A Film by Wolfgang Staudte
A man and a woman return to war-torn Berlin to face the harsh realities of
post-war Germany. Susanne Wallner is a concentration camp survivor who, despite
unspeakable experiences, is filled with a new desire to live. She wants to move
back into her Berlin apartment, where Dr. Hans Mertens has taken up residence.
He is a former officer and surgeon in the German army who finds himself unable
to deal with the haunting memories of his role in the war. Through Susanne's
caring, the broken man gathers new strength and courage, but discovers that
the shadow of his past cannot be avoided.
The first feature film produced in Germany after World War II, it was made
under the auspices of the newly created DEFA Studios and features the budding
star Hildegard Knef. Its film noir style is a successful mixture of expressionist
traditions and an accurate documentary point of view. Ranked by critics in the
top ten of Germany's 100 most important films.
"A serious film concerned with the knotty problem of the individual German's
guilt for Nazism...Superb camera and montage technique." - Variety
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