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My Sister Maria
KirchMedia

10.0 based on 10 reviews Read critic reviews How did we calculate this? based on 1 votes Read user comments Rate this movie

• Internet Movie Database

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Maximilian Schell, Maria Schell, Falko Skrabal, Gerhard Hannak, Harry Stuhlhofer, and Elke Münzer

Maximilian Schell blends interviews with staged scenes in this examination of the life and relationships of his sister and confidant, Maria Schell.

GENRE(S):	Documentary
WRITTEN BY:	Maximilian Schell Gero von Boehm
DIRECTED BY:	Maximilian Schell
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: February 27, 2007  Theatrical: June 11, 2004
RUNNING TIME:	90 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	Austria
LANGUAGE(S):	German (with English subtitles)

Original title "Meine Schwester Maria"

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...

88

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Brave, heartless, and exceedingly strange, a quasi-documentary in which the actor Maximilian Schell mercilessly violates the privacy of his older sister, Maria.

80

Variety Lael Loewenstein

A tender, achingly poignant portrait of the Austrian actress Maria Schell, My Sister Maria is a valentine from her younger brother Maximilian.

80

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

A thoughtful look backward, a summing up that attempts to understand what is ephemeral and what truly lasts, what it is that matters in the final analysis.

70

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

One worries from scene to scene about whether the movie is a work of experimental art or just another ruthless intrusion into the life of a dying and, to some degree, broken woman. I'm willing to bet that Maximilian fretted over this too, for the film is as tense and fractured, as alienating -- and, finally, touching -- a work as it undoubtedly ought to be.

70

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Maximilian stresses that Maria was an icon in postwar Germany, yet the saddest thing about her isolation and disappointment is that it's so common.

63

Boston Globe Janice Page

Artful, especially in the ways it avoids sentimentality and employs vintage film clips of truly riveting performances...But Maximilian's narcissistic examination of his theatrical family -- can be boring, and his creative license with the truth is kind of troubling.

60

Washington Post Desson Thomson

A heartfelt but eccentric, pseudo-documentary tribute to his sister Maria.

50

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

In many ways this is an extraordinary movie: there's probably never been such a portrait of a major star in the grip of old age.

25

San Francisco Chronicle G. Allen Johnson

Intrusive, excessively brooding and narcissistic.

20

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Deeply personal and deeply silly.

The average user rating for this movie is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Mary H. gave it a10:
Movie critics in general are people who make their living by writing unflattering remarks about films, actors and filmmakers. If you are a fan of Maria Schell - and especially if you are old enough to remember her very first Hollywood films - then you will be able to ignore the critics and watch it through the eyes of love. I'm one of those 'old' fans, and love was all I could see in this documentary. Miss Schell's love of life, love of her family, friends, her career and especially her memories, which were all vividly intact and were not confusing as the present times often were. I saw her family's great love for her, especially the love of her brother, Maximillian. He didn't make this film to earn money. He did it to help Maria see how much she meant to him, to her family and to all of us throughout the world who knew her only through her work but loved her so dearly, nevertheless . He did it to help her achieve that paradise on earth which she longed to experience before death came calling. Some people would do this only after the person being honored had passed away. Maximillian Schell did it while she was still alive able to participate in the finished product. And on top of all that, he saw to it that she received the very best of care until the very end of her life. He gave her that paradise she wanted - to live in the warmth of cherished memories of old friends, old films and old loves while the people around her took care of her and her home. I have never heard of greater love than this! Thank you, Mr. Schell, for everything. She has been my favorite actress since I was 13 (and I'm 61 now.) If you understand German you will be touched by Miss Schell's wamrth and wit. She will make you feel as though you are actually there in the room with her. And if you don't understand German, well - you will be treated to the very best English subtitles I have ever read. Even if you are not a fan of Maria Schell, you should at least be impressed by her gutsiness. It must have been very painful for her to re-enact some of the most humiiating experiences of her life, namely, the day on which the local authorities served notice that her home and personal property were to be auctioned in order to pay her debts. And then there was the phone call to her son, Oliver, to say goodbye because she thought that a great comet was about to kill all of us (she was watching 'Deep Impact'). Maria Schell was old, frail and ill when this film was made, and yet she took direction and 'hit her marks' like the consummate artist she always was. Bravo, Maria! And Bravo to you, also, Max - this film not only enabled her to live a full life at the end, but it also helped her die a good death. One does not need to love her as a fan would in order to appreciate this film. One does not need to be a fan of her brother, Max, in order to appreciate the effort he put into it. One only needs to sit back and watch it with an open mind and an open heart.

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