![]() Out of the many, many more that exist, here are 15 films that deal, overtly or tacitly, with the legacy of guilt and destruction left in the immediate aftermath of the most devastating war in human history. So to celebrate the release of “Phoenix,” and taking our cue from the film in terms of time period (the years just after 1945, before the Cold War had really begun to take hold) and in terms of the experiences of countries on the losing side - Germany, Italy, Austria, Japan - we’ve compiled this selection of related movies. It was a period that forged some of the most important, influential cinematic movements of the twentieth century, and which saw some of the greatest directors of all time produce extraordinary work. READ MORE: 10 Great Lesser-Seen World War Two Movies The 15 Best Survival Movies, from 'Cast Away' to 'The Revenant' International Gay Cinema: 33 LGBTQ Movies to See from Around the World 'Undine' Trailer: Paula Beer Leads Christian Petzold's Berlin-Set Romance ![]() 'Undine' Director Christian Petzold's 7 Tips for a Successful Career Here instead is the long, long hangover from the costliest conflict in human history, and the sudden dreadful knowledge that as the dust settled, everyone had to reckon with their own part in it, no matter which side they’d been on, or however much they’d fought or lost. The certainties of war-as-it-is-being-waged and the life-and-death struggles that dwarf all other considerations into unimportance are gone. The films of and about the war itself are a category unto themselves, but the films that came just after 1945 or that deal with that immediate post-war era are perhaps even more vital and fascinating. These are particularly resonant themes given the film’s fascinating setting in place and period: within this richly evocative environment, people become more than characters in interpersonal dramas - they become metaphors for Germany’s guilt, shame or resentment about the recent Nazi past or symbols of the desire to simply forget.įor anyone interested in the points at which the history of film irrevocably intersects with world history, World War II marks an abrupt caesura, a before-and-after moment in time that fundamentally remade the world, as well as cinema. ![]() ![]() It’s a heady, beautifully shot and deeply mysterious story, but perhaps more than anything, it’s about the unknowability of a person’s heart and the deceptiveness of appearances. This week, “ Phoenix,” Christian Petzold‘s noirish investigation into identity, loyalty and guilt in immediate post-war Germany, arrives in cinemas ( our rave review from last year’s Toronto International Film Festival can be found here). ![]()
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