Before the Fall (2004 film)
| Before the Fall | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Dennis Gansel |
| Produced by | Viola Jäger Harald Kügler Molly von Fürstenberg |
| Written by | Dennis Gansel Maggie Peren |
| Starring |
Max Riemelt Tom Schilling |
| Music by |
Angelo Badalamenti Normand Corbeil |
| Cinematography | Torsten Breuer |
| Edited by | Jochen Retter |
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Production
company |
Seven Pictures
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| Distributed by | Constantin Film |
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Release date
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Running time
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114 minutes |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
| Box office | $3,764,219 |
Before the Fall (also known as NaPolA: Hitler's Elite; German: Napola - Elite für den Führer) is a 2004 German drama film written and directed by Dennis Gansel.
In 1942, Friedrich Weimer's (Max Riemelt) boxing skills earn him an appointment to a National Political Academy (NaPolA), a high school that serves as an entry to the Nazi elite. His father, a career factory worker who despises the Nazis, flatly refuses to allow Friedrich to enroll. Friedrich, who sees the school as his ticket to university and a better life, forges his father's signature on the permission form and leaves during the night. He makes his way to the town of Allenstein, where the school is located, getting a ride from passing cars or trucks when possible and walking the rest of the way. Friedrich's forged papers are overlooked when he arrives, and he is greatly impressed in his first day at Allenstein.
However, Friedrich's idealistic view of Allenstein is soon tarnished by the harsh, rigid discipline that governs the school. Older students are able to bully younger students almost at will, since there is little interference from school officials, who not only encourage such behavior but actually participate in it themselves. One boy, Siegfried Gladen, endures repeated public humiliation for his tendency to wet the bed as he sleeps.
The school teaches the Nazi Party creed to its students, with sections of Hitler's speeches and writings being analyzed in classes. "Survival of the fittest" is advocated as the natural way of life, and Jews and all other enemies of the state are presented as treacherous and by nature inferior. The boxing trainer who got Friedrich appointed works with him one-on-one, teaching Friedrich to be hard and ruthless in fights, dismissing any kind of compassion for the other boxer as "bullshit". Back at his room, Friedrich receives a letter from his mother, informing him that his father has been paid a visit by the Gestapo.
Friedrich visits Albrecht one evening, finding him in a writing and mail office that the students use. Albrecht confides that his talents lie in writing and the arts, areas his father sees as unfit for men. His mother is more supportive but is ultimately just as disinterested. Albrecht begins writing for the school newspaper, taking advice and criticism from Friedrich. When Friedrich has his first competitive boxing match against another NaPolA school, he gradually overpowers the other boy, knocking him down into a corner. Urged on by the shouts of his trainer and other students and officials, he delivers a brutal knockout punch, winning the match. Friedrich is congratulated by staff and students alike, but Albrecht is far less enthusiastic.
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