Since today is the feast of Saint Alexander Schmorell (July 13), a fellow member and martyr with Sophia Scholl of the German anti-Nazi resistance movement known as the White Rose, I thought it would be appropriate to watch the 2005 German film Sophie Scholl: The Final Days directed by Marc Rothemund. Alexander Schmorell is also portrayed in the film.
Sophie Scholl was convicted of high treason after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich with her brother, Hans. As a result, on 22 February 1943, Sophie Scholl, her brother, Hans, and their friend, Christoph Probst, were found guilty of treason and executed by guillotine. Alexander Schmorell suffered an identical fate on 13th July of the same year, having been arrested in April.
Drawing on interviews with survivors and transcripts that had remained hidden in East German archives until 1990, Die letzten Tage (Sophie Scholl – The Final Days) was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in January 2006. For her portrayal of Scholl, Julia Jentsch won the best actress at the European Film Awards, best actress at the German Film Awards (Lolas), along with the Silver Bear for best actress at the Berlin Film Festival.
