The Rose Garden

Wonderful performances by pretty much every actor in the film, particularly Maximilian Schell, Liv Ullman and the actress who plays her young daughter. The story is chilling and thinking that it actually happened is devastating.

However, the plot is sometimes hard to follow and the pacing is uneven. More problematic is the fact that the court scenes and procedure of the case are very unrealistic. Maybe it is because I am a lawyer, but for that reason, the movie was a hit and miss for me.

On the whole, I enjoyed this movie. Set in Germany, Liv Ullman is the defense lawyer for Maximillian Schell. Schell is accused of attacking an elderly man without provocation, although we later find out that the man is in fact a Nazi war criminal. The only hope for Schell may be Ullman's tireless search for justice.

Sometimes the movie is edited in such a way that necessary sequences seemed to have been edited out, for instance the first court scene seemed to jump from one point to the next, seeming to miss something in between the two. You'd see Liv Ullman saying something, and then the scene cuts to something which doesn't relate to what she had just been saying, creating confusion.

At times, the movie is highly frustrating - the court scene again, where the plaintiff's lawyer is basically badgering and shouting at defendant Maximillian Schell, and it kept making me want to tell the lawyer to shut up and leave poor Maximillian Schell alone. I know that this kind of behavior wouldn't be tolerated in American court, but the movie is set in Germany (I think, because to be truthful, no locations are ever mentioned except for the times that Ullman sets off for Hamburg).

There are problems with this movie, but they're not overwhelming. Overall I would recommend it, and Liv Ullman gives an outstanding performance.

When the film makers take a real story and overload it with details that don't make any good to the main topic it's a sign of failure.

Even the brilliant actor Maximilian Schell could not play that drivel. I met hundreds of Holocaust survivors. I had them among my family and friends. My in-law survived Auschwitz after he saw how his mother and little sisters were taken to the gas chambers. However, none of those people who went through unthinkable suffering behaved in such a crazy manner that Maximilian Schell shows to us.

The court proceedings in this movie are highly impossible. And the side story about two successful lawyers who are unable to find a babysitter for their daughter is just laughable.

It's a pity that an excellent team of movie makers lost a great opportunity and produced a cheap soap opera that is instantly forgettable.

Anyone know if i can get this film on DVD or VHS as its my Boyfriends favourite film and i so want to be able to get it for him!

It's his 40th and I wanna get him something he will remember and cherish! Call me an old romantic!!

He found the film intriguing yet compulsive to watch and he prefers the 1989 version! The story line is compelling and deals with the issue of war crimes in a sensitive manner and makes u appreciate the suffering in an understanding way!

The twists and turns in the trial keeps u gripped - its a shame it is so hard to find a copy!

Cheers xx

Schell deserves credit for his ability to express horror through his eyes. This movie is an antiphony of emotion between the horror seen in the eyes of Reichenbach (Schell) and the ever increasing awareness of that horror of Freund (Ullman). Schell draws the audience in and we want to know what he is seeing... what is so horrific that turns him into a zombie. Yes, the story line might seem somewhat contrived in the beginning of the movie, but Schell's acting makes up for the contrived opening scene. The ending is where the movie shines, not mushy with sentimentalist, but reality. The reality speaks for itself.