Die
letzte Brücke (The last bridge) 1954
Wednesday
March 17, 2010, 7 pm, 98 min, German w/English subtitles
This is
the story of Helga, a young German doctor, who is stationed at a field hospital
in the Balkans during World War II. One day, she is kidnapped by Yugoslavian partisans,
and although she first tries to escape, her duty as a doctor makes her stay.
Then typhoid breaks out in the partisans' camp, and Helga smuggles the
much-needed medication out of the German field hospital. The bridge which
separates the enemy camps becomes a poignant symbol for the senselessness of
the war. Maria Schell, an actress particularly well-known for her melodramatic
roles, portrays with great sensitivity the conflicts of a doctor trapped
“between two fronts”.