The Idea of an Essay, Volume 3

Analysis & Response 91 of the movie” (Rainer). Both Roger Ebert and Peter Rainer agree that Sophie Scholl: The Final Days is an emotionally charged film, fueled by Sophie’s interrogation as well as historical elements. However, this is the only instance in which both critics agree. Opposed to Rainer, Ebert goes in a different direction with his review, analyzing law and its role in the film. Focusing on how law is utilized, he elaborates on good versus evil. Ebert gathers this as a central message or theme that Sophie Scholl: The Final Days depicts, saying, “The police and the court are shown to follow the law, and in the law resides either good or evil, depending on what the law says and how it is enforced.That is why it is crucial that a constitution guarantee rights and freedoms, and why it is dangerous for any government to ignore it. There should be no higher priority” (Ebert). In this instance Ebert is echoing sentiments of Sophie herself, of her fight for freedom of conscience. Ebert elaborates that the Nazis themselves are governed by law. He writes, “But the law moves as the law always does, with no reference to higher justice; even in this Nazi procedure there are carbon copies and paper clips and rubber stamps and a need to see the law followed, as indeed it is. The law underpins evil, but it is observed” (Ebert). Ebert asserts that within the film, law itself is not inherently evil, but the Nazi’s make it so and they are subject to it. The law governs all, good or bad though it may be. With his review, Rainer chooses to focus on the limiting aspects of the film. More specifically, Rainer would like to know why Sophie becomes an activist with the White Rose and her reasoning behind her steadfast ideals. At the beginning of the film, the viewer witnesses Sophie sing along to the radio with a friend, indicating that she is a normal college student who enjoys having fun. Rainer would like to see more of those traits shine through, believing that it would make Sophie’s ordeal more impactful (Rainer). Rainer takes this further, critiquing the film’s use of the actual transcripts, and wanting to know more of what was going on in Sophie’s mind, saying, “Rothemund’s use of the recorded testimony, while it gives his film a startling veracity, also limits his imagination. It prevents him from delving too deeply into the psychology of these activists” (Rainer). With Sophie knowingly facing death, Rainer is preoccupied with the circumstances that placed her in her current situation. Furthermore, Rainer implies that the filmmakers paint Sophie as a saint-like figure. He writes, “Sophie is such an icon that