The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band) (2009)
Average Rating: 7.6/10
Reviews Counted: 136
Fresh: 116 | Rotten: 20
The White Ribbon effectively utilizes tension and a bleak atmosphere to deliver a thought-provoking examination of nascent fascism.
Average Rating: 7.4/10
Critic Reviews: 29
Fresh: 23 | Rotten: 6
The White Ribbon effectively utilizes tension and a bleak atmosphere to deliver a thought-provoking examination of nascent fascism.
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Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 88,630
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Movie Info
In a village in Protestant northern Germany, on the eve of World War I, the children of a church and school run by the village schoolteacher and their families experience a series of bizarre incidents that inexplicably assume the characteristics of a punishment ritual. Who could be responsible for such bizarre transgressions? Leonie Benesch, Josef Bierbichler, and Rainer Bock star in director Michael Haneke's Palm d'Or-winning period drama. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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Cast
-
Christian Friedel
The Schoolteacher -
Ernst Jacobi
The Narrator -
Leonie Benesch
Eva -
Ulrich Tukur
The Baron -
Ursina Lardi
Marie-Louise the Barone... -
Fion Mutert
Sigmund -
Michael Kranz
The Tutor -
Burghart Klau??ner
The Pastor -
Steffi Kühnert
Anna the Pastor's Wife -
Maria-Victoria Dragus
Klara -
Leonard Proxauf
Martin -
Levin Henning
Adolf -
Johanna Busse
Margarete -
Yuma Amecke
Annchen -
Thibault Serie
Gustav -
Josef Bierbichler
The Steward -
Gabriela Maria Schmeide
Emma the Steward's Wife -
Janina Fautz
Erna -
Enno Trebs
Georg -
Theo Trebs
Ferdinand -
Rainer Bock
The Doctor -
Susanne Lothar
The Midwife -
Roxane Duran
Anna -
Miljan Chatelain
Rudolf -
Eddy Grahl
Karli -
Branko Samarovski
The Farmer -
Birgit Minichmayr
Frieda -
Sebastian Hülk
Max -
Kai Malina
Karl -
Kristina Kneppek
Else -
Stephanie Amarell
Sophie -
Bianca Mey
Paula -
Aaron Denkel
Kurti -
Mika Ahrens
Willi -
Detlev Buck
Eva's father -
Anne-Kathrin Gummich
Eva's mother -
Luzie Ahrens
Schoolgirl -
Gary Bestla
Schoolboy -
Leonard Boes
Schoolboy -
Sophie Czech
Schoolgirl -
Paraschiva Dragus
Schoolgirl -
Selina Ewald
Schoolgirl -
Nora Gruler
Schoolgirl -
Tim Guderjahn
Schoolboy -
Jonas Jennerjahn
Schoolboy -
Ole Joensson
Schoolboy -
Gerrit Langentepe
Schoolboy -
Lena Pankow
Schoolgirl -
Sebastian Pauli
Schoolboy -
Franz Rewoldt
Schoolboy -
Alexander Sedl
Schoolboy -
Nino Seide
Schoolboy -
Marvin Ray Spey
Schoolboy -
Malin Steffen
Schoolboy -
Lilli Trebs
Schoolgirl -
Paul Wolf
Schoolboy -
Margarete Zimmermann
Schoolgirl -
Michael Schenk
Criminal Police Officer -
Hanus Polak Jr.
Criminal Police Officer -
Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey
Farmer -
Florian Kohler
Farmer -
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All Critics (136) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (116) | Rotten (21) | DVD (1)
As for Haneke's handling of the material, his directing is immaculate. Every moment is the product of a penetrating mind and a steady talent.
Top CriticWriter-director Michael Haneke doesn't pull any punches, but then he doesn't throw any wild ones, either. His filmmaking shows precisely the sort of obsession with control that the movie itself is denouncing. Interesting, you've got to admit.
Haneke tells this tale a bit too patiently for my taste. But the metaphors are unmistakable, as is the power of the film's message.
The White Ribbon lunges hungrily for serious art-film credibility. Don't be fooled.
Haneke has dramatized his intellectual conceits in an uninvolving, snail-paced movie that illustrates its themes in an obvious, almost banal manner.
The White Ribbon doesn't resonate at all. The filmmaker's doom-laden view of humanity -- that we are all unredeemably awful creatures, easily swayed to do dastardly things -- oozes with contempt.
After reflecting on the film awhile, I found that I had been drawn into its beauty and its mystery too much not to give it at least a slight recommendation.
This film is a total drag to watch. It is slow. It is dark. It is depressing, and it seems as though it is never going to end. It is torture to sit through this film. It runs 144 minutes and seems twice that long.
The White Ribbon is Michael Haneke's masterpiece. It is not a movie about abstract concepts or a director's power over his characters - well, at least it's not just about those things.
Un inquietante cuadro social, filmado en riguroso blanco y negro, y una reflexión sombría y perturbadora sobre el origen del mal, o al menos de cierto tipo de males.
The White Ribbon is a striking, in many ways indelible work, and it's tempting to be carried away by Haneke's craft and assurance as a filmmaker.
Up close, it's a blur of meticulous details that don't quite make sense; but step back and its towering ambitions become indelibly apparent.
A direct and simple human lesson -- that negative reinforcement creates negative consequences.
Haneke knows how violence seeps into every recess of our lives, and he evokes it not to titillate, but to engage and challenge
Both sexes suffer from what Elias Canetti identified in his book Crowds and Power as 'the sting,' a psychological hurt (bullying, abuse) that must be exorcised in reenactment. [Blu-ray]
Haneke makes his way through this complex and knotty subject matter with a staggeringly effortless grace. As an expression of philosophy, it's profound and thought-provoking; as a work of cinema, it is flawless.
... while I appreciate... the unnerving atmosphere of punitive power and calculated cruelty under the carefully managed pose of piety, I find his sensibility sour and cynical...
Executed at an incredibly high level of craft and with an off-putting degree of self-confidence.
This high-falutin' Nazi origin story is practically a masterpiece of subtlety in the finger-wagging blowhard Michael Haneke's canon.
As with most of Michael Haneke's films, a chill hangs in the air of The White Ribbon, the constant threat of upheaval eventually lulling you into a tired state of alertness.
Haneke has made a deeply unsettling and gravely beautiful film that tells us very little. But the performances are astonishing, and the faces of the children, caught in long, static close-ups, may haunt you for a long time.
A tantalising, perhaps slightly frustrating film, but a very impressive one.
Unlike conventional thrillers, this film does not restore a moral order to the universe. Rather, it questions it. It must be seen.
At his best, as he is with White Ribbon, Haneke's fusion of art and ideas is unsurpassed.
These disturbing incidents pound the unsuspecting viewer into complete submission. The luminous beauty of the black-and-white cinematography framing the ugly world suggested here only serves to further shock the senses.
Audience Reviews for The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band)
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
-
- The Narrator: I don't know if the story that I want to tell you, reflects the truth in every detail. Much of it I only know by hearsay, and a lot of it remains obscure to me even today, and I must leave it in darkness. Many of these questions remain without answer. But I believe I must tell of the strange events that occurred in our village, because they may cast a new light on some of the goings-on in this country...
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| The white ribbon | 2 months ago | 1 |
Latest News on The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band)
December 30, 2009:
Critics Consensus: The White Ribbon Is Certified FreshThe final week of the year brings no wide releases, but Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner The White...
May 26, 2009:
Cannes 2009: RT's 10 Must-See MoviesThe 62nd Cannes Film Festival has officially wrapped, with most commentators agreeing that this...
May 24, 2009:
Cannes 2009: The Tomato Report - Haneke's The White Ribbon Scoops Palme d?OrMichael Haneke took Cannes' top honour tonight as his film, The White Ribbon, won the prestigious...
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Foreign Titles
- Das weiße Band (DE)
- Le Ruban blanc (FR)
