I Was Nineteen

In East German filmmaker Konrad Wolf's autobiographical 1968 drama—set during the closing days of World War II—the central character is a 19-year-old lieutenant in the Red Army who is actually of German birth (his parents emigrated to the Soviet Union with the rise of Nazism). Returning to his native country, the lieutenant finds a defeated nation in which the people cannot comprehend the extent of their military catastrophe (some Germans haven't even received the news that the war is over and they continue making guerrilla attacks on Soviet troops). I Was Nineteen tries to dissect the German spirit at war's end, piecing together the country's arc from the dizzying heights of the 1933 Nazi-induced nationalistic fervor to the miserable 1945 ignominy of defeat and military occupation. Unfortunately, the film is stodgy, often lethargic, and far too heavily plays up the glories of Soviet-style communism (while also equating Hitler's rise to power with Western-style capitalism). To its credit, however, the film is shot in gritty black-and-white that masterfully evokes the emotional exhaustion of the period. DVD extras include newsreels, an introductory essay, text bios and filmographies, and a set design gallery. A strong optional purchase. (P. Hall)