A hidden life6/4/2023 ![]() ![]() He is begged by his fellow townspeople, his priest, his wife, his mother-even by Nazi generals-to simply sign the paper and go home. He is resolute despite many opportunities to simply sign a pledge of allegiance to Hitler and walk free. ![]() Their simple life was set against one of the most magnificent backdrops in the world-a landscape all the more gut-wrenching in its beauty when contrasted with the hellish Nazi prisons that Jägerstätter gives it up for. Jägerstätter lived in the Austrian Alps in a small farming village called Radegund, with his wife and three young daughters. “If only more people would have the courage to stick to their beliefs and what’s right-not only right for them but right for society. “It’s such a perfect story for our days,” says production designer Sebastian Krawinkel. Terrence Malick’s latest film tells the story of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer and devout Catholic who refused to fight in World War II for the Nazi regime, and paid the highest price for his conscientious objection. Train-Station Goodbye: Fani says goodbye to Franz as he's leaving onboard a train.A Hidden Life is a quiet story of resistance for a very loud time.Those Wacky Nazis: There's a scene with SA brown shirts gathering around a campfire, with the "wacky" part being the enthusiastic village mayor who's dancing around the fire, shouting and throwing things in it.Stock Footage: Famous footage from Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will is used, showing Adolf Hitler parading in Nuremberg in 1934 with the city's cathedral (the Frauenkirche) in the background.He also studiously refuses to fight for Nazi Germany, resisting even at the cost of his life. ![]() Real Men Love Jesus: Franz is pious and extremely devout, going to the church, asking a priest then a bishop for counsel, invoking God and praying.Reality Has No Subtitles: The German parts are not subtitled.Off with His Head!: Franz and other prisoners are put to death by guillotine. Watching A Hidden Life feels like both going to church and performing penance, like Terrence Malick wants us to submit to the same ideological journey as his protagonist.This is of course what most dissidents' trials were like under the Nazi Party. Kangaroo Court: Franz's "trial" from what's seen is a farce, with the chief judge hurling abuse and his own defense counsel standing by mutely, then trying to make him submit.Farm Boy: Franz is seen doing farm work with his wife at their pasture in the Alps.During the War: The story is set during World War II. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |