Der letzte Zug

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

• Gedeon Burkhard, Henry Neumann
• Lale Yavas, Lea Neumann
• Lena Beyerling, Nina Neumann
• Sibel Kekilli, Ruth Zilbermann
• Roman Roth, Albert Rosen

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

• Website at Concorde-Film
• The Last Train at the Internet Movie Database
• The Last Train at Rotten Tomatoes