The Legends of Rita

Released Feb 16, 2000

1h 43m

Drama

List

80%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

75%

Audience Score

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.

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Wesley Morris

San Francisco Chronicle

Apr 16, 2001

Full Review

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Rated: 4/5

Apr 16, 2001

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

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.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 16, 2001

Full Review

Jason Gorber

Film Scouts

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..."

Rated: C

Jun 21, 2007

Full Review

Maria Garcia

Film Journal International

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.

Apr 7, 2007

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jul 23, 2005

Full Review

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Audience Member

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

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Titolo italiano: Il silenzio dopo lo sparo

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Pretty good display of the GDR

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

sort of interesting but not pleasing to watch

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

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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: Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, Mitteldeutsches Filmkontor, Babelsberg Film GmbH
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)