"Michael Kohlhaas - Der Rebell" is a West German German-language film from 1969, so two more years only until this one has its 5th anniversary and it will be the exact same year that director Volker Schlöndorff will have its 80th birthday as he was 30 when this 95-minute film was released. It was nominated at Cannes and lead actor David Warner also got a German Film Award nomination for his portrayal of the title character. However, the by far most known actor (or actress) in this film is Anna Karina, who plays the female with the most screen time, not really a lead though as her screen time is still limited and ends quickly due to the tragic story on some occasions in here. You will also find Anita Pallenberg in here that worked with Schlöndorff on other occasions too and even a Bond villain is in this one, or the actor who portrays him, even if not the most known for sure. And Rolling Stones member Keith Richards has a tiny performance too, which surprised me a bit. However, Schlöndorff is known for working with actors from all kinds of countries and making films in all kinds of languages, so the multi-cultural aspect here is not that convincing.
This is the story of Michael Kohlhaas, a simple man with (as we find out) an enormous willpower and sense for justice as he starts bringing hell upon an official who cheated him out of two healthy horses. I remember we read this Kleist novel at school and since then I remember liking it. The story just is that good and there is a lot of depth in here that will inevitably make you think. I definitely prefer the first half of this film over the second, but both are pretty good, which is thanks to Schlöndorff's vision, but also Warner's range. The rest of the cast are all fairly good too. The film makes powerful statements about the legal system centuries ago and it is a great subject for discussion up until to which point Kohlhaas was in the right and an innocent man. I also really like the ending here, in which justice is restored and the scene with the two horses running into freedom symbolizing justice, maybe symbolizing both judgments equally even, is truly powerful. This story has been turned into a movie on other occasions too, the most known being the one starring Mads Mikkelsen from not too long ago and that one is as good as this one here, even if the approaches are pretty different. All in all, I very much recommend this color film from half a century ago (maybe more already depending on when you read the review). It's definitely not a film for everyone, but if you manage to warm up to it, you will have a great time. Having read the novel is not essential here to like or even love the film. I'm not too big on all of Schlöndorff's early works, but this one here is certainly a success. Go see it.
This is the story of Michael Kohlhaas, a simple man with (as we find out) an enormous willpower and sense for justice as he starts bringing hell upon an official who cheated him out of two healthy horses. I remember we read this Kleist novel at school and since then I remember liking it. The story just is that good and there is a lot of depth in here that will inevitably make you think. I definitely prefer the first half of this film over the second, but both are pretty good, which is thanks to Schlöndorff's vision, but also Warner's range. The rest of the cast are all fairly good too. The film makes powerful statements about the legal system centuries ago and it is a great subject for discussion up until to which point Kohlhaas was in the right and an innocent man. I also really like the ending here, in which justice is restored and the scene with the two horses running into freedom symbolizing justice, maybe symbolizing both judgments equally even, is truly powerful. This story has been turned into a movie on other occasions too, the most known being the one starring Mads Mikkelsen from not too long ago and that one is as good as this one here, even if the approaches are pretty different. All in all, I very much recommend this color film from half a century ago (maybe more already depending on when you read the review). It's definitely not a film for everyone, but if you manage to warm up to it, you will have a great time. Having read the novel is not essential here to like or even love the film. I'm not too big on all of Schlöndorff's early works, but this one here is certainly a success. Go see it.