Love, freedom and betrayal
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Love, freedom and betrayal |
| Original title | Legge di guerra |
| Country of production | Italy , France , Germany |
| original language | Italian |
| Publishing year | 1961 |
| length | 85 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Bruno Paolinelli |
| script |
Giuseppe Berto Bruno Paolinelli |
| production | Ugo Tucci |
| music | Mario Nascimbene |
| camera |
Camillo Bazzoni Aldo Scavarda Arturo Zavattini |
| cut | Nella Manuzzi |
| occupation | |
| |
Love, Freedom and Treason (alternative title: War Law and 4 o'clock in the afternoon , original title: Legge di guerra ) is an Italian-French-German war film in black and white from 1961 by Bruno Paolinelli . He wrote the script himself together with Giuseppe Berto . Mel Ferrer , Magali Noël , Peter van Eyck and Jean Desailly can be seen in the leading roles . The work had its world premiere on May 9, 1961 in Italy. In the Federal Republic of Germany it had its premiere on November 18, 1967 in the program of the ARD .
action
War winter 1943 in Bosnia occupied by the German Wehrmacht . A partisan blasts at night a German ammunition into the air, charring three soldiers in the rubble. Then he hides in the church tower of his village. The next day a German commando followed the tracks and was supposed to shoot thirty hostages in retaliation . At 2:30 p.m. the men were rounded up, regardless of age or disposition, one out of every fifth house. But the German captain gives a deadline of 4 p.m. so that the person in charge can face himself and save the hostages. The film describes these one and a half hours almost at the same time.
The man in the church tower, it is the village teacher Mirco, did not expect such a development. Larger partisan groups were supposed to cordon off the valley after the attack and prevent retaliation. However, the help did not arrive. Should he face now? - He chooses the “law of war”, which commands him to kill without mercy. Yes, the shooting of hostages even means help for the partisans, because the Germans are sowing new hatred against themselves.
In the meantime, however, the villagers have acted. They hold the watchmaker's speech for the assassin and hand him over, with which they buy their thirty men free. For this one now Mirco stands. Because the death of the watchmaker, who acted as a fanatical hater of Germans and was just a cowardly boor, would no longer be reprisal. Speech would die as a supposed culprit with the approval of the village population; his death would no longer have an inciting effect for which Mirco “as a soldier” could answer. That is why he poses "as a person" - and lets himself be shot.
criticism
The Evangelische Film-Beobachter comes to the following assessment: “A discussion film with an above-average design that conceals its secret yes to partisan terror by attempting to solve the problem through a dramaturgically skillful turn into the purely human. From 16 on it is definitely worth reconsidering! ”Cinefacts.de describes the work as a“ shocking plea for morality and humanity ”.
Remarks
The DVD was released under the title War Law . In the international ensemble, the actors spoke their respective national language.
Web links
- Love, Freedom and Treachery in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Five pictures from the film at Cinema.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Source: Evangelischer Filmbeobachter , Evangelischer Presseverband München, Review No. 509/1967, pp. 642 to 643
- ↑ http://www.cinefacts.de/Filme/Kriegsgesetz,38275