# Der Baader Meinhof Komplex **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 9, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-baader-meinhof-komplex/509385 "2009-09-09T03:21:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-baader-meinhof-komplex/509385/1 "2009-09-09T03:21:27Z")
This has been playing for a couple weeks now in New York. Anybody else see it? I just got back from it and haven’t quite digested it all yet. It’s already been shortlisted for best foreign film at the Oscars. I think it has an excellent chance of winning. ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-baader-meinhof-komplex/509385/2 "2009-09-09T08:47:40Z")
I saw it in Cologne about a year ago. I thought it was ok, but there was just too much going on all the time; they really struggled to get everything from the book into the 2.5 hour movie. I also heard from some friends that the book is better… ---
**Author:** ![\_Undecided\_Adrian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/eada6e/32.png) [@\_Undecided\_Adrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Undecided_Adrian)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-baader-meinhof-komplex/509385/3 "2009-09-10T00:07:23Z")
I think the breathless vibe was deliberate, even though they were forced to compress the events by a lot. Of course you have to know something about the history of the RAF first, otherwise it’s quite confusing I imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Ducktail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@Ducktail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ducktail)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-baader-meinhof-komplex/509385/4 "2009-09-10T00:19:50Z")
I saw it without more than a cursory amount of knowledge about the RAF, and I definitely recommend it. A lot of information packed into a film, but very well-done. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-baader-meinhof-komplex/509385/5 "2009-09-10T01:48:29Z")
Just for clarification, RAF = Red Army Faction, not Royal Air Force. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-baader-meinhof-komplex/509385/6 "2009-09-10T02:33:00Z")
I’ve never heard of the movie, but I expect I’ll hear about it all the time now! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-baader-meinhof-komplex/509385/7 "2009-09-11T03:31:09Z")
I saw the trailer yesterday before 500 Days of Summer, looked interesting but unless it plays at that same theater eventually I’ll have to wait for Netflix or similar. I have absolutely no knowledge of the historical significance but the trailer intrigued me enough to type the title into my cellphone so I wouldn’t forget it. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-baader-meinhof-komplex/509385/8 "2009-09-11T07:27:48Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > It’s already been shortlisted for best foreign film at the Oscars. I think it has an excellent chance of winning. Nitpick: It has not been shortlisted for the Oscars (yet). It is the official submission for Germany, but the shortlisting occurs once all the eligible submissions are in and the films have been prescreened and narrowed down ("shortlisted) before the final nominee slate is determined. And no, I haven’t seen it yet but would like to once I have 3 hours to spare… ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-baader-meinhof-komplex/509385/9 "2009-09-11T14:33:11Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > I’ve never heard of the movie, but I expect I’ll hear about it all the time now! 😉 What, _nobody_? Is this the Straight Dope or isn’t it? Fine. See [here](http://www.damninteresting.com/the-baader-meinhof-phenomenon). There used to be a very good Wikipedia page on it, but it got deleted. Any idea how to get it back? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/der-baader-meinhof-komplex/509385/10 "2009-09-11T14:52:00Z")
As far as I can tell, it’s only just gotten outside of New York for the US release - apparently it opens today in Chicago if I remember the newspaper from this morning correctly. There isn’t a US-centric official page for the film, and the only one I found in English is for the UK, including the page about where it’s playing. So most of the American SDMBers either don’t have the chance to see it or can’t easily find out if it will be playing near them. Here’s the Wiki page: [The Baader Meinhof Complex - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Baader_Meinhof_Komplex)