Max Manus (film)
Max Manus is a Norwegian feature film from 2008 about the Norwegian resistance fighter Max Manus during the Second World War .
The film is based on the autobiographical books by Max Manus Det vil helst gå godt and Det blir alvorund . For his screenplay , the author Thomas Nordseth-Tiller, who died in 2009, researched the archives for several years. With a budget of 55 million Norwegian kroner (around 700,000 euros), the production was the most expensive in the history of Norwegian film to date. On December 19, 2008, Max Manus was premiered in Oslo in the presence of the Norwegian King Harald V and Tikken Manus, the widow of Max Manus, as well as his daughter and his sons. Already on the first weekend, almost 150,000 Norwegians saw the film, which subsequently won numerous prizes at various international festivals. The film sparked debates in Norway about the role of the resistance groups and the deaths on both sides. The dubbed version was released in German cinemas on February 11, 2010.
action
The Weser Exercise company in April 1940 marks the beginning of the occupation of Norway by the German Reich . When the 26-year-old adventurer Max Manus, who had spent his youth in Cuba and worked there as a sailor, returned to Oslo from the winter war between Finland and the Soviet Union , he joined the burgeoning resistance against the German occupiers. Alongside Gunnar Sønsteby and Gregers Gram, he became one of the central figures of the Norwegian resistance.
Max's opponent is Gestapo officer Siegfried Fehmer , head of Division IV in the headquarters of the security service on the notorious Victoria Terrace in Oslo, where torture is the order of the day during interrogations. Max evades arrest by the Gestapo by jumping out of the window of his apartment on the 2nd floor. He is taken to a hospital, where he can soon escape with the help of the hospital staff.
Max Manus makes his way to Scotland, where he is trained as a saboteur by the British secret service. With a parachute he is dropped behind the enemy lines in Norway, where he plans and carries out attacks on German ships and facilities in the Norwegian ports.
After the war, he withdrew, indulged in excessive alcohol and reproaches himself because many of his comrades died in the resistance.
Reviews
“Almost every fourth Norwegian has seen this film. Which is easily explained by the popularity that the resistance fighter Max Manus enjoys in his Scandinavian homeland. The film by the 'Bandidas' makers Joachim Renning and Espen Sandberg is based on the memoirs of the famous patriot who sabotaged the Nazis' utilities during World War II. Elaborate in its design, the energetic war drama need not shy away from comparison with international productions. Aksel Hennie embodies the eponymous hero, his Gestapo opponent is played by Ken Duken. An exciting, still little-known chapter on European anti-fascism. Conclusion: Authentic and action-packed epic about a Norwegian resistance fighter. "
Historical debate
The film Max Manus sparked a debate about Norwegian history. The writer Erling Fossen criticized the glorification of the Norwegian resistance during the German occupation in the portrayal of the film. Fossen pointed out that the attacks and sabotage activities of the resistance movement were not only ineffective and irresponsible, but in many cases even counterproductive. Norwegian historians countered that, although they welcomed a critical debate about the role of the resistance, they considered Fossen's criticism to be excessive. His arguments could not do justice to a historical analysis.
Historian Lars Borgersrud criticized the film's fidelity to history. At the beginning of the film, Max Manus was portrayed as a fighter on the side of Finland in the winter war of the Soviet Union against Finland, although the latter would not have been able to intervene in the fighting because of the ceasefire agreement. Borgersrud accused the Norwegian Resistance Museum ( norsk hjemmefrontmuseum ), which had acted as scientific advisor to the film's production team, of falsifying history . The director of the Resistance Museum , Arnfinn Moland , rejected this claim by Borgersrud. There is enough evidence that Max Manus and his unit actually stood in the shell fire of the Soviet artillery and machine guns. For Manus these experiences and the heavy losses among his comrades were formative.
Awards
At the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund in August 2009 , Max Manus received seven Amanda Awards , including best feature film, best screenplay, best leading actor and best female supporting role.
In October 2009, the film was Max Manus from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as one of 65 contenders for the Oscar announced -Verleihung in 2010 for best foreign language film. Max Manus was also on the shortlist for the European Film Awards 2009 .
Web links
- Max Manus in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Release certificate for Max Manus . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , March 2010 (PDF; test number: 120 918 K).
- ↑ Aftenposten : Nazis marched on Oslo again… as part of a new film ( Memento of the original from May 10, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . April 16, 2008.
- ↑ “Max Manus” is the biography of Norway's most famous resistance fighter: Together against the Nazi devils. In: BZ , February 11, 2010.
- ↑ Cinema.de: film review (accessed on April 9, 2010)
- ↑ Erling Fossen: Motstand glorifiseres . In: Aftenposten . December 14, 2008 (Norwegian)
- ↑ Anders Nordstoga: Anders Nordstoga: Historikere støtter Sønsteby . In: Aftenposten, December 16, 2008 (Norwegian)
- ^ Irene Elisabeth Rossland, Elisabeth Onsum: Bare tøv i Max-Manus-film . In: NRK Nyheter . December 22, 2008 (Norwegian)
- ^ Pål Stokka: "Max Manus" ville snudd seg i graven . In: Dagbladet . December 22, 2008 (Norwegian)
- ↑ Amanda Awards 2009 ( Memento of the original from July 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Norwegian Film Institute: Max Manus in the run for an Oscar nomination ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . September 29, 2009
