Director Lars Kraume's dramatic film about Fritz Bauer, who was the state attorney for the West German province of Hessen from 1956 until his death in 1968, focuses on Bauer's (Burghart Klaussner) untiring effort to track down and arrest Adolf Eichmann, architect of the Final Solution, which even led him to collude with Israel's Mossad—a potentially treasonous act. Kraume's dramatization makes clear how the deck was stacked against Bauer, not only because the West German government was full of ex-Nazis anxious to protect themselves but also because Israel desperately needed German support (a fact that ultimately frustrated the desire of Bauer—a Jew who had spent the war in Scandinavia—to bring Eichmann to trial in Frankfurt in order to force Germans to confront their responsibility for the Holocaust). Klaussner's intense performance makes the historically-based sections of the film engrossing, but Kraume unfortunately adds an entirely fictitious subplot about Bauer's favorite young aide (Ronald Zehrfeld), a closeted homosexual like Bauer, who becomes involved with a transvestite singer at a gay club and is blackmailed by Bauer's foes into turning on his boss. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)
The People vs. Fritz Bauer
Cohen, 105 min., in German, English, Yiddish & Spanish w/English subtitles, R, DVD: $25.99, Blu-ray: $30.99 Volume 32, Issue 2
The People vs. Fritz Bauer
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: