While this isn't a terrible movie, it is a disappointment for those who read the book. It creates a completely different reality from that presented in the book. The author would be disgusted with the character they created from her diary. How disappointing, since the character in the book is so fascinating and complex. Ignore the historical revisionist reviews in these pages. Here's a summary of what to expect in this movie.
As a movie: It's an interesting plot with characters that are only partially developed. What dominates is the setting--Berlin in Spring of 1945. The intrigue of the movie is the setting, the war, the meeting of the different peoples (Germans and Russians). It's worth watching for that.
As history: It does present a story that needs to be told--the rape of the German women by the Russians. Rape is prevalent in war, all nations were guilty of rape on the part of their men, but what the Russians did to the German women is beyond compare. There are a lot of reasons for that, but you won't discover those in the movie. You'll need to read the book for that.
As a movie based on a book: What a great disappointment. The richness of the book is the perspective given by this author, her insights into war and people, and her writing. Very nicely done. The movie, on the other hand, focuses only on the action. A very complex diary is distilled down to some very basic themes in the movie (war is bad, people do bad things in war, love crosses boundaries). Spoiler Alert: The keeper of this diary is portrayed as falling for her Russian friend. That is not the case in the book. She is simply trying to survive a situation the men of Germany and Russia placed her in. The true drama in the book revolves around the choices she must make to survive. Also, the movie character addresses her diary to her fiancée, Gerd. Not so in the book. She is her own person, and not the woman waiting for her man.
Bottom line: read the book, but watch the movie if you can't read it--just keep in mind that this is not the real story.
As a movie: It's an interesting plot with characters that are only partially developed. What dominates is the setting--Berlin in Spring of 1945. The intrigue of the movie is the setting, the war, the meeting of the different peoples (Germans and Russians). It's worth watching for that.
As history: It does present a story that needs to be told--the rape of the German women by the Russians. Rape is prevalent in war, all nations were guilty of rape on the part of their men, but what the Russians did to the German women is beyond compare. There are a lot of reasons for that, but you won't discover those in the movie. You'll need to read the book for that.
As a movie based on a book: What a great disappointment. The richness of the book is the perspective given by this author, her insights into war and people, and her writing. Very nicely done. The movie, on the other hand, focuses only on the action. A very complex diary is distilled down to some very basic themes in the movie (war is bad, people do bad things in war, love crosses boundaries). Spoiler Alert: The keeper of this diary is portrayed as falling for her Russian friend. That is not the case in the book. She is simply trying to survive a situation the men of Germany and Russia placed her in. The true drama in the book revolves around the choices she must make to survive. Also, the movie character addresses her diary to her fiancée, Gerd. Not so in the book. She is her own person, and not the woman waiting for her man.
Bottom line: read the book, but watch the movie if you can't read it--just keep in mind that this is not the real story.