fair than Sophie’s interrogator and the People’s Court judge? How did Sophie and Jesus both surrender to their fate?

Resources
Official Sophie School -- The Final Days Web site

Theatrical Trailer
QuickTime