Der letzte Zug

Der Letzte Zug

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Joseph Vilsmaier, Dana Vávrová
Produced by Artur Brauner
Written by Stephen Glantz
Starring Gedeon Burkhard
Lale Yavas
Lena Beyerling
Cinematography Helmfried Kober
Joseph Vilsmaier
Editing by Uli Schön
Studio Central Cinema Company Film (CCC), Diamant Film
Distributed by Bontonfilm
Release date(s) October 26, 2006 (2006-10-26) (2006 Internationale Hofer Filmtage)
November 9, 2006 (2006-11-09) (Germany)
October 11, 2007 (2007-10-11) (Czech Republic)
January 11, 2008 (2008-01-11) (Spain)
Running time 123 minutes
Country Germany
Czech Republic
Language German
Hebrew
Polish
French
Ukrainian
Budget €2.7 million

Der Letzte Zug (The Last Train) is a 2006 German film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier and Dana Vávrová, and starring Gedeon Burkhard, Lale Yavas, and Lena Beyerling. The film depicts the fate of some of the last remaining Jews in Berlin, who in April 1943 were rounded up at the Berlin-Grunewald station and sent to the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. The film stands out due to its proximity as well as the unsparing realism with which the brutality of a transport to the Auschwitz concentration camp appears.

Casting

Background

Der letze Zug was filmed in Germany and Lithuania and went into production in May 2005 on a budget of €2.7 million. During filming, director Joseph Vilsmaier fell from a crane and suffered permanent, albeit minor, injuries. Production halted for two weeks while he was hospitalized. Filming resumed once Vilsmaier recovered, but his wife, actress Dana Vávrová took over directing duties while Vilsmaier supervised.

The film premiered on May 20, 2006 at the 40th Hof International Film Festival. It was widely released in theaters in Germany on November 9, 2006, by The Central Cinema Company

External links