Develiker terrible... so disappointed.

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

classicsoncall This is every bit as disturbing a film as "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" and one that should give every viewer pause regarding it's theme of man's capacity for inhumanity in the name of country and it's misguided leaders. This idea is chillingly represented by various scenes throughout the movie, but in case you don't get it, it's effectively reinforced by the Commandant of the Napola School who instructs his youthful audience that their bodies belong to Germany and The Fuhrer. With an indoctrination like that, it's not too difficult to understand how most young men selected for these Nazi elite schools would find it convenient to go along and get along with the prevailing ideology.For those who bear some personal responsibility for their actions, life under these extreme conditions becomes impossible. The suicides of Siegfried Gladen (Martin Goeres) and Albrecht Stein (Tom Schilling) underscore their personal torment and impossibility of escaping the physical and mental torture prevalent in their day to day existence. One is forced to consider - were these young men simply weak or were they instead the ones showing true courage and bravery in the face of unrelenting fascism.There's one particular scene that embodies the horror of the Nazi machine. When Friedrich's (Max Riemelt) junior class is called upon to track down escaped Russian prisoners of war, we come to find out that they were mere children, gunned down in the darkness by the Napola elite. As the critically wounded boy tended by Albrecht begins to die, a single snowflake drifts peacefully into his eye, melting in harmony with the boy's spirit which mercifully drifts away.There's one event in the picture I'm still thinking about and wondering why it wasn't addressed. During the session with the grenades, when the scared student fails to throw his weapon, the terrified trainer runs away. How is it he escaped reprimand for not living up to the ideals of Nazi ideology by sacrificing himself for his students? His action best illustrates how tyrants truly behave when faced with their own mortality, ideology be damned.

mads leonard holvik I really liked this movie about a Nazi school for boys/young men.First of all, there is always something intriguing about the uniforms and the hails and the atmosphere of Hitler Germany. There are moments of great emotion, for example the first day of school when the top Nazi gives a speech about how The Thousand Year Reich needs many leaders, not just in Berlin, but in Moscow, Washington and Cape Town. He tells them they need to be strong. They reply by all rising up at the same time and singing a song about heroism and National Socialism. Friedrich, the protagonist, smiles and can barely hold himself while singing. It seems he has come home where he belongs.However, the film unveils how difficult it is for some if ALL are supposed to conform and fit into a mold. There are painful scenes, for example a few involving a cadet who wets himself in bed. He gets punished in the worst way, and it all ends in tragedy. The real irony is how the school board takes advantage of what happens. Very powerful and revealing.The son of the local Governor also has a hard time fitting in. He is artistic, not really into sports and he struggles with the inhuman ideology of Nazism. He and Friedrich tie a strong bond, and it all ends in tragedy. This is also very powerful.I liked the actors and the script. It was very believable.

Neil Turner This film's title, NaPolA is the acronym for "National-politische Erziehungs-Anstalt" or "National Political Education Institute" - a group of boarding schools established in Hitler's Germany to mold the elite of the future German grand society. It is stated in the film that the young men who attend these schools will be the future governors of such places as London and New York. For some reason, those "in the know" have chosen to give the film the mundane title Before the Fall for its existence here in the United States. NaPolA is a fairly predictable coming-of-age story, but its story's location in history, excellent acting, and superior production values give it five stars in my mind.The film begins in 1942 where we meet Friedrich Weimer, a young boxer of extraordinary talent who seems destined to follow in the footsteps of his working-class father and slave away his life in the factory. His boxing talent is witnessed by an official of a NaPolA, and he is given the opportunity of enrollment in the school. Friedrich is thrilled with the prospect of attending such an elite school, but his father is as dead set against it as he is disdainful of what the Nazis are doing to Germany. Friedrich forges his father's signature on the application and leaves for the school.The scene in which Friedrich is getting his physical for entry into the institute made my skin crawl. You see, Friedrich - played by Max Riemelt - is a perfect physical specimen by Nazi standards. His facial features are measured, and his hair and eye colors are compared to numbered standards. As these features are recorded, we see his mentors in the background slyly smiling at their perfect super human - creepy. The director, in this understated scene, expertly portrays the racial evil that was Nazism.Friedrich meets another student, Albrecht Stein - played by Tom Schilling - who is a sensitive writer. Albrecht has been enrolled by his father, the governor of the institute, and is not as enamored of the system as is Friedrich. These two opposites form a deep friendship. Needless-to-say, events occur that cause both boys - especially Friedrich - to examine their attitudes toward the system.As stated before, the plot line of the film is fairly predictable but the overall quality of the film causes it to rise far above that plot line. The boxing scenes in the film are superior. In the extra feature on the DVD, the director states that Max Riemelt is a boxer and was instrumental in making those scenes so powerful. The director's quest, inspired by his grandfather who actually attended a NaPolA, was also to make the events in the film as accurate as possible. In that quest, he hired a technical adviser who had attended one of the institutes. It is interesting to see the adviser putting the actors through their paces demanding unquestioning performance from these young men of today much in same way it was required of the actual young men some sixty-plus years ago.Striking, distinctive uniforms and the thoughts of honor and glory are so very alluring to young men in their late teens. NaPolA effectively reminds us of how that allure can be directed for the benefit of evil. This is one of the many excellent German films that shatter us with the harsh reality of what was Nazi Germany - truly effective use of the lessons of history.

rdugrandbois This is a truly outstanding film. Sharp but sensitive directing, fabulous photography and first rate acting propels Napola into main stream class. It's not really about the Hitler Youth, even though the makers have chosen to use the setting, but more about the essence of innate pacifism that seems to pervade some individuals more than others. And it delves into the logical power of that spirit to influence others and steer them away from the madness of brutality.The unspoken love between the two central characters is beautifully interwoven with the central idea and we are left with a profound sense of sadness that our human race could ever allow the agony of war to occur.This is a film you really must see - and followers of handsome young men will not be disappointed with the actors portraying our two heroes, Albrecht and Friederich.