h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: 'Alone in Berlin': Everyday Resistance in Hitler's Reich - A87931740
Author: Dmitri Gheorgheni - U1590784

Watched 'Alone in Berlin' last night, but was confused as to why somebody was filming Hans Fallada's novel. Why now? I thought. I read that book 40 or more years ago... And then I found out that the English translation was so recent...the light dawned. Nobody knew about this!

So I thought we could use an entry on it. You've seen the film: now find out the story behind the story.

I recommend the translation: it's a good job, the book itself is amazing, and the appendix contains images of the postcards and facsimiles of other items from the Gestapo files.

Thank you for sharing this story

My only question was what year the film was produced.

Thanks, Sasha. I added the date, 2016.

This is interesting.

However, the message seems to be a bit depressing: you can be brave enough to resist, but it doesn't achieve anything.

I suspect the answer is that, to achieve anything the resister needs to be part of a network, and networks weren't possible in Nazi Germany.

That's an interesting point, MVP! When Becher showed Fallada the files, the author commented on the fact that this was about the most futile gesture he'd ever seen. But then he realised he wanted to tell the couple's story, anyway.

I think he wrote in sort of a fever heat - he produced about 800 typed pages in less than a month. It's probably hard to understand what that felt like - all of that pain and horror pouring out of you after years of living in a hypervigilant state where a chance remark could get you killed. The way he describes the everyday horror of it all is a revelation. I wish everyone would read it.

When it comes to the book, I think the answer is that not every story about that time is about success - successful resistance, successful survival, military successes. It's also instructive to learn what happens when humans get themselves into a cul-de-sac.

Read it. Like it. I agree that the message is not very happy (but then, why should everything be happy all the time?).

Given enough time I may go and read the book.

Thanks.

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