Emma Thompson Talks ‘Alone in Berlin’ and Propoganda, Past and Present

Feb 18, 2017

Posted by: Dawn Johnson

Actor Interviews, Films, Gleeson, HP Cast, Interviews, Movies, News, Thompson, Thompson Interviews

Emma Thompson, known to Harry Potter fans as the flighty Professor Trelawney, spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald about her current film, Alone in Berlin. Naturally, when discussing a WWII film that delves into what individuals can do in the face of great opposition and evil, the conversation turned to politics, both past and present.

You see, Thompson plays Anna Quangel, one half of a broken German couple who have lost their son to a regime and cause they don’t believe in. Leaky previously posted the plot synopsis and trailer, explaining the method behind the madness of the Quangel’s resistance. After their son’s death, they place anonymous anti-Nazi postcards throughout Berlin, injecting their own bits of propaganda into the machine.

Anna and Otto

Though the film itself plods along, the article notes the stellar contributions of Thompson and her co-star, fellow Harry Potter alum, Brendan Gleeson, as Otto Quangel. It says:

“Thompson and Brendan Gleeson have sincerity, decency and commitment. Their only son has been conscripted and killed in battle for a leader they detest. Otto is a factory foreman. He sees their bits of propaganda as grains of sand; they might not be able to destroy the plant, but they can corrode the works.”

This may seem inconsequential, but Thompson is a firm believer in the importance of the Quangel’s efforts and of individuals in general, changing the world one person at a time. She fiercely observed that “there is so much you can do! Once you say ‘there is nothing I can do’, then you’re dead.”

It’s no surprise, then, that she’s able to translate her own intensity and enthusiasm into her performance. She knows that the little things, the everyday acts, matter. If you have a voice, you’ve got to use it. For the Quangels, in the place and time they lived, their efforts were significant. She said:

“What they are doing is life-threatening and they know that…Of course, in a sense, right at the beginning they’ve got nothing to lose because they have already lost everything. That is what I think is so wonderful about this movie, is this sense that two people who are pretty much dead are coming back to life and finding more meaning and purpose than they have ever found before.”

Anna and Otto2

This newfound purpose doesn’t come without cost and sacrifice. And Thompson knew it was essential to communicate the palpable oppression, the pervasive fear, under which the people lived. They had little access to good information and anyone, anywhere, might be willing to inform on those who expressed displeasure with Hitler’s running of the country and the war. She noted:

“One of the things that really struck us as we moved around the flat was that you wouldn’t say anything above a whisper if the door were open or if any of the windows were open. Because you just don’t know.  So there was a quality to the silence.”

Inevitably, this led Thompson to comment on the present-day lack of privacy and reliable information. She wants people to take notice and get involved in causes that matter, to have a healthy fear and awareness. That’s what makes Alone in Berlin a relevant film; it brings history into stark relief. These things that are past are not so far behind us. Thompson notes “dictatorships and repression are everywhere.” As the article says:

“One of the enduring and urgent fascinations of the Nazi era is that it is so close to us, its genocidal campaigns enforced by people we might recognize. Genghis Khan also conducted scorched-earth campaigns of genocide, but that history feels a long way away and a long time ago. Hitler doesn’t.”

This makes the tale of Anna and Otto Quangel worth telling and Thompson’s commitment to playing the part truthfully, admirable. Stripped of make-up and the usual cinematic embellishments, she inhabits a role that looks lived-in; it shows that individual activism, however small, is real and important. Whatever the film lacks for some critics, the story matters.

Alone in Berlin opened in U.S. theaters January 13th. The UK release is set for March 10th.

To read Emma Thompson’s full interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, click here.





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.