Yet, the free and easy Rainer Wenger, who would have much rather taught the ‘anarchy’ class, seems to think otherwise. Whilst such a possibility would and should seem anything but trivial to the average German, Rainer is not so convinced by his country’s apparent immunity to right-wing populism.

His class starts out simple and nonthreatening. The students choose Wenger as their leader and are instructed to wear a uniform and create a name for themselves (the students choose Die Welle "The Wave"). But, this club slowly turns into a sort of fascist regime. The unsuspecting students think they are participating in some sort of fun club, but they are really being shown how easily impressionable people can be attracted by autocracy. a b c d e f g Ina Hochreuther: Die Schule und die Diktatur In: Stuttgarter Zeitung, 13. März 2008, S. 32 Gemäß Gansel lehnten die Vertreter der zunächst angefragten bayerischen Filmförderung das Filmprojekt ab, weil sie es stark an Rhues Roman maßen und im eingereichten Drehbuch eine klare Haltung des Lehrers gegen autoritäres Denken vermissten. Das Projekt war gefährdet und die erste Förderinstanz, die einstieg, war das Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. Danach kamen die Filmförderungsanstalt und der Deutsche Filmförderfonds sowie neben einigen anderen Koproduzenten die Constantin Film hinzu, die zudem den Verleih übernahm. Bei 4,5 Millionen Euro Budget kam das Projekt auf 38 Drehtage. [13] Das Marie-Curie-Gymnasium in Dallgow-Döberitz a b c d e f Ina Hochreuther: Die Schule und die Diktatur In: Stuttgarter Zeitung, 13. März 2008, S. 32 This is not a film that reluctantly whispers the words ‘Adolf Hitler’ at the sidelines. This is not a film that shies away from questions about dictatorial power. What Gansel makes crystal clear, however, is that the past and the present are not mutually exclusive. History can – and will – repeat itself.

Catsoulis,Jeannette(2011-05-26). «The Siren Song of Groupthink»(στα αγγλικά). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/movies/the-wave-review.html .Ανακτήθηκε στις 2023-06-05. However, Die Welle was not intended to be a reflection of current events in 2020. The film was released in 2008 – 12 years ago – and reflects upon events that happened in the 1930s and 40s – 80 years ago. This is my fourth German film and I'm digging them. Because you asked, I watched "Das Boot,""Downfall," and "Run Lola Run."

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Garces, Isabella (December 7, 2019). "Netflix's 'We Are the Wave' Is Inspired By an Infamous '60s High School Experiment on Nazi Germany". Esquire . Retrieved May 20, 2020.

18. Slip 'N' Slides

Die welle" is a lesson in how vulnerable a society is when it falls under a spell of a charismatic leader. It reflects what happened in the not too distant past in Germany. Co-written and directed by Dennis Gansel, this is an important essay in why a group, or a community can be swayed into viewing their world differently. In doing so, the interaction between the leader and the followers suffers fatal consequences. Based on a real incident in California, the action has been transferred to Germany, where it even makes a bigger impact, taken the country's own domination by a political power that was so disastrous for that nation.

Frankly to me, it just seems unbelievable. But then after digging a little deeper one finds out that the movie is quite heavily based on Ron Jones' social experiment The Third Wave. He was a Californian high school teacher of history who in 1967, constructed the original activity to help explain to his class how the German population could accept the actions of the Nazi regime during the Second World War. And this does give cause to not give this generally well made film, short shrift. It does have some historical basis, which clearly resonates with director Dennis Gansel and his domestic audiences, all too familiar with their country's dominant role in two World Wars. The Wave" is one of the reasons of why I like movies. I hardly ever say something like this but this is so right and I can honestly say this about 150 movies I watched. Maybe more. Why I liked this film so much? It was dazzling, provocative, controversial, mind blowing, intriguing, pointed out an interesting discussion, and at the end it is one of these masterpieces that makes you want more, makes you have a discussion with everyone you know about it. Even more important: It urges viewers to look into their own lives and make comparisons of their realities and see what works and what doesn't works. These experiment would have worked in my country? What kind of person I'd be? A member of The Wave or a member of the Resistance? That kind of questions. This movie has everything I like to see in terms of movies. Without a good discussion, some questions and some answers you can't have a decent movie.

Director's Statement

Am Samstag nach dem Projektbeginn lädt Wenger die Anhänger zu einer Vollversammlung ein. Zunächst macht er Stimmung, hetzt sie gegen einen opponierenden Schüler auf und befiehlt, ihn auf die Bühne zu bringen. Er beschimpft ihn als Verräter. Dann fragt er einen jener Schüler, die den Opponenten auf die Bühne gebracht haben, warum er dies getan habe. „Weil Sie es gesagt haben.“ Wenger fragt die Schüler kritisch, ob sie den Dissidenten auch umgebracht hätten, wenn er das angeordnet hätte. Als er den Zuhörern erklärt, dass alles nur ein Experiment gewesen und jetzt vorbei sei, wollen einzelne Schüler das Ende ihrer Bewegung nicht wahrhaben und verteidigen leidenschaftlich ihre „Welle“. Nachdem sich Wenger gegen diese erste Reaktion mühsam hat durchsetzen und die Mehrheit überzeugen können, tritt zunächst betretenes Schweigen unter den Schülern ein. Darauf zieht der verzweifelte Tim eine Pistole, verkündet, dass „die Welle lebt!“ und schießt zunächst einen Mitschüler an. Als Wenger ihn beruhigt, nimmt Tim die Waffe wieder herunter. Da die „Welle“ Tims Leben war, wie er verzweifelt bekannt gibt, erschießt er sich danach selbst. Die Schüler sind traumatisiert und Wenger wird von der Polizei abgeführt. Es war ursprünglich nicht vorgesehen, die Rolle von Wengers Frau mit Christiane Paul zu besetzen, die beim Dreh – wie im Film kurz zu Beginn zu sehen – im siebten Monat schwanger war. [17] Ron Jones ist kurz als Gast im Restaurant zu sehen, als die Jugendlichen das Logo ans Gebäude sprühen. Eine kleine Nebenrolle übernahm der Regisseur, einmal auf der ersten Party und einmal im Hausflur vor Marcos Wohnung. Gansel und Jennifer Ulrich, Darstellerin der Karo, wurden bei den Dreharbeiten zum Paar. [18] Wesen des Films [ Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten ] Gansels Konzept [ Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten ] Wenger is an anarchist by political conviction, so he presumably has no sinister motives in conducting his social experiment. Nevertheless, everything ends in disaster. One of the students, Tim, cannot bear the thought that The Wave, to which he has become totally committed emotionally, is a mere illusion, and commits suicide after shooting and wounding another student. The film ends with Wenger being arrested by the police.