The Good German (2006)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers (WGA):

Paul Attanasio (screenplay)
Joseph Kanon (novel)

Release Date:

14 February 2007 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

If war is hell then what comes after?

Plot:

While in post-war Berlin to cover the Potsdam Conference, an American military journalist is drawn into a murder investigation which involves his former mistress and his driver.

Plot Keywords:

American | Russian | Old Flame | Scientist | Military

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Jack Thompson	...	Congressman Breimer
John Roeder	...	General
George Clooney	...	Jake Geismer
Tobey Maguire	...	Tully
Cate Blanchett	...	Lena Brandt
Dominic Comperatore	...	Levi
Dave Power	...	Lieutenant Schaeffer
Tony Curran	...	Danny
Ravil Isyanov	...	General Sikorsky
J. Paul Boehmer	...	British Press Aide
Igor Korosec	...	Russian Soldier
Boris Kievsky	...	Russian Soldier
Vladimir Kulikov	...	Russian Soldier
Yevgeniy Narovlyanskiy	...	Russian Soldier
Aleksandr Sountsov	...	Russian Soldier
Beau Bridges	...	Colonel Muller
Dean Misch	...	German Boy
Justin Misch	...	German Boy
Don Pugsley	...	Gunther
Leland Orser	...	Bernie
Robin Weigert	...	Hannelore
Tom Cummins	...	British Interviewer
Brandon Keener	...	Clerk
Gianfranco L'Amore	...	The Butcher (as Gianfranco L'Amore Tordi)
David Willis	...	Franz Bettmann
Christian Oliver	...	Emil Brandt
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Bravo	...	Full Colonel (uncredited)
Alexandra Carter	...	German Woman (uncredited)
Paul Edney	...	WWII U.S. Army Officer (uncredited)
Alec Gray	...	German Boy (uncredited)
Zvonimir Hace	...	Russian solder (uncredited)
Garth R. Hassell	...	French Soldier (uncredited)
Patrick Tatten	...	Political Attache (uncredited)
Stephen Wheeler	...	Russian Military Police Officer (uncredited)

Directed by
Steven Soderbergh

Writing credits (WGA)
Paul Attanasio		(screenplay)
Joseph Kanon		(novel)

Produced by
Frederic W. Brost	....	executive producer
Ben Cosgrove	....	producer
Gregory Jacobs	....	producer
Ben Waisbren	....	executive producer (as Benjamin Waisbren)

Original Music by
Thomas Newman

Cinematography by
Steven Soderbergh		(director of photography) (as Peter Andrews)

Film Editing by
Steven Soderbergh		(as Mary Ann Bernard)

Casting by
Debra Zane

Production Design by
Philip Messina

Art Direction by
Doug J. Meerdink		(as Doug Meerdink)

Set Decoration by
Kristen Toscano Messina

Costume Design by
Louise Frogley

Makeup Department
Fríða Aradóttir	....	key hair stylist (as Frida S. Aradottir)
Rita Bellissimo	....	additional hair stylist
Marina Hart	....	key hair stylist
Zoe Hay	....	additional makeup artist
Julie Hewett	....	makeup department head
Julie Kristy	....	additional makeup artist
Emanuel Millar	....	hair stylist: Ms. Blanchett
Margarita Pidgeon	....	third hair stylist
Arturo Rojas	....	additional hair stylist
Waldo Sanchez	....	hair department head
Heba Thorisdottir	....	makeup artist: Ms. Blanchett
Michelle Vittone	....	key makeup artist (as Michelle Vittone-McNeil)

Production Management
Frederic W. Brost	....	unit production manager
Monica De Armond	....	post-production supervisor (as Monica De Armond Borde)
Robin Le Chanu	....	production supervisor
Mark Scoon	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Trey Batchelor	....	second assistant director
Gregory Jacobs	....	first assistant director
Jessica Lowrey	....	dga trainee
Jody Spilkoman	....	second second assistant director
Basti Van Der Woude	....	additional second assistant director
David Pinkus	....	second assistant director: additional photography UK (uncredited)

Art Department
Tom Altobello	....	prop assistant (as Tommy Altobello)
Richard Andrade	....	set dresser
C. Scott Baker	....	set designer
Adam L. Barker	....	head plaster foreman
Scott Bobbitt	....	leadman
Travis Bobbitt	....	prop assistant
Mike Bomar	....	paint foreman
Steve Borgese	....	greens coordinator
Ryan P. Dreyer	....	set dresser
Gerard Forrest	....	location foreman
Hank Giardina	....	paint supervisor
William Gideon	....	general foreman
Wylie Griffin	....	art department coordinator (as Wylie Young Griffin)
Helen Kozora	....	buyer (as Helen Kozora-Tell)
Bud Kucia	....	head welding foreman
William J. Law III	....	set designer (as W.M. Law III)
Scott Lodwig	....	labor foreman
Gregory Lynch Jr.	....	carpenter
Merdyce McClaran	....	set dresser
Maureen McGuire	....	prop assistant
Robin L. Miller	....	property master
John Moore	....	propmaker foreman
John Moore	....	purchaser
Eric Nelson	....	plaster foreman
Erik Norville	....	on-set dresser
Jim Paniagua	....	foreman
Jim Paniagua	....	toolman
Eric Ramirez	....	set dresser
Dennis Richardson	....	propmaker foreman
Neil Rust	....	paint foreman
Richard Sarabia	....	labor foreman
Robert Sica	....	set dresser
Easton Michael Smith	....	assistant art director (as Easton Smith)
Chris Snyder	....	construction coordinator
Dale Snyder	....	propmaker foreman
Ryan Steffen	....	set dresser
James Stephenson	....	propmaker foreman (as James L. Stephenson)
Jim Stubblefield	....	assistant property master (as D. James Stubblefield)
David Tye	....	lead sculptor
Yvonne von Wallenberg	....	consultant
Suzan Wexler	....	assistant art director
Helen Wilson	....	props
Curtis Yackel	....	propmaker foreman
Chris Zimmerman	....	stand-by painter
Henning Brehm	....	graphic artist (uncredited)
Ryan Galiher	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Kent Jones	....	painter (uncredited)
Eric P. Paczkowski	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Heidi Roller	....	art department assistant (uncredited)
Lee Ross	....	on-set scenic (uncredited)
Fante Zamora	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
David Betancourt	....	foley mixer
Larry Blake	....	sound re-recording mixer
Larry Blake	....	supervising sound editor
Derek Casari	....	foley engineer
Dawn Fintor	....	foley artist
Randall L. Johnson	....	boom operator (as Randy Johnson)
Paul Ledford	....	production sound mixer
Ross Levy	....	utility sound technician
Kimaree Long	....	dialogue editor
Sterling Moore	....	utility sound: additional photography
Alicia Stevenson	....	foley artist
Billy Theriot	....	assistant sound editor

Special Effects by
Chris Bailey	....	special effects
Michael Carroll	....	head model maker
Mike Carroll	....	head model maker (as Michael Carroll)
Blair Foord	....	special effects technician
Werner Hahnlein	....	special effects general foreman
Kevin Hannigan	....	special effects coordinator
Eric Mingebach	....	special effects technician (as Erich Mingenbach)
Michael Roundy	....	special effects foreman (as Michael D. Roundy)
Ken Tarallo	....	special effects technician
Vaughn Williams	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Ron Barr	....	opticals
Melissa Brockman	....	visual effects producer
Tom Daws	....	digital artist: CIS Hollywood
Bill Gilman	....	digital artist: CIS Hollywood
Lyndal Heathwood	....	paint/roto artist
Heather Elisa Hill	....	visual effects coordinator: CIS Hollywood
Dan Levitan	....	compositing supervisor: CIS Hollywood
Gregory Oehler	....	digital artist: CIS Hollywood (as Greg Oehler)
David Rey	....	compositing supervisor: CIS Hollywood
Chris Ryan	....	digital artist: CIS Hollywood (as Christopher Ryan)
Marc-Andre Samson	....	matte painter
Thomas J. Smith	....	visual effects supervisor
Robert Stromberg	....	matte painting supervisor: CIS Hollywood
Wilson Tang	....	digital restoration
Ed Twiford	....	digital film colorist

Stunts
Brian Avery	....	stunts
Joni Avery	....	stunts
Matt Baker	....	stunts
Jeff Brockton	....	stunts (as Jeffrey Brockton)
Hal Burton	....	stunts
Chad Cleven	....	stunts
Eliza Coleman	....	stunts
David D. Darling	....	stunts
Jeremy Fitzgerald	....	stunts
Mickey Giacomazzi	....	stunts
Sean Graham	....	stunts
Tabby Hanson	....	stunts (as Tabby Hanson Graham)
Jim Hart	....	stunts
Gene Hartline	....	stunts
John Moio	....	stunts
Eric Norris	....	stunts
Carrick O'Quinn	....	stunts
Vladimir Orlov	....	stunts
Michael Owen	....	stunts (as Michael P. Owen)
Jeff Ramsey	....	stunts
John Robotham	....	stunt coordinator
Jason Rodriguez	....	stunts
Bill Willens	....	stunts
Jodi Lyn Wilson	....	stunts (as Jodi Brockton)
Jeff Brockton	....	stunt double: George Clooney (uncredited)
P. David Miller	....	specialist driver (uncredited)
David Saxa	....	stunt double: US soldier (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Joseph Ayer	....	lighting technician
Russell Ayer	....	lighting technician
Dana Baker	....	best boy
Kent Baker	....	rigging key grip
Christopher Bateman	....	rigging technician
Erik Bernstein	....	lighting technician
Luciano Blotta	....	video assistant operator
Glenn Brown	....	additional first assistant camera (as Glen Brown)
R. Michael De Chellis	....	rigging gaffer
David Ellis	....	rigging grip (as Dave Ellis)
Steven Frohardt	....	rigging best boy
Raymond Gonzales	....	assistant chief lighting technician (as Raymond A. Gonzales)
Melinda Sue Gordon	....	still photographer
Joe Hill	....	rigging grip
Tom Jordan	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Ulrike Lamster	....	camera loader
Al LaVerde	....	key grip (as Al La Verde)
Jonathan Leary	....	company grip
Chris Lombardi	....	camera operator (as Cris Lombardi)
Ted Marshall	....	rigging best boy
Niles McElroy	....	lighting technician
Steven Meizler	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
James Plannette	....	chief lighting technician (as Jim Plannette)
Michael Seaman	....	rigging technician
Richie Stanford	....	rigging technician
Jason Talbert	....	company grip
Paul Threlkeld	....	dolly grip
Paul Toomey	....	film loader
Ryan Vanlossberg	....	company grip (as Ryan Von Lossberg)
Mark James Watson	....	rigging technician
Eric Wolfson-Sagot	....	lighting technician (as Eric Sagot)
Bob Myers	....	rigging grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Rich King	....	extras casting
Jeremy Rich	....	casting associate
Tannis Vallely	....	casting associate
Kelly Hunt	....	extras casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Shandra Beri	....	set costumer
Tom Cummins	....	costumer
Lynda Foote	....	costume supervisor
Monica Haynes-Nino	....	costumer (as Monica S. Haynes)
Mary Etta Lang	....	costume textile artist
Dennis McCarthy	....	key costumer
Jason M. Moore	....	set costumer
Garet Reilly	....	key costumer (as Garet Reilly Batchelor)
Kenn Smiley	....	key costumer
Reese Spensley	....	costumer (as James L. Spensley)

Editorial Department
Matt Absher	....	second assistant editor
Ron Barr	....	digital conform
Scott M. Davids	....	assistant editor: pre-production
David Kirchner	....	first assistant editor
Gregg Schaublin	....	digital intermediate producer
Ed Twiford	....	dailies colorist
Ryan Piers Williams	....	post-production assistant

Music Department
Bill Bernstein	....	music editor
Greg Hayes	....	assistant engineer
Tim Lauber	....	assistant engineer
Larry Mah	....	digital audio
Thomas Pasatieri	....	orchestration
Tim Rodier	....	music preparation
Armin Steiner	....	music scoring mixer
Thomas Vicari	....	music scoring mixer (as Tommy Vicari)
Michael Ziner	....	assistant music editor (as Michael Zainer)

Transportation Department
Pat Carmen	....	driver
Doreen L. Carpenter	....	transportation dispatcher
Jon Carpenter	....	transportation coordinator
Danny Coughlin	....	driver
Bernard Glavin	....	transportation captain
David Glavin	....	driver
Diane Glavin	....	driver
Billy Grace	....	driver (as William Grace)
Shane Greedy	....	transportation supervisor
Steve Lewis	....	unit driver
Chance Robertson	....	driver
Sarah Lynn Schmitt	....	transportation
Lin C. Smith	....	driver
Paul Tumber	....	driver (as Paul E. Tumber)
Gordon Winkle	....	driver
Gina August	....	driver (uncredited)
Vicki Sousa	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Dan Addelson	....	set production assistant (as Daniel Addelson)
Mir Bahmanyar	....	dialogue coach: German
Mir Bahmanyar	....	military consultant
Gary Barber	....	pilot: Curtis C-46 Commando
Dan Benson	....	technical advisor: military parade
Ali Blacker	....	assistant: Mr. Cosgrove
Joanna Bush	....	production archivist
Josh Carlock	....	production office assistant
Monica De Armond	....	assistant: Mr. Soderbergh (as Monica De Armond Borde)
Jessica Drake	....	dialect coach: pre-production
Justin Duncan	....	assistant location manager
Laura Dunlop	....	choreographer
Chrissy Gilmartin	....	set production assistant
Lynn Givens	....	choreographer
Dara Gordon	....	assistant: Mr. Maguire
Manuela Hahnlein	....	staff assistant
Quentin Halliday	....	location manager
Weston Scott Higgins	....	technical advisor: military parade
Hannah M. Hinkel	....	second assistant accountant
Jason Hinkel	....	first assistant accountant
Marisol Jiménez	....	construction accountant
Fallon Johnson	....	set production assistant
Alexander Kandaurov	....	archivist
Jemma Kearney	....	assistant: Ms. Blanchett
Kate Kelly	....	production coordinator
Michael LaCorte	....	assistant production coordinator
Ken Lavet	....	location manager
Keri Littledeer	....	medic
Sonya Lunsford	....	production accountant
Lance Mancuso	....	unit medic
Lynne Martin	....	set production assistant
Angel McConnell	....	assistant: Mr. Clooney
Jen McGowan	....	production office assistant
Tom Minder	....	technical advisor: military parade
Tim Monich	....	dialect coach: Ms. Blanchett
David Moreau	....	staff assistant
Guy Morrison	....	key assistant location manager
Gene O'Neal	....	flight engineer: Curtis C-46 Commando
Mark Palmer	....	craft service
Kate Powell	....	staff assistant
Terry Quay	....	technical advisor: military parade
Kenn Rabin	....	archivist
Heidi Roller	....	staff assistant
Joanie Selden	....	payroll accountant
Leith Smith	....	pilot: Curtis C-46 Commando
Bryan Snodgrass	....	set production assistant
Sabrina Somma	....	additional medic
Jack Stern	....	studio teacher
Spooky Stevens	....	unit publicist
Melissa St. Onge	....	assistant: Mr. Maguire
Cindy Taylor	....	set production assistant (as Cindy A. Taylor)
Dick Troy	....	maintenance officer: Curtis C-46 Commando
Yvonne von Wallenberg	....	consultant: German research (as Yvonne Von Wallenberg)
Annie Welles	....	script supervisor
Ryan Piers Williams	....	staff assistant
T.C. Williams	....	mold shop supervisor
Jeff Winn	....	craft service
Brian Worsley	....	production secretary
Chad Cleven	....	stand-in: Mr. Maguire (uncredited)
Tiffany McFarland	....	stand-in: Ms. Blanchett (uncredited)
Josh Mills	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Steven D. Reese	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Michael Serrano	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Jennifer Sims	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Patty Tobin	....	stand-in: Ms. Blanchett (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Sunset Gower Studios
• Warner Bros. Pictures
• Section Eight
• Virtual Studios

Distributors

• Fox-Warner (2007) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2007) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2007) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2007) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2007) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2007) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. (2007) (Argentina) (all media)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• CIS Hollywood (visual effects produced by)

Other Companies

• 1 Force  military technical advisors
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes and dollies by
• Corbis  additional archival materials
• Gourmet on Location  catering
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.®)
• Kodak  motion picture products
• Krasnogorsk State Archive  archival footage: Russian (as the archives of the RGAKFD, Krasnogorsk Archive)
• Masterwords  cutting continuity
• Pacific Title  titles
• Panavision  camera and lenses by (as Panavision®)
• Post Factory NY  post-production facilities (uncredited)
• Signet Sound Studio  music mixed at (as Signet Sound Studios)
• Silver Grill Caterers  catering (uncredited)
• Swelltone Labs  post-production sound services (as Swelltone Labs/New Orleans)
• Technicolor Creative Services  dailies telecine
• Technicolor Digital Intermediates  digital intermediate
• Technicolor Digital Intermediates  opticals
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack (uncredited)
• Warner-Barham Music  copyright owner: original score

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violence and some sexual content.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Russian

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | UK:15 | Finland:K-15 | Ireland:15A | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Netherlands:12 | Germany:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Brazil:16 | USA:R (No. 42615) | South Korea:18 | Norway:15 | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating)

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Sunset Gower Studios

Trivia:

The film was shot as if it had been made in 1945. Only studio back lots, sets and local Los Angeles locations were used. No radio microphones were used, the film was lit with only incandescent lights and period lenses were used on the cameras. The actors were directed to perform in a presentational, stage style. The only allowance was the inclusion of nudity, violence and cursing which would have been forbidden by the Production Code.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Upon Geismer's first visit to her apartment, Lena lights the stove and begins heating a kettle. Shortly, she announces she is going to bed, leaving the kettle over the stove's flame (as well as a lit candle on the table).

Quotes:

Bernie Teitel: They want me to decide who the ardent Nazis were. Truth is, it was the whole country. Nobody's hands are clean.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Somebody Else Is Taking My Place

The Good German is an ironic comment on Good Americans

This movie is an homage not only to the vocabulary of film noir , but also to its social and political genesis. Film Noir developed after World War II and was an outgrowth of both the cynicism that was generated by WW II because it turned out to need another war to be the war to end all wars.... and because of the enormous evil that World War II revealed in contradistinction to the sunny idealism of the American Project.

Film Noir of the 40's and 50's was a reaction to WW II, but those films themselves were always crime stories about naive men dragged into terrible circumstances through the lure of seductive, dangerous women. But they were never about the war itself or anything to do with the war itself. WWII movies were patriotic paeans to heroism like 30 Seconds over Tokyo or the common man like A Walk in the Sun or home front heroism like Mrs. Mininver. Indeed only Casablanca itself, as exemplified early on by Rick's character was suffused with some of the cynicism that we see in film noir, but the reason Casablance is beloved is because the cynicism melts away in the the understanding that there is something greater than one's own preservation.

What is wonderful about the Good German is that it is a Film Noir film about the War itself and also about war in general...then and now. The film and its concerns are not dated or meaningless, but very much of the moment.

The film also pays visual homage to other movies of the era, from the warm hearted cynicism of Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair with Jean Arthur as the parochial Congressperson (like in this film) and Marlene Dietrich as the dangerous vamp with a dark past. Roberto Rossellini's Germany:Year Zero, shot in postwar Berlin, shows how fear, deprivation and terror destroy the soul as ell as the body.

The Congressman is not just a boob but a participant in the propagation of evil and the Good American General of Beau Bridges is anything but good. Indeed, as we know now Americans protected Nazis who could help us in terms of confronting the next evil--Communism and Russia. And the story they tell about the V-2 rocket is true. The Germans and Werner van Braun used up the lives and caused the deaths of Jewish and other POW's slave labor to create and launch them and we, in terms of the American occupation and the incipient CIA aka the OSS, helped mass murderers to safety.

Even the lawyer Teitel, the man researching the Nuremberg Trials, whose sole purpose is to pursue Justice, can be compromised. Tobey Maguire was chosen to play the vicious, venal Tully because to most American audiences he, as Peter Parker, typifies the best of America. He is meant to be jarring to the audience. Lena, indeed is the vamp, but unlike old film noir like Out of the Past, she doesn't lead Jake on, Jake misleads himself about her. She is just a desperate woman struggling to survive.

Some would say this is a movie about moral ambiguities, but I think it's not that ambiguous. The filmmakers have cast judgment on some of our post war behavior and found it wanting.

The only romanticism in this movie is in the style, a valentine to the look of old movies; there is no romanticism in its view of America at war.