Culled from an array of archival footage, on-location shooting, dramatic narration, and interviews with family, friends, and historians, the documentary Bonhoeffer strives to recreate the life of the theologian who openly railed against Hitler's growing stronghold on Germany and beyond in the years leading up to World War II. A devout Christian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer organized the Confessing Church in the early '30s, urging his following to join forces with the Jews in fighting the Third Reich.
Bonhoeffer's efforts reached their zenith when he and others mounted assassination attempts on the Führer. Klaus Maria Brandauer gives voice to many of Bonhoeffer's writings, and Desmond Tutu and John de Gruchy are among the film's interviewees. After being rejected from the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, Bonhoeffer was screened at local churches in and around Park City, attracting attention from distributors, and eventually, a limited U.S. release in the summer of 2003. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
There is more to the philosophy and faith of Dietrich Bonhoeffer than a 90-minute documentary can begin to cover, but this is a powerful and timely introduction.
There is both spiritual and historical substance in the things said, and such obvious reverence for the subject, that the film ultimately has a charming charmlessness.
Bonhoeffer doesn't probe as deeply as one might like into the details and implications of his theology, but is an invaluable study of a man of conscience.
To its credit, the film examines Bonhoeffer's life and thought in an expressly theological light… [His ideas] are as integral to the portrait as his resistance work.
Though we get little sense of Bonhoeffer the man, the film remains a fascinating account of the evolution of his revisionist thought, which led to a theological justification of collective and, if necessary, violent resistance to tyranny.
It has interesting moments, but I also found it rather slow and boring at times. The archive footage is fascinating, especially that of Adolph Hitler. I just wasn?t as compelled by Bonhoeffer as I suppose I should have been. Although I admire his panache, he was a bit of a christian zealot himself.
April 15, 2010
James Higgins
See how a bunch of Good Christians gave us the "Camps"
Some real Christians did stand on higher ground.Makes the News we hear today sound different.
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