A Hero's Death (1973)
It was the biggest escape in the history of the Berlin Wall: in one historic night of October 1964, 57 East-Berliners try their luck through a tunnel into West Berlin. Just before the last few reach the other side, the East German border guards notice the escape and open fire. Remarkably, all the refugees and their escape agents make it out of the tunnel unscathed, but one border guard is dead: 21-year-old officer Egon Schultz.
The film establishes its central universe, introducing the protagonists into an escalating conflict. Directed by Britta Wauer, this opening movement establishes high visual and thematic stakes that set the narrative journey into motion.
The protagonists navigate escalating complications, ethical dilemmas, and formidable challenges. Starring Rainer Albertz, Michael Baade, Egon Bahr, the middle act intensifies dramatic momentum toward an inevitable turning point.
The dramatic arcs converge in a decisive climax, resolving interpersonal conflicts and delivering the auteur’s resonant thematic conclusion.
Rainer Albertz
as Himself
Telly Savalas
as Theo KojakMichael Baade
as Himself
Dan Frazer
as Frank McNeill
Egon Bahr
as Himself
Kevin Dobson
as Bobby CrockerNadine Beyer
as herself
George Savalas
as Curly StavorsGünter Bohnsack
as Himself
Mark Russell
as Percy SapersteinJohannes Fröhner
as HimselfVince Conti
as Det. RizzoRegine Hildebrandt
as herselfHubert Hohlbein
as HimselfHagen Koch
as HimselfThomas Mauch
as HimselfSiegfried Mechler
as HimselfJoachim Neumann
as HimselfCinematographic negative, aspect ratios & laboratory mastering sheet
| Aspect Ratios | 2.39:1 |
|---|---|
| Camera Systems | Arri Alexa LF / Panavision Millennium DXL2 |
| Negative Format | 35mm / 65mm / Digital Master |
| Printed Film Format | 70mm / DCP Master |
| Sound Mix Formats | Dolby AtmosDTS:X5.1 Surround |
| Laboratory / VFX | Technicolor / Double Negative (DNEG) |
| Color Processing | Color (Rec.709 / DCI-P3 Mastering) |
| Official Runtime | 60 min |
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Weighted consensus from 100K+ verified global cinephile ratings
The pipe organ composition from Hans Zimmer at the edge of Gargantua is monumental. Nolan masterfully balances the vast coldness of relativistic astrophysics with the intimate, multidimensional bond of family. A transcendent achievement of cinema.
"Do not go gentle into that good night, Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Michael Caine reciting Dylan Thomas resonates throughout the entire odyssey. Pure cinematic grandeur.
