At the end of the most destructive and ferocious war in history (The Second World War) there was as always a land grab.
Who would enjoy the spoils of war and set themselves up to be the top dog in Europe now?
This conflict became ‘The Cold War’ a struggle between former allies America and Britain on the one hand and Soviet Russia and its puppets on the other. This non shooting war was most visibly played out in Germany whose aggression many say was the cause of two World Wars within 21 years.
As ever it was the ordinary citizens who suffered.
This film tells the story of how a small group of dedicated and brave people challenged the might of the Communist East Germany government.
In 1961 that government built a wall to keep their people in, not invaders out.
There was no discussion about this ‘initiative’.
People woke up one morning and discovered that The Berlin Wall was there.
Families were divided. Humanity was thrown to the wind.
East German border guards had orders to shoot to kill anyone who made a dash for freedom.
They did!
As many as two hundred people died, their names and stories lost to history.
In the face of this tyranny some brave people rebelled.
This movie deals with one of the early and most daring episodes in the history of The Wall.
Could they dig their way to freedom through ‘a tunnel’.
In 1989 the Wall came down and Germany was reunited.
The Communist experiment had failed.
Hope had prevailed.
At last the full story could be told.
Well received on its initial showing on German television this DVD release is bound to generate great interest and admiration for the story it tells and the quality of its storytelling.
In the spirit of ‘Das Boot’ and ‘Downfall’, ‘The Tunnel’ demonstrates that German film makers are finding their feet, reclaiming their history and telling the story of all those lost innocents who died to enjoy the freedoms we so readily take for granted.
This film entertains and educates.
Essential if at times uncomfortable viewing.
A stunning achievement.
The Tunnel DVD (A German film with English subtitles) Second Sight