THE LEGEND OF RITA (Die Stille Nach dem Schuss)
Rita Vogt (Bibiana Beglau) is an idealist in 1970's West Germany. She's also a terrorist, partially because of her love for Andreas Klein (Harald Schrott), the movement's leader. Rita is caught during transit from Beirut via East Berlin with a pistol and comes to an understanding with Stasi officer Erwin Hull (Martin Wuttke) who will become the dominant force in her life.
When a guard is shot during a prison break for Andreas, the group goes underground in Paris. Rather than blow her cover over a traffic violation, Rita shoots a policeman, then turns to Hull for help in director Volker Schlondorff's "The Legend of Rita."
LAURA:
Screenwriter Wolfgang Kohlhaase researched West German terrorist groups, in particular the Baader-Meinhof gang, to capture the characteritics of this part of an era for his fictional story, while director Schlondorff emphasized exploring pre-unification East Germany.
'Legend' is a Stasi (East German secret police) term for a false identify, something Hull offers all of Rita's colleagues if they remain in East Germany. When her colleagues decide to flee to Beirut, Rita, disillusioned with Andreas' personal disloyalty, stays behind and becomes Suzanne Schmidt. She attempts to fold into life as a fabric printer in a factory, but her passionate, idealistic nature makes her coworkers take notice. She takes interest in the rebellious, alcoholic Tatiana (Nadja Uhl, cowinner of the Best Actress award at the Berlin Film Festival with Biglau) whom the other women shun and raises eyebrows when she donates ten Deutschmarks to a charity her coworkers recognize as fraud.
Suzanne and Tatiana's story is reminiscent of the French film "The Dreamlife of Angels," but the friendship is cut short when Andreas' death, publicized on international news, reminds viewers of the wanted Rita Vogt. Hull creates Rita's next legend as Sabine Walter, a child care worker at a summer camp. Jochen Pettka (Alexander Beyer) takes interest and wishes her to marry him and return to Russia - time for Hull to step in again and give Rita a new life.
The Hull/Vogt relationship resembles that of Tcheky Karyo and Anne Parrilaud in "La Femme Nikita," wary and somewhat disapproving at first, respectful and romantically inclined after time. Martin Wuttke, who resembles Denis Lavant of "Beau Travail," gives a subtly shaded performance that keeps his presence felt throughout the film. He's as caught up in the turmoil of the times as Rita, particularly when East Germany's duplicity in their dealings with West German terrorists comes to light when the wall falls. Biblau, in her feature film debut, gives a star making performance as Rita. Her idealism cuts through her bourgeois background giving her strength and confidence. Biblau mows down authority figures in her path with sheer determination and approaches each new legend with clear-eyed curiousity. She almost makes us forget that her fearless character is still a cop killer and terrorist.
Support is solid with Uhl standing out as the bleery young Tatiana, so determined to leave the East she'll go via vodka if no other transport is available. Also notable is Jenny Shily as Fredericke, another young idealist who turns away from a moneyed life of horse riding championships to commit crimes for Andreas. She's not as capable as Rita, offering a nice contrast.
Director Schlondorff takes a (mostly) debut cast and gets realistic, powerful performances. His work with screenwriter Kohlhaase makes "The Legend of Rita" work on many levels - as a character study, a political and historical document and a contrast of East and West. Cinematographer Andreas Hofer provides a documentary look which works well for the story.
B+
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