March of Millions
| March of Millions Die Flucht | |
|---|---|
| Genre | World War II film |
| Written by | Gabriela Sperl |
| Directed by | Kai Wessel |
| Starring |
Maria Furtwängler Jean-Yves Berteloot Hanns Zischler Frédéric Vonhof |
| Theme music composer | Enjott Schneider |
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Original language(s) | German |
| No. of episodes | 2 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Katrin Goetter, Nico Hofmann, Joachim Kosack, Sebastian Werninger |
| Running time | 179 min (2 parts) |
| Budget | €9 million |
| Release | |
| Original network | ARD |
| Original release | 4 March 2007 – 5 March 2007 |
March of Millions is the international English title of the multi-award-winning three-hour German television film Die Flucht (The Flight). The film stars Maria Furtwängler in the role of Lena Gräfin von Mahlenberg, the leader of a small convoy of refugees from East Prussia (including French and Russian prisoners of war and forced labourers) fleeing the advancing Red Army in the winter of 1944-1945, and trying to survive uprooted in Bavaria in the aftermath of World War II. When first broadcast by ARD in two parts, on 4 and 5 March 2007, it drew 13.5 million viewers.[1]
The production was reported to have cost €9m and to have employed over 2,000 extras.[2]
The film was controversial for portraying German war-time suffering during the Evacuation of East Prussia (although a number of German atrocities were also shown or mentioned), and led to adverse comment from a foreign-policy adviser to the Polish president of the time, fearful of potential German claims to lands or property in East Prussia lost during the War.[3]
Awards
- 2007 Bambi award as "TV Event of the Year"
- 2007 Bavarian TV Award to Holly Fink (cinematographer)
- 2007 Romy award to Nico Hofmann (producer)
- 2007 Deutscher Fernsehpreis to Knut Loewe and Wiebke Kratz for Best Design
- 2007 Deutscher Fernsehpreis to Enjott Schneider for Best Music
- 2007 Deutscher Fernsehpreis to Gabriela Maria Schmeide as Best Supporting Actress
References
- ↑ Meza, Ed (Oct 5, 2007). "Germany Keen on Epic Productions". Variety. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
- ↑ Paterson, Tony (5 March 2007). "German TV Breaks Taboo with Story of Refugees". The Independent. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
- ↑ Kirschbaum, Erik (Mar 5, 2007). "Film depicting Germans as WW2 victims fires debate". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-11-19.