Reviews

I was amazed at how well done this movie is. Historically it is very accurate. It's basically about the German strategic withdrawal in 1917 to shorten their lines. They withdrew 9 miles in this case and the Allies assumed it was a ruse. So the story is about two soldiers attempting to warn their comrades that it is not a ruse....that the Germans have simply withdrawn to the much stronger Hindenburg line. One of the best WW1 movies I have seen in many years.

If you want a technical account of the titanic sinking then watch "A Night to Remember". If you want a romantic version of the sinking then watch Cameron's Titanic. If you want a good balanced dramatic version of the sinking then watch this version....SOS Titanic.

The 1970's made some very good expensive looking TV movies and this is one of them. There are many stars in this movie and it doesn't look low budget. I really enjoyed watching this version more than the James Cameron mega budget version.

I have read 900 books on German history covering the Second Reich and the Third Reich and this docudrama is both very accurate and interesting. The material is presented in a way that people can understand but it also goes into a lot of detail that even Germans might not be aware of.

Anything on the Nazis is a cautionary tale but the British seem to be very good at their analysis of the Nazi period.

I had to watch this movie a second time to better absorb it. The movie utilizes many flashbacks so the first viewing can be a little confusing. But I understand why the director used the flashbacks. The flashbacks juxtapose her life after the tragedy with her life before the tragedy. And it wasn't just one tragedy. In truth this poor lady had a whole series of tragedy to deal with because of her son. The movie hints that her son may have autism and also he appears to be a sociopath..meaning that he simply does not and can not have any empathy for another human being.

My take on this movie was that he for some reason hates his mother beyond all reasoning and that is what motivates all his terrible actions. I really felt bad for his mother but I also felt sorry for Kevin because he clearly had severe mental illness and was on prozac for depression. Just a tragic story but so timely for these days of Columbine and Sandy Hook.

Some of the best movies I have ever seen were either little B pictures or even just TV movies. This is one of them. The movie holds your interest because it is well written and has excellent acting. I enjoyed this movie so much that I watched it a second time.