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Romancing the Terrorists

The Baader Meinhof Complex glamorizes a Cold War-era German terrorist group without questioning its politics and violence.

By Christina Gerhardt

Wooden batons wielded by German police club students, gashing their foreheads. Water cannons explode, toppling people in their path like bowling pins. Mounted police horses charge at demonstrators. A gunshot rings out. So begins the Oscar-nominated The Baader Meinhof Complex, which tells the history of the Red Army Faction (RAF), a German terrorist group active from 1970 to 1998. The film—based… return to article

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    It’s true—the film does try to cover too much ground, plus, for USers unfamiliar with the people/events involved, it’s a little difficult to follow along (but that makes sense, since it was developed for German audiences).

    But I don’t think it glamorizes the members of the RAF in particular. At times, it’s practically gory, and Baader’s ultra-sexist language rubs some of his chic-veneer off. At least I would think that it would have that effect on any reasonable adult.

    I agree, also, that the film loses out by taking a Hollywood-like route. But a documentary about the RAF, as we have seen in the past, isn’t as likely to get watched here, no matter how good it is.

    United States Posted by Kathleen Pequeno on Mar 28, 2009 at 5:18 AM

    It’s no more glamorized than Tom Clancy or Rambo films;  ideology is violent, and that’s all there is to it. 

    Do you REALLY think that ANYBODY is going to critically parse as plain and blunt a statement as “This fascist state means to kill us all… Violence is the only answer to violence”?!  For cryin’ out loud, woman…!  In this US environment? The US has zero understanding of what a fascist state really is, it is so blind and mediated.  Go ahead and deconstruct at Columbia all you feel you need to; this film hits with semiotic terseness, and reaches the American audience on exactly the right level needed to get across the point.

    That point is:  This fascist state means to kill us all. 

    It’s up to the individual as to what they do about that.

    United States Posted by NoWhiteShoes on Apr 17, 2009 at 10:45 AM
    Page 1 of 1 pages

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  • Romancing the Terrorists
    The Baader Meinhof Complex glamorizes a Cold War-era German terrorist group without questioning its politics and violence.
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