Film: The Tunnel
Year of production: 2001
UK Release date: 25th April 2011
Distributor: Second Sight
Certificate: 12
Running time: 160 mins
Director: Roland Suso Richter
Starring: Nicolette Krebitz, Heino Ferch, Sebastian Koch, Alexandra Maria Lara
Genre: Action/Drama/History/Thriller
Format: DVD
Country of Production: Germany
Language: German
Originally created as a German TV mini-series, The Tunnel has been re-cut and re-packaged as a movie for DVD release outside of its homeland. It’s testament to the quality of the production most audiences would be none the wiser about the film’s origins. But does the change of emphasis lead to a worthy release or is this is misguided premise?
Based on a true story, The Tunnel focuses on 1961 Berlin, as the East/West wall is hurriedly constructed families and friends are split on the grounds of geography. Headstrong athlete Harry Melchior is caught on the East where he’s kept under close supervision thanks to his high profile and reputation as a troublemaker and political firebrand.
When Harry decides to make a break for the West, he is unable to take his beloved sister, Lotte, with him. His best friend, Matthis, faces a similar dilemma, as he is split from his wife Carola on their escape through the sewage system. United on the other side of the wall, the pair decide to sneak their loved ones over – or rather under – the border.
Assembling a group of like-minded rebels, Matthis and Harry put their professional skills to the test, as architect Matthis plans the tunnel construction and the athletic Harry provides the muscle necessary to dig through over a hundred metres of earth. With the authorities employing every underhand tactic in the book to uncover their plot, will they achieve their aims or will their plan collapse around them?
The driving force behind the narrative and the lead character as the action unfolds is Harry (Heino Ferch), a heroic and committed leader of men. His performance is excellent, as he imbues the character with a nobility and clarity of purpose which is altogether admirable. Sadly, this commitment to the cause means that there is little light or shade to the character and as a result he’s not entirely engaging.
Thankfully, the other characters are more nuanced and interesting. All the performances are strong, and even the occasional lurch into cliché or caricature doesn’t detract from their excellent acting. Sebastian Koch is very strong as the conflicted Matthis and the underutilised Fred really comes into his own as the film reaches its conclusion. Best of the bunch is Nicolette Krebitz as Fritzi.
Fritzi’s story is fairly predictable and her outcome obvious. But along the way her love-affair with Heiner (Florian Panzner), a boyfriend trapped on the other side of the wall, is the source of the most poignant and powerful scene in the movie. Fearing that their relationship is stuttering to a halt, Heiner makes a desperate attempt to join his lover on the West. What follows is a particularly moving scene as their relationship is literally and metaphorically divided by the Berlin Wall, which physically splits the screen and the couple.
Perhaps less subtle, but no less effective are the scenes in the tunnel. There are clear and obvious parallels to be drawn with The Great Escape, as the rebels attempt to cover their tracks whilst undertaking their enormous excavation. Unsurprisingly, they face problems like tunnel collapses and unexpected concrete obstacles, but these are dealt with efficiently by both the characters and the director. The sense of claustrophobia and peril is perhaps not as acute as it might be – the relatively spacious tunnel is a factor in this - but given the budgetary restraints inherent in this TV production it would be churlish to quibble with the set design.
Whilst the men in the story toil underground, their wives and families face investigation on the surface. Creepy Kruger (Uwe Kockisch) straddles the line between unthinking automaton and put-upon jobsworth carefully enough to create a genuinely tense series of double crosses, espionage and intimidation, which plays nicely alongside the honest integrity of the tunnellers.
Sadly, as the film reaches its denouement, it becomes increasingly preposterous and implausible. In a story ‘based’ on true events, it’s difficult to know where the truth ends and the embellishments begin, but there are some barely creditable twists (not least an NBC camera crew filming the action), turns and set-pieces in the final third of the movie. It’s a shame as they were really not necessary at all. The human drama here would have been more than sufficient to hold the audience’s interest without resorting to the action-packed ending provided.
There’s much to be admired here given that The Tunnel began life on television. But sadly a kind of ‘small screen’ mentality limits the film’s appeal in this version. It would be interesting to see what was removed in the cut – a little more focus on characters over action would certainly be beneficial. Having said that, the closing captions about the real people involved confirm this to be a worthy tale and one which has been steadily, but unspectacularly, presented. RW
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