Die Flucht (March of The Millions) could have been a wonderful film that finally publicized the terrible genocide of nearly 2 million East Prussian civilians in 1945. History has tried to eradicate the event and very few people know the details.
But this film entirely and deliberately distorts the whole event.
It tells the story of an ancient landed family that has farmed their land for nearly 1000 years. The old Count lives in his shabby castle surrounded by servants and their children who have lived the feudal system for generations. Prisoners of war have replaced the young men driven off to war but very little else has changed for centuries.
Only now, in the first few weeks of 1945, the Russian Army is finally taking revenge for the terrible excesses of the SS they have suffered since the German invasion of 1941. The entire population of East Prussia, some 8 million civilians, now faces annihilation unless they flee the advancing army in the midst of winter.
So much for the first half which is perfectly fine. But then the film falls apart.
Most of the victims of this terrible event died from Soviet barbarism. They were bombed, gunned down, raped, executed or simply left to exposure in bitterly cold conditions. Many more died from starvation and deprivation whilst thousands died on the frozen lakes when their wagons fell through the ice. More than 20% of the population were killed.
And yet in the film most of the deaths occur by German hands. We see Wehrmacht soldiers executing escaping POWs and deserting soldiers by the dozen. But only one character, a butler is actually killed by the Russians. One character dies falling through the ice and one child dies of cold. In fact more characters commit suicide than actually die in the March. One would think the whole event was a walk in the park! In a 3 hour production only 20 minutes is devoted to the actual march. Whilst more than two hours spent on a pathetically unlikely romance between a German countess and a French POW. Sheer Hollywood bilge.
This type of propaganda through feature film is destructive. It belittles the barbarism shown by the Russians and excuses it because the Germans were all Nazis - or so we are led to believe. Don't bother buying this film as I did - it's waste of money.
But this film entirely and deliberately distorts the whole event.
It tells the story of an ancient landed family that has farmed their land for nearly 1000 years. The old Count lives in his shabby castle surrounded by servants and their children who have lived the feudal system for generations. Prisoners of war have replaced the young men driven off to war but very little else has changed for centuries.
Only now, in the first few weeks of 1945, the Russian Army is finally taking revenge for the terrible excesses of the SS they have suffered since the German invasion of 1941. The entire population of East Prussia, some 8 million civilians, now faces annihilation unless they flee the advancing army in the midst of winter.
So much for the first half which is perfectly fine. But then the film falls apart.
Most of the victims of this terrible event died from Soviet barbarism. They were bombed, gunned down, raped, executed or simply left to exposure in bitterly cold conditions. Many more died from starvation and deprivation whilst thousands died on the frozen lakes when their wagons fell through the ice. More than 20% of the population were killed.
And yet in the film most of the deaths occur by German hands. We see Wehrmacht soldiers executing escaping POWs and deserting soldiers by the dozen. But only one character, a butler is actually killed by the Russians. One character dies falling through the ice and one child dies of cold. In fact more characters commit suicide than actually die in the March. One would think the whole event was a walk in the park! In a 3 hour production only 20 minutes is devoted to the actual march. Whilst more than two hours spent on a pathetically unlikely romance between a German countess and a French POW. Sheer Hollywood bilge.
This type of propaganda through feature film is destructive. It belittles the barbarism shown by the Russians and excuses it because the Germans were all Nazis - or so we are led to believe. Don't bother buying this film as I did - it's waste of money.