Everyone begins to think that peace will soon occur. His mother and sister-in-law have come to live with them, and for a while things seem to go on as normal. Eventually, when France surrenders, and it seems the war might end soon, the Nazis send Franz back home. He is away from his beloved wife and children for several months but doesn’t see any action. In 1940, Franz is called up to basic training, a requirement for all Austrian men. Their third daughter is a toddler who’s just beginning to walk. Scenes show the happily married couple using scythes to cut the wheat and lying down in the grass to enjoy one another’s company while their three young daughters play nearby. Radegund, which nests comfortable next to beautiful mountains in Northern Austria near the German border. The movie opens in 1939 with the farmer, Franz Jägerstätter, and his wife, Franziska, or Fani for short, tending to their cow and wheat fields in the quiet small farming village of St. Though it’s nearly three hours long and moves at an unhurried pace that avoids lots of dialogue, A HIDDEN LIFE is an impressionistic masterpiece honoring one Christian man and his loyal, loving wife.Ī HIDDEN LIFE is based on actual personal letters and other historical documents. Beautifully photographed, with extremely little objectionable content, A HIDDEN LIFE is a glorious, emotionally powerful tribute to steadfast Christian faith confronting great evil. Content:Ī HIDDEN LIFE, directed by Terence Malick, follows the true story of an Austrian farmer and his family during World War II, whose lives are turned upside down when the farmer, a fervent Catholic, refuses to pledge loyalty to Adolf Hitler because of the farmer’s strong Christian beliefs. However, A HIDDEN LIFE is an impressionistic masterpiece honoring one Christian man and his loving, loyal wife. Nearly three hours long, the movie moves at an unhurried pace and avoids lots of dialogue. Beautifully photographed, with no real objectionable content, A HIDDEN LIFE is a powerful tribute to steadfast Christian faith confronting great evil. The movie is filled with positive references to Jesus, God, faith, and Scripture. Franz is called back to the army in 1943, but he refuses to fight on the front lines and refuses to sign a loyalty oath to Hitler.Ī HIDDEN LIFE is one of the great love stories and a great story of Christian courage. After Nazi Germany conquers France, people think the war will be over soon, but Hitler has other plans. When Hitler annexes Austria, Franz serves briefly in the army in 1940 but doesn’t see any action. The movie opens in 1939 with Franz Jägerstätter and his wife, Fani, tending their farm in Northern Austria. With a glorious music score by James Newton Howard and stunning cinematography by Jörg Widmer.A HIDDEN LIFE, directed by Terence Malick, is the true story of a devout Catholic farmer in World War II. He was later declared a martyr by the Catholic Church and was Beatified in 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI.Īn outstanding cast includes August Diehl, Valerie Pachner, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Nyqvist, Bruno Ganz and Tobias Moretti. Despite many opportunities to sign the oath of allegiance, Jägerstätter continues to stand up for his beliefs and is executed by the Third Reich. He is found guilty and sentenced to death. Wrestling with the knowledge that his decision will mean arrest and possibly even death, Jägerstätter finds strength in his unwavering Catholic faith, and in wife Fani's deep love and support.Īfter months of brutal incarceration, his case goes to trial. From visionary writer-director Terrence Malick comes this epic film and powerful true story about an unsung hero, Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II.ĭespite pressure from the town Mayor and his farm neighbors, who increasingly ostracize him and his family, and also from the Bishop of Salzburg, Jägerstätter refuses to compromise his convictions about the evil of Nazism, and would not sign the required oath of allegiance to Hitler and the Third Reich.
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