The Legends of Rita

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The Legends of Rita

2000

1h 43m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Rita Vogt (Bibiana Beglau) is seduced into the terrorist movement through her sense of justice and her love for Andi (Harald Schrott). Years later, realizing the movement is falling apart, she goes underground, hiding out in East Germany. With the help of a Stasi agent named Erwin Hull (Martin Wuttke), she assumes a new identity amidst the everyday world of the working class. As much as she wants to fit in, her young co-worker Tatjana (Nadja Uhl) wants to get out, to escape to the west.

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

04/16/2001

3.5/4

The Legend of Rita doesn't adopt a simplistic political view. It's not propaganda for either side, but the story of how the division and reunification of Germany swept individual lives away indifferently in its tide.

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Jason Gorber

Film Scouts

06/21/2007

C

The film could have been an insightful examination of the East/West divide that kept Germany apart for almost half a century. Instead, the film's early potential slows to a halt, and the predictable machine of melodrama takes over..."

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Maria Garcia

Film Journal International

04/07/2007

Excellent performances by lead actors Beglau and Martin Wuttke...as well as an unforgettable performance by Nadja Uhl...humanize the unfamiliar internal politics of Germany.

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

07/23/2005

2/5

Eric Lurio

Greenwich Village Gazette

11/07/2003

But there's the problem with character's past...that Baglau portrays Rita as a sweet young thing is just disconcerting.

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TV Guide

07/30/2003

4/5

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07/10/2009

A intelligent and brave but still little too bland attempt to portray the psyche of 70's RAF terrorists.

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04/01/2009

Liked the cinematography and direction by Schlondorff. Interesting story as well.

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03/02/2009

Titolo italiano: Il silenzio dopo lo sparo

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12/26/2008

Pretty good display of the GDR

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07/03/2008

sort of interesting but not pleasing to watch

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04/04/2008

Movie about a West German terrorist-idealist who becomes disillusioned with what she is doing and moves to East Germany to live out her life as a worker. Things don't go down as planned and she has to keep on moving. Nothing really spectacular here, just the embodiment of a sub-culture's ideals in a woman and the end of an era. The acting is serviceable and the music is hilarious in an unintentional way. Of note: The ending appears to be pretty much lifted from Easy Rider.

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Volker Schlöndorff

Director

Bibiana Beglau

Rita Vogt

Martin Wuttke

Erwin Hull

Nadja Uhl

Tatjana

Harald Schrott

Andreas Klein

Alexander Beyer

Jochen

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Synopsis

Rita Vogt (Bibiana Beglau) is seduced into the terrorist movement through her sense of justice and her love for Andi (Harald Schrott). Years later, realizing the movement is falling apart, she goes underground, hiding out in East Germany. With the help of a Stasi agent named Erwin Hull (Martin Wuttke), she assumes a new identity amidst the everyday world of the working class. As much as she wants to fit in, her young co-worker Tatjana (Nadja Uhl) wants to get out, to escape to the west.

Director: Volker Schlöndorff
Producer: Arthur Hofer, Emmo Lempert, Friedrich-Carl Wachs
Screenwriter: Wolfgang Kohlhaase, Volker Schlöndorff
Distributor: Kino Pictures
Production Co: Babelsberg Film GmbH, Mitteldeutsches Filmkontor, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 16, 2000, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 21, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $71.6K
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)