Sophie Scholl–The Final Days, the German historical drama, is directed by Marc Rothemund and written by Fred Breinersdorfer.
It tells the story of the last days in the life of Sophie Scholl, a 21-year-old member of the anti-Nazi non-violent student resistance group the White Rose, part of the German Resistance movement. Found guilty of high treason by the People’s Court, she was executed the same day, February 22, 1943.
World premiering at the 55th Berlin Film Fest in 2005, it won Silver Bear awards for Best Director and Best Actress (Julia Jentsch).
It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
The Film’s Focus
Marc Rothemund: Our film focuses on Sophie Scholl’s last six days, from the preparation of the leaflet operation at the university of Munich to her capture, interrogation, sentencing, and execution. It is an extreme situation in which we also become acquainted with her character, her past, and the ideas of the White Rose.
Differences from the movie White Rose
Michael Verhoeven’s film, The White Rose (Die Weisse Rose), describes the development of the entire resistance group. The dramatic events following the arrest of the members take up only a minor portion of the film. The movie ends with the arrest of Sophie Scholl. Our movie begins with this, and we accompany Sophie on her emotional turbulent journey to her death over the period of five days. We also show how Sophie grows under pressure as she assumes her duty.
Percy Adlon’s Film, Funf Letzte Tage:
Adlon’s Film, “Funf Letzte Tage,” devotes itself to this period of time, but it looks at the events through the perspective of Else Gebel, Sophie’s cellmate in the Gestapo prison. Adlon’s film ends when Sophie is led to the courthouse. Our film, in turn, is consistently narrated from Sophie’s Point-of-View, and it goes further.
Sophie’s Last Days
We have reconstructed the trial and brought to life the infamous “blood judge,” Roland Freisler. We also depict Sophie’s stay in Stadelheim prison, her last cigarette, her farewell to her parents, her last meal, her prayers, her execution. But perhaps what sets this film apart the most from the previous films on Sophie Scholl is that we were able to consult documents that were still inaccessible in the 1980s.
New Documentation
Story’s Turning Point
Then, when incriminating evidence against Sophie is found after a search of her apartment, she continues to deny her involvement. It is not until she is confronted with the interrogation minutes of her brother, in which he confesses to everything and accepts full responsibility that she says: “Yes, I took part in this and am proud of it.” From them on, she tries to protect her friends and convince that the interrogation officer that the “White Rose,” whose leaflets always gave the impression of coming from a large organization, consisted solely of herself and her brother.
The Interrogation Officer
The Officer’s Son
We interviewed the son, Willy Mohr, who is now 83, for four hours, and won deep insights into Robert Mohr’s nature. We also conducted long interviews with Anneliese Knoop-Graf, the sister of the “White Rose” member Willi Graf. She was questioned by Mohr for four months and was able to describe both Mohr and the interrogation room very precisely. Moreover, she was in the same cell as Sophie during these four months, also with Else Gebel as cellmate. The two were good friends even after the war. She was thus able to provide valuable information on Else Gebel, too.
Other Witnesses
We also had the chance to speak to Else Gebel’s nephew. Another important witness was Elisabeth Hartnagel, Sophie’s younger sister, who later married Sophie’s fianc Fritz Hartnagel. Her conversation with us was her very first interview in front of the camera. She also opened up her private archives to us. All these witnesses gave us additional support in our endeavor to tell our story as authentically as possible.
The Inner World of the Characters
The emotional aspect was the most important one fro Fred Breinersdorfer and myself: The emotions of the characters, their viewpoints, their conflicts”this is what constitutes the red thread that runs through the story. I had already been astonished by the dialogues when reading the as yet unpublished interrogation protocol.
Julia Dentsch as Sophie Scholl
When you have such great actors at your disposal such as we did, an entirely new dimension comes into play: It is really incredible how Julia Dentsch threw herself into her role, how she empathized with Sophie’s emotional life and awakened it to life.
