Rachel Wright
07/20/2010
Humanities 1100
Foreign Film Review
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Title of Film: The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band)
Year of Release: 2009
Language of Original Film: German
Director: Michael Haneke
Actors: Christian Friedel, Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Tukur, Burghart Klaussner
Give a brief plot summary:
Filmed in black and white, this movie takes place in a Northern Germany Protestant village
in 1913, the year before WWI breaks out. The narrator of the movie, Christian Friedel, plays the
school teacher in the village and begins the story describing some strange events that had
happened in his village. The first of these strange events happens to the village’s doctor. While
riding home on his horse, he is thrown off when the horse trips over a wire that is strung between
two trees in the doctor’s backyard, sending the doctor to the hospital for half of the movie. The
events last throughout the movie- the Baron’s crops being ruined, the farmer’s wife falling
through rotten floorboards of a barn and dying, the farmer hanging himself in grief, the Baron’s
son hung upside down in the barn and caned, the barn being lit on fire, the midwife’s mentally
challenged son being found in the forest tortured and almost left blind.
The school teacher begins a romantic courtship with a young woman named Eva while he
tries to investigate who is behind the strange acts happening in the village. He begins to suspect
the children by the end of the movie. The movie is titled The White Ribbon because the strict
town’s pastor makes his kids wear white ribbons tied to their arms to remind them to be pure and
innocent.
7) Analyze the social and philosophical issues the film addresses. Make sure you
include the point of view of the movie, the context of the movie, what audience the
movie is targeting, and why. (I.e. you should address and reflect upon the
“argument or “meaning” of the work. This should be an analysis, not just a
summary of issues in the movie.)
“…I feel I must talk about the strange events that occurred in our village. They could perhaps
clarify certain things that happened to this country,” –the school teacher states at the beginning
of the film. This film shows the audience every deep and dark secret each person has in this
protestant village. According to the director, Haneke, the film portrays “the origin of every type
of terrorism, be it of political or religious nature.” One reason for this film is to let the audience
see how easy it was for the German society back then to be led into Socialism.
There is so much going on within every scene. The children in this village are so abused and
suppressed that it doesn’t surprise me that they would act out so harshly. What’s fascinating to
me is the way Haneke entwined sin and innocence regarding the children. The children speak
and act politely to their elders, but I can see by the body language that the kids resent yet fear
their superiors. The demeanor on the kids’ faces say anything but innocence. The adults in this
film are constantly contradicting themselves causing the children to become severely confused it
seems. They are taught strict God’s laws but they witness things that completely oppose the
laws. I know children follow and learn by example, but if they follow the sinful adults’ example,
they are punished. The pastor of the village is so strict with his own children, caning them and
tying them to beds. The doctor sexually abuses his only daughter. The Baroness has an affair and
wants to leave her husband. I believe the children’s alliance came to be with God and they
impose His wrath in the form of punishing their elders with the “strange events.”
I believe there is no question as to why these children would grow up and support the
National Socialist movement after seeing this movie. By the end of the film, the viewer begins to
suspect the children of these strange events, but I felt like the moral crimes committed by the
adults are more significant than the atrocities committed by the children throughout the movie.
This film targets the educated or becoming educated on WWI and Socialism. It is definitely not a
film for a typical movie-goer.
8) What is your response to the message of the film? Why do you respond this way?
Show that you are thinking about your own thinking here and the
biases/assumptions about the world you bring to your viewing. Did the film change
the way you view the subject? Why, or why not?
The pace of this film is extremely slow for my taste. But I was still intrigued by how the
character development was crucial in every scene. I never had a preconceived idea about how
German society was before the First World War, or even how the war affected its people.
Watching this film gave me a sense of understanding and a lingering sadness for those growing
up in the 1913 society. The abuse and neglect was often hard to watch.
I think as Americans we usually don’t bother trying to learn and understand other cultures,
especially those in history. We have a biased knowledge of history based on our perception of
good and evil. After viewing this film, I realized how crucial it is to be educated in different
cultures so we can fully understand the events that happen in our world’s history and why they
happen. This movie shares the message of how the mysteries of human beings’ psychological
repressions and guilt play a key role to evil. It really made me think about my own contributions
to society.
9) What cultural differences did you notice in the film (philosophical outlook, humor,
architecture, customs, clothes, cities, weather, food, music, dancing, lifestyles, etc.)?
What did you learn about history, economics, or politics?
The basic cultural differences were quite different of course, since it was based in 1913. It
was a completely different world back then. Their dancing was different, but not unfamiliar. As
were their clothes, architecture, and music. However their lifestyle and customs were both
different and very unfamiliar which interested me. Of course lifestyle would be different back in
1913, they didn’t have electricity even. However it was very extreme. Children today have
absolutely no idea what strict really means. The household is run more like a business than a
family environment of love and care.
My favorite scene in the movie is where a young boy, about the age of 5, is talking to his
older sister while sipping soup at a small table. He asks, “What is dead?” The sister replies, “It is
when someone no longer lives.” The little boy goes on to ask if everyone has to die. He asks if
that’s what happened to his mom and if she never went on a ‘trip.’ The sister tries to make him
feel better by saying he will live for a very long time. But the fact that he cannot escape death
upsets him, spilling his soup in anger. In our culture now, children are protected from facing
death. They gradually come to understand it as they become older but usually not by a personal
experience. I think back in that time, death was something that just happened. Illness and death
were so common that people were used to it. Several people die in this film but it hardly affects
the villagers’ mentality. If this were to happen to a small city now, it would be all over the news.
Humans are so against the idea of death now, it is often perceived as a horrible tragedy in our
society. This film shows how drastic the world has changed through history.
10) What techniques did the filmmaker use that were different from what you see in the
films you normally watch? Think about lighting, dialogue, atmosphere, setting,
music, and how the filmmaker might play upon your own biases, etc.
The first thing I noticed that was different from the usual movies I watch was of course the
fact it was in black and white. But as I reviewed it more, I noticed the cinematography was very
unique. There were hardly any camera spans during this film. It simply switched from frame to
frame. Even when the actor would walk out of the frame, the camera stayed stationary until the
actor walked back in. This is very different from our movies today where there are several
camera angles and moving cameras.
The lighting of the movie was very bleak and dark, setting the atmosphere of this film
perfectly. The dialogue, sometimes odd, was noticeably old fashioned and at times difficult to
understand right off. I had to get used to my ears hearing German but my eyes reading English. It
seemed to me that all of the techniques used in the film added to and helped relay the message
the director was trying to portray.
11) Why do you think I assign a foreign film?
Humanities is the study of literature, art, philosophy, etc. and humanity refers to all human
beings collectively; humankind. Watching a foreign film educates us on another culture’s society
and how it differs from our own. This is relevant to Humanities because it helps us understand
how humans differ and experience different cultures. Studying different cultures brings us to
better accept humans’ differences in beliefs and customs. By watching a foreign film, we can
step outside of our comfort zone and experience life from a completely different perspective. My
experience watching foreign films is always insightful and a learning opportunity for me. I think
if all humans were familiar with different cultures, we would be able to see life from someone
else’s point of view and there would be considerable less prejudice in our world.