Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Richard Chatten Obviously deeply felt by the writer and director, immaculately designed on what appears a lavish budget by veteran Alexander Trauner (who appears early on playing the caretaker) and photographed in widescreen suffused in a nostalgiac glow by cameraman Bruno De Keyzer, its hard to believe there is still a large enough audience out there ignorant of the tragedy about to unfold; about which it doesn't really have anything terribly original to say. But Konradin's credulous willingness to give a demagogic snake-oil salesman like Hitler the benefit of the doubt - "He really impressed me. He is totally sincere. He has such... he has true passion. I think he can save our country. He is our only hope." - remains depressingly familiar today. And the leisurely pace at which it proceeds conveys something of the gradualness with which the appalling reality overwhelms its characters.But for the final, very abrupt, 'surprise' ending to work, the audience is assumed not to be able to recognise the ferrety face of Roland Freisler seen throughout, who ironically - as played by Roland Schäfer looking remarkably like John Malkovich in heavy eye-liner - comes across here as a relatively restrained version of the bellowing maniac preserved for posterity in newsreels. And would it really have taken over forty years and a trip all the way back to the very school were they were originally pupils for Henry to finally learn Konradin's fate?

Ron Smolin I can't help but being impressed by the charm and angst that this film produces. On one hand we have two lonely boys from completely different backgrounds and religions who form a strong friendship, only to have politics and antisemitism destroy it. The photography is awesome. The acting superb. A terribly tragic feeling is left with the viewer at the end of the film, although one can also find redemption. A haunting movie.

Stephen Shriber Every time I talk about or remember this movie, I feel very touched and emotional. It made a tremendous impression upon me. I consider the acting extremely well done. The characters were very convincing. I found it an exercise with dealing with prejudice. For anybody who has had close friendships in their adolescent, I would recommend this film.

Hans-P Despite some traumatic sequences, this picture boasts careful, almost nostalgic location work in Stuttgart and the Schwarzwald. The conclusion may surprise you, mainly because the actions of the characters don't appear to foreshadow it at all. Nevertheless, it's a good piece of work, worthy of home-video release.