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Legend of Rita, The
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 15 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 2 votes
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by:
Wolfgang Kohlhaase
Volker Schlöndorff
Directed by: Volker Schlöndorff
Release Date:
Theatrical: January 24, 2001
DVD: October 9, 2001
Running Time: 101 minutes, Color
Origin: Germany
Language(s): German (with English subtitles)
Summary
RATING: Not rated
Starring Bibiana Beglau, Martin Wuttke, Nadja Uhl, Harald Schrott, and Alexander Beyer
Only ten years ago the Cold War divided Europe and a real brick wall split Berlin in two. Young German radicals fleeing the law could find protection in the communist "east." Eleven idealists remained there for good -- until the wall came down. This is the story of one of them. (Kino International)
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Variety Derek Elley
Superbly played by a cast mostly of unknowns and finely tuned on every level from script through production design, this is a movie with something to say about both the past and present -- and it does so in a manner that doesn't strain the patience of the viewer.
Read Full Review >Village Voice J. Hoberman
Schlöndorff's film manages to be both thoughtful and melodramatic, a vivid political thriller as well as an abstract analysis.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Desson Thomson
A very watchable political drama. But most importantly, the movie has an affecting human undercurrent.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
Schlondorff presents Rita's fictional story as a taut political thriller, and as such, it makes for some pretty exciting entertainment: It's full of bank robberies, jailbreaks, car chases, shoot-outs and "Street Fighting Man."
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
This captivating saga, at once epic in scale and intimate in tone, draws upon Schlondorff's formidable storytelling skills and his special gifts in blending the political and the personal and in bringing a documentary-like immediacy to his narratives.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Dana Stevens
Ms. Breglau is so intuitive and charismatic an actress that you're drawn to her character's side by the steely grace of her certainty.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Stephen Hunter
Schlondorff keeps the movie simple and truthful, and far from stereotypical.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
The movie isn't about love, unrequited or not. It's about believing in a cause after the cause abandons you.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Wesley Morris
Comes on with some of the director's most wry, charged sequencing, then settles into a distant mourning that takes over the rest of the film.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
The result is a gripping authenticity. His East Germany wears its bone-chill so casually, the movie seems more like a documentary than a political thriller.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
Doesn't always live up to its ambitions - some of the politics involved are somewhat murky for American audiences - but it's an engrossing, well-acted drama with an unusual historical background.
Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
Like many political thrillers, it's a little too self-convinced.
Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
Brings the Cold War back with chilling detail -- and brings to life one woman's sad, bold story.
Film.com David D'Arcy
The good news is that this is indeed the best film that Schlondorff has made in years. Mind you, that doesn't mean it's great.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Ella Taylor
The movie's eye-poppingly reductive, not to say condescending, thesis is that Rita is a tender, vulnerable soul who does whatever she does -- from joining the group through an affair with its leader, to saving the bruised soul of a fellow worker at the East German factory where she works -- for love.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
