With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Terrorist chic or debunking of a myth? Baader Meinhof film splits Germany

The bloody legacy of the Baader Meinhof Gang which caused mayhem across West Germany with its politically-motivated assassinations, bombings and kidnappings is to be portrayed on cinema screens this week in a new film which claims to debunk the myth of 1970s terrorist chic.

Just how raw the darkest chapter in Germany's postwar history remains has been demonstrated by the angry reaction that the Baader Meinhof Komplex has prompted from victims' families, the children of gang members and historians.

Some have accused the film - which boasts a cast of top German actors - of being too violent, or of reinforcing the image of gang members as Bonnie and Clyde-style heroes...

The film, due for release in Britain and France in November, has been nominated as Germany's entry for the Oscar race.
Read entire article at Guardian (UK)