IMDb RATING
7.8/10
78K
YOUR RATING
Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. Who is responsible?Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. Who is responsible?Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. Who is responsible?
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 62 wins & 48 nominations total
Burghart Klaußner
- The Pastor
- (as Burghart Klaussner)
Maria Dragus
- Klara
- (as Maria-Victoria Dragus)
Gabriela Maria Schmeide
- The Steward's Wife
- (as Gabriela-Maria Schmeide)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMost of the adults are not given names in the film, instead being called Pastor, Baron, Steward, etc. This includes the narrator, who is only known as The School Teacher.
- GoofsWhen the teacher first meets Eva, some crew members and the camera can be seen in the reflection of the teacher's glasses.
- Crazy creditsThe opening and closing credits are shown in complete silence. There is no music or other sounds during both entire credit sequences.
- ConnectionsFeatured in At the Movies: Cannes Film Festival 2009 (2009)
- SoundtracksO Sacred Head Now Wounded
(uncredited)
Lyrics from a mediaeval Latin poem
Music by Hans Leo Hassler
Sung in the church
Featured review
This is a movie against all extremisms
In an interview with the French newspaper "Le Monde" on 10/20/09, published on 10/21/09, Michael Haneke has explicitly and unequivocally declared his intentions in making the movie "The White Ribbon":
He intended to make a movie about the roots of evil. He said that he believed that the environment of extreme, punitive and sexually repressive protestantism in Germany, has laid the groundwork for Fascism and Nazism. He also said that he saw the same patterns developing in fundamentalist Muslim societies today, and that it is those societies that today were spawning terrorists and suicide bombers. Finally, he expressed the sentiment that "The White Ribbon" is a movie against ALL extremisms.
Michael Haneke has directed his vision in a very masterful and artful way: the cinematography, the acting, and the script are all superb.
The only problem I have is with the vision itself: The environment certainly plays a role, but to explain evil exclusively as the product of one's environment is simplistic and goes against common sense observation: The majority of people on this earth have grown up under repressive regimes and yet have NOT turned out to become murderers, mass murderers, terrorists or suicide bombers. Something is missing in the equation.
He intended to make a movie about the roots of evil. He said that he believed that the environment of extreme, punitive and sexually repressive protestantism in Germany, has laid the groundwork for Fascism and Nazism. He also said that he saw the same patterns developing in fundamentalist Muslim societies today, and that it is those societies that today were spawning terrorists and suicide bombers. Finally, he expressed the sentiment that "The White Ribbon" is a movie against ALL extremisms.
Michael Haneke has directed his vision in a very masterful and artful way: the cinematography, the acting, and the script are all superb.
The only problem I have is with the vision itself: The environment certainly plays a role, but to explain evil exclusively as the product of one's environment is simplistic and goes against common sense observation: The majority of people on this earth have grown up under repressive regimes and yet have NOT turned out to become murderers, mass murderers, terrorists or suicide bombers. Something is missing in the equation.
helpful•13848
- molecule18
- Jan 5, 2010
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- The White Tape or the Teacher's Tale
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $18,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,222,862
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $59,848
- Jan 3, 2010
- Gross worldwide
- $19,319,671
- Runtime2 hours 24 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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