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The Ninth Day By Ulrich Matthes (Actor), August Diehl (Actor), Hilmar Thate (Actor), Bibiana Beglau (Actor), Germain Wagner (Actor) & Volker Schlöndorff (Director) Our Price $ 23.36   Retail Value $ 29.95   You Save $ 6.59  (22%)   Item Number 3089666   Buy New Item Quantity: Currently Out Of Stock Currently unavailable...

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	Horror and inspiration in one film  Jan 11, 2010
A lot of the scenes will stay with you for a long time. I had no idea that thousands of Catholic priests, (even bishops) and hundreds and hundred of nuns, plus hundreds of thousands of ordinary lay Catholics were murdered by the Nazis. Seeing this film led me to learn more. It's a powerful film about a little-known aspect of WWII.
	Very inspiring and unique  Dec 19, 2009
This unique film appears to have been inspired - at least in part - by the book by Father Bernard. However, it is not the film about the book. The book is very different from the film and makes very grim, although interesting, reading. But elements of the book have been integrated into the film to produce something that is quite remarkable. This brilliant film is inspiring to watch once one has got past the two brief incidents of brutality at Dachau which are at the start of the film. One does not need to be a Christian to appreciate this film. The film's message is universal and we see in it the eternal struggle between good and evil - in the form of a Catholic priest being confronted by a Nazi trying in every way (in words!) to persuade the priest to go along with the Nazis. I value this film so highly that I have bought two copies of it.
	"Judas. That's you".  Jun 21, 2009
Director Volker Schlöndorff has accomplished with "The Ninth Day" what so many filmmakers--American and foreign--fail to do: to depict a believable, human, and realistic clash between the psychic motivations that engender good and evil. Based (loosely) on Father Jean Bernard's memoir "Priestblock 25487: A Memoir of Dachuau". Father Bernard was arrested in 1941 for speaking out against the Nuremburg racial "laws" and sabotaging Nazi relations in his native Luxembourg. Though it is difficult to capture the power of the book, Schlondorff has done that and much more: he gives a baby face to the evil surrounding the priest in his memoir, a German actor who is perfect. August Diehl is Untersturmführer Gebhardt, a Gestapo agent who looks like he could barely be past nineteen and and who was once a seminarian. He tries to persuade Father Kremer (Bernard's pseudonym in the film) to get a letter from his Archbishop supporting the union of the Church in Luxembourg and the Third Reich: a Nazi Vatican dialogue in the only German parish left that refuses to welcome them. He has nine days to accomplish this. If he doesn't, he will be sent back. The conversations between Kremer and Gerbhardt are what make the movie. Gerbhardt is a young and super twisted Nazi who considers himself to be carrying out Christ's--or Judas'--mission on earth with his role in the Party. His demonic theology is as follows: without Judas, without the backstabber of humanity, where would Christ be? Therefore, extreme evil has just as much of a place in the world as goodness. More, in fact. The theological "debates" are life and death for Father Kremer and he prevails in the end by touching the only bit of conscience left in Gerbhardt's evil, ruined soul. Many have mistakenly viewed Pope Pius XII as being silent during the Nazi's reign of terror. This film should clear some of that up and show why (and he wasn't, actually) his silence lasted for so long during certain periods of time. He gave Jews Baptismal Certificates so that if the Gestapo showed up looking for them they could directly refer to his authority. He saved lives. He gave Christmas radio broadcasts denouncing the Nazi treatment of the Jews. Kremer, in desperation, asks his Archbishop what the Holy Father is doing, why he must suffer so, and the Archbishop gives and good and factual explanation. This film is pretty brutal and always realistic. The triumph of Father Jean Bernard over maddening odds must be seen to be believed.
	Grim portrayal of Nazi persecution against anti-Nazi clergy  Feb 6, 2009
"The Ninth Day" is not exactly a Holocaust drama in the strict sense as it's main focus is not about the persecution and extermination of Jews by the Nazis during WW II, but about the persecution of anti-Nazi clery by the Nazis. It is a subject that is often overlooked in movies about WW II, but it was very real and these men of cloth truly suffered for their convictions. Based on the true life story of Father Jean Bernard, the movie centers around the trials and tribulations of Father Henri Kremer, who had been deported to the infamous Dachau concentration camp for his anti-Nazi activities [he had been assisting the Luxembourg resistance]. The beginning of the movie portrays Father Kremer and his fellow clergy being at the mercy of the sadistic camp guards, even witnessing the crucifixion of a fellow priest. Then something inconceivable happens - Father Kremer is informed that he has been released and is sent off back home to Luxembourg. It is only upon arrival in Luxembourg that Henri [Ulrich Matthes]realizes that something is afoot - he is whisked off by the Gestapo to meet with an SS official, Gebhardt [August Diehl] and unceremoniously informed that he has not been granted release, but a 'leave' of nine days, in which period he is to accomplish something for the Nazis' benefit. To his utter disgust, Henri discovers that he has nine days to persuade his Bishop to sign a proclamation that confirms the Luxembourg church's allegiance to and alliance with Hitler and Nazi Germany. Henri has been chosen because of his family connections and close rapport with the Bishop, but we discover later that other factors also played a part in Henri being chosen for this role. To collude with the Nazis is unpalatable to the devout and anti-Nazi Henri, but he also realizes the high risks involved in desisting - if he flees, his fellow clergy back in Dachau will be executed, and if he refuses, his family [a sister, a brother and a brother-in-law] will be at risk too. What is a honorable man of the cloth to do in such a position? The movie is very much a human drama with lots of intense dialogue and verbal sparring ,especially between Henri and the SS Gephardt, but the pace never lets up. The audience is always kept on the edge of their seats as we wonder how each encounter with the cunning and evil Gephardt will turn out. There is not much violence in this movie compared to other WW II and Holocaust dramas - but there is a sense of pervasive evil throughout the movie as embodied by Gephardt and the sense of doom hanging over poor Henri. The two main actors, i.e. Ulrich Matthes as Henri and August Diehl as the Nazi Gephardt are incredible in their roles - they truly come to personify the good and the evil. Ulrich Matthes' deep-set black eyes burn with a fervor that commands the screen - his anger & his anguish are effectively conveyed by his eyes without need of any dialogue. August Diehl as the wily Nazi is also a commanding presence on screen - his character seems cultured and deferential but the monster within is quick to emerge when thwarted in his goals. The theological debates between Henri and Gephardt are perhaps the best scenes in the movie - we have on the one hand, the devout Henri who is unmoved by any pleas or bribes to change his convictions, and the evil Nazi who tries to use religion to have his way [he's a former deacon who chose to become an SS over the priesthood]. I can't really describe it - but watching these two debate each other was truly compelling, especially in listening to Father Kremer rebut each point made by Gephardt. All in all, this is a must-see for those who want to learn more about the persecution of anti-Nazi clergy during WW II. There aren't that many movies made on this subject, and this is one of the few stand-outs in terms of it's superior quality.
	Faithful  Sep 15, 2008
There are very few movies based on a book that faithfully relate the story and remain engaging. Either the film plods along as a page by page recounting of the book or it takes the story in an entirely different direction. This film, based upon Priestblock 25487 (a phenomenal read!) manages to strike this careful balance. While viewing the events of the book through the narrow prism of nine days in the life of a priest imprisoned in Dachau it fleshes out the plot, and includes some of the most jarring and graphic scenes of the book. The film is also about faithfulness on another level, whether in the midst of the hell was the experience of those in concentration camps, one can maintain a firm grasp on one's faith. The acting was superb, as was the cinematography. As many have already mentioned, this film is a true gem and deserves more recognition (as does the book upon which it is based.).

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