Der Tunnel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Der Tunnel
Der Tunnel DVD cover
Directed by	Roland Suso Richter
Produced by	Nico Hofmann Ariane Krampe
Written by	Johannes W. Betz
Starring	Heino Ferch Nicolette Krebitz Alexandra Maria Lara Sebastian Koch
Release date(s)	January 21, 2001 (Germany)
Running time	157 min.
Language	German
IMDb profile

Der Tunnel (English: The Tunnel) is a 2001 film by German director Roland Suso Richter that is loosely based on a true story about an expanding group of people led by Hasso Herschel (Harry Melchior in the movie), who dug a tunnel under the Berlin Wall in the early 1960's to get friends and family from East Germany to West Germany. Dozens of such tunnels have been dug, but this one became known because, in order to get financial support, the group decided to let US broadcasting company NBC film them for a documentary.

The film takes some liberties for dramatic effect, especially in the end with a shoot-out that did not take place. Also, the first person who discovered the activity and ultimately joined in was a man, not a woman and was held captive (tied up) for much longer and mistrusted by some until the end. When the tunnel was nearing completion it started filling with water and at the end, during the flight, the tunnel was almost impossible to get through. And an improbability is that, while the refugees were being followed by the Stasi, when they reached the sign that said, "You are entering the French zone", the Stasi actually stopped.

There is also a documentary about the escape which is much more true to the real events.