GUESS WHO ACQUIRED THE NAPOLA MEDIABOOK!
That’s right. I got the Napola Media book! It was released in 2021 as a limited edition and features an exclusive interview with Dennis Gansel about the movie.
Since its completely German, and most of you speak English, I’ll tell you some highlights!
Gansel originally planned to do a scene with a Tieffliegerangriff (Low-level air attack), where one of the older students died. Said student was the former editor of the schools newspaper, which Albrecht then took over.
In general, there were more battle scenes planned, one in which a group gets killed by a Panzerfaust. Those scenes were cut because of run time and budget, and substituted with the forest chase scene.
There was also a romance plot planned and filmed, between Albrecht and Katharina, but it was fully cut. Gansel said it distracted too much from Albrecht and Friedrich, and that mostly the producers were against it.
The actors were allowed to practice their scenes and roleplay their characters, to flesh them more out for themselves and really get into the role.
There is so much more interesting stuff in here, but I think that was the most important info for the movie itself. I think it’s interesting that they released a new version after so many years, and that apperantly, the movie didn’t get much good feedback in Germany. It did take off internationally, which is also interesting because it doesn’t have an English dub.
. Dennis Gansel also says that he hopes that the movie is still being watched today, which well obviously it is. And I think the German audience is now way more appreciative of the movie. At least I am.
