--- product_id: 4843230 title: "The Murderers Are Among Us" brand: "hildegard knefelly burgmerwolfgang staudte" price: "€ 0.65" currency: EUR in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sk/products/4843230-the-murderers-are-among-us store_origin: SK region: Slovakia --- # The Murderers Are Among Us **Brand:** hildegard knefelly burgmerwolfgang staudte **Price:** € 0.65 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Murderers Are Among Us by hildegard knefelly burgmerwolfgang staudte - **How much does it cost?** € 0.65 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sk](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/4843230-the-murderers-are-among-us) ## Best For - hildegard knefelly burgmerwolfgang staudte enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted hildegard knefelly burgmerwolfgang staudte brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Product Description Critically ranked in the top ten of Germany's 100 most important films, Wolfgang Staudte's THE MURDERERS ARE AMONG US is a haunting film about personal accountability and the process of healing in post war Nazi Germany. The first feature film produced amid the ruins of East Germany after World War II, under the auspices of the newly created DEFA Studios, THE MURDERERS ARE AMONG US featured the budding star Hildegard Knef. Susanne Wallner (Hildegard Knef) is a concentration camp survivor who, despite unspeakable experiences, is filled with a desire to return to some semblance of the routine of her former life. She wants to move back into her Berlin apartment, but soon finds that Dr. Hans Mertens has taken up residence. Once a successful specialist surgeon, Hans cannot return to his medical practice after the war, incapable of tolerating the sound of anguish and human despair. She offers to share the apartment with Hans until he can find other lodging, but soon finds herself drawn to the troubled, self-destructive, and angry young man who is trying to suppress his terrible memories through excessive drinking. With Susanne's help, Dr. Mertens slowly returns to his former self. But first he must confront his former commanding officer, now a prosperous and respected businessman, over a wartime atrocity. THE MURDERERS ARE AMONG US is a compassionate portrait of hope, resilience, and personal atonement. Rooted in the tradition of German expressionism, Wolfgang Staudte juxtaposes realistic filmmaking with rapid montage sequences, unusual camera angles, and sharp lighting contrasts to create a disorienting harsh reality that reflects the fractured lives of the war's survivors. What emerges is not a menacing portrait of a faceless Cold War enemy, but a poignant tale of profound humanity and a sincere, desperate cry for justice. .com Ranked by critics as one of Germany’s most important films, The Murderers Are Among Us offers a wrenching look at history and humanity. The first feature film produced in Germany after World War II, it is set in Berlin just after the surrender, and the city is still being battered by air raids. The characters move through the half-destroyed husks of old buildings, and even simple acts like serving a meal at a table take on new meaning as the people try to put their lives back together. Susanne Wallner is a concentration camp survivor, eager to taste life again after her living death. Dr. Hans Mertens is a former German officer, unable to live with the guilt of what he and his former comrades have done. The two must quite literally learn to live side by side as they come to terms with the past and start to look toward the future. The film is beautifully and sensitively made, and possesses a shining optimism that is surprising for its time. --Ali Davis P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); Review A serious film concerned with the knotty problem of individual Germans' guilt for Nazism. Superb camera and montage technique! --Variety See more ## Images ![The Murderers Are Among Us - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51S9D508HKL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not To Be Missed *by B***X on Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2005* This was the very first film made in post-World War II Germany, and it is ranked as one of the most important German films ever made. 15 million Germans saw it between 1946 and 1950. The story begins as a concentration camp survivor, Susanne Wallner, returns to her home in Berlin. She discovers that her apartment is occupied by a former Wehrmacht doctor, Hans Mertens. An experience during the war has seared his soul, and he is a damaged human being. Ultimately, we find out why. The event in question, and the callous manner in which it took place, is horrific.This film takes on, in a hard-hitting way, the fact that many Germans walking around in 1946 had been complicit in, or even ordered, atrocities. (Hence, the title, "The Murderers Are Among Us.") It raises, and attempts to answer, the question of how it affected them. According to the film, some were tormented by their actions; others refused to accept any blame for them and went right back to "normal" life.The film does not attempt to take on, however, the Nazi plan to exterminate the Jewish people. Susanne is a Christian, as is everyone else in the film. The graves all have crosses. At least in the English subtitles, the word "Jew" is not used once in this film. One would walk out of this film without knowing that there had ever been Jews in Germany, or understanding that their annihilation was a prime effort of Nazi Germany. (However, the film's 1946 German audience surely would have been able to put the film into context.) Additionally, the film nowhere describes what Susanne went through in the concentration camps. The focus is entirely on how the war psychologically damaged Dr. Mertens. Susanne is there to love and support him, and enable him to achieve redemption. But who is really the victim here?These criticisms do not in any way diminish the power of the film, which cannot possibly cover all the ground of Nazi atrocities. Future films, from many different countries, would explore other aspects. Given that the film was made in Germany in 1946, it is remarkable that it is as hardhitting as it is.The backstory of this film is interesting, too. Immediately after the war, the western Allies, concerned that German filmmakers were too steeped in Nazi propaganda to make films, did not allow moviemaking in the western sectors. This fear was not unfounded. According to the liner notes, the star of this film, Ernst Wilhelm Borchert, had been a member of the Nazi party and Wolfgang Staudte himself had had a small role in the film "Jud Suess," described on another site as an "Anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda film, depicting the Jew as a financier to dukes and noblemen." The Soviets, however, were interested in getting films made in German. Thus, Staudte filmed it in the Soviet sector, using the new DEFA studios, which would later become the national studios of East Germany. This film demonstrated to the world that Germans were capable of facing their past and moving forward toward democracy.The fact that this film was made in 1946 enabled Wolfgang Staudte to film in the actual ruins of Berlin -- even interspersing a shot of the Trummerfrauen (rubble women) rebuilding the city. This adds an unmatchable sense of realism to the topic. This film is a must-see. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really am happy with my purchase *by L***A on Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2016* The case I received it in was cracked and broken, but it was shipped to the US from Germany and there is not damage to the DVD so I'm not upset about it. I'm really impressed with how quickly I got the movie! And it does in fact work in my dvd player (I was nervous even though it said it had a region code that works in the US because this is the first time I've bought a foreign dvd).OVERALL: I really am happy with my purchase! The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because the case was broken, but I would definitely buy again! Also, I love this movie! ### ⭐ DVD didn’t play in my Multi-Tiered DVD player *by R***0 on Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2022* I was really looking forward to watching this DVD…but when I tried to play it said I had wrong DVD player…I played another German Western without any problem… --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sk/products/4843230-the-murderers-are-among-us](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/4843230-the-murderers-are-among-us) --- *Product available on Desertcart Slovakia* *Store origin: SK* *Last updated: 2026-05-23*