Frieda (1947)

This film was made in 1947 when this country was just coming to terms with the fact that it would have to live with the new Germany.The film does not take into account the fact that there were already thousands of German refugees in this country who had fled Nazi persecution.For example in the film industry there were actors such as Conrad Veidt and technicians such as Mutz Greenbaum.Therefore what only seems to have been considered by this film are bad Germans,as played by Albert Levien and the passive German as played by Swede,Mai Zetterling.So what is ignored are the millions of Germans who did oppose Hitler,the social democrats and communists who were thrown in concentration camps.I felt that Levien's revelation as a nasty Nazi was rather over dramatic and rather spoiled the balance of the film.I also wonder what audiences of the time would have made of the newsreel of Belsen concentration camp shown when the couple are in the cinema.very thought provoking.

Phew, that was a tough watch.. Not the production, Frieda is well made, but makes us all face up to our own prejudice and fear. I have no idea how this must have felt to the audience in 1947, I am sure many struggled to sympathise with Frieda, the enemy.Today hatred is still rife, we live in a world that is still drawing dividing lines, for what.. where has it got us. Frieda tries to make us examine irrational fears and blind hatred. The film pushes us to see people as individuals.I often look back at old cinema as a little simple, corny even, it is not often I sit in silence at the end and contemplate what I have seen, Frieda made me do this.Should you watch this, yes if you like cinema that takes you somewhere and you like to empathise with tough subject matter. It is not an arty film and is extremely watchable.. But if you need whizzbangs and CGI this might not be the film for you.All I can say to finish, I am glad I finally sat down to watch Frieda.

I liked this film a lot--because it was so well made, because it was so very different but especially since it had such a strong emotional impact. Ealing Studios, a wonderful small British company, once again scores a bullseye with this lovely postwar film and it's very well worth watching.The film begins in the latter part of WWII. A British flier (David Farrar) escapes from Germany thanks to the help of a young German lady (Mai Zetterling). In gratitude for her help, Farrar brings her home and asks her to marry him. Surprisingly, though, the small English town he returns to welcomes her like a leper--even though she proved herself. Throughout much of the film, she was badly treated and Farrar and his family are torn apart by this.Fortunately, once the war ends, people begin accepting her and the upcoming marriage appears to he headed for success. However, when Mai's long-lost brother (a German soldier thought to have been killed in the war), the film jumps into high gear and becomes quite exciting--ultimately culminating in a very touching and teary conclusion.The film deserves kudos for taking on this topic--both because other films didn't and because it handled it so intelligently and deftly. Some amazing scenes that really hit home were when Zetterling and Farrar were watching a newsreel that showed concentration camp atrocities, the confrontation between Farrar and Zetterling's brother as well as the amazing finale. This film is a great curio but more than that, it's great simple film-making. Well worth seeing--a brilliant little film.

1947 was not an easy year. In fact, the British and the world was still recovering from World War II. This film probably raised a lot of eyebrows and concern. Germany was still the enemy and Frieda played beautifully by Swedish newcomer, Mai Zetterling, should have been honored with nominations for her performance. Frieda is not well liked because she is German so you're not going to trust a German girl in the first place. Anyway, I imagine how it was first released to the British public after a brutal war and the rebuilding of the damage done by the blitz. Anyway, I can imagine audience members not being welcoming to Frieda but she is somebody we grow to understand. It's not her fault that's she's German anymore that I'm an American. She grows on you because she is somebody we can like but I think that's part of the problem. We see her only flaw as being German and not much else. Anyway, Mai Zetterling performs well and should have been honored with a nomination or two for being the star of the film.