Product Description

January, 1945. In the uncertain days leading up to the Allied bombings of Dresden, Anna (Felicitas Woll) discovers Robert Newman (John Light), an injured British pilot, hiding in a hospital cellar. Torn between loyalty and desire, the young nurse risks everything to help him recover. As Anna struggles to keep his true identity a secret and Robert battles to survive behind enemy lines, a catastrophic fate descends upon the city.

DVD Extras:
Making-of Featurette, Archival Military Footage of the Dresden bombings

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12712 in DVD
• Brand: Koch International
• Released on: 2008-02-05
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, German
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 176 minutes

Amazon.com
A love story set amidst the chaos and horror of World War II, Dresden tells the tale of a beautiful young German nurse who falls in love with an injured British pilot. Anna (Felicitas Woll) is engaged to a wealthy doctor, but she wants more than the bland certainty he can offer her. While on her rounds at the hospital, she discovers Robert (John Light), who is in hiding. Anna knows little about him and is initially unaware that he is a British soldier, and therefore her enemy. What starts as a quiet, private romance escalates into an affair that the couple has a difficult time containing. Woll and Light make beautiful leads, but it's the supporting characters who stand out. Dr. Carl Mauth (Heiner Lauterbach), Anna's father, is a complicated and compelling man who will resort to stealing morphine if his patients are in need. Watching his emotive face, viewers understand his intent without having to hear him speak. Dresden's filmmakers do a formidable job of presenting both the Brits and the Germans as flawed people who aren't sure what is right and wrong. Set in January, 1945, prior to the Allied bombings of Dresden, the German production team does a fine job of meshing soap opera type melodrama with feverish action. There are some scenes that are horrific and gruesome to watch. But more often than not, they succinctly set the tone for the violence that accompanies war. Though the three-hour miniseries (which offers both English and German with English subtitles) has been favorably compared with the epic love story portrayed in Titanic, it also shares some of the sweet aspects of Summer of My German Soldier, a 1978 made-for-TV movie that depicts the unlikely friendship between a young Jewish girl and a German POW. As with war, there sometimes is no explanation for love. It just happens. --Jae-Ha Kim

Customer Reviews

Enlightening Dresden's Day of Horror
I made a last minute decision to watch this on the History International channel. It's one of the best TV decisions I've made in a long time.
This is a fabulous tale of the horrors of war, humanity of all sides in a conflict and romance.
You can feel the horror building as the British planes approach Dresden and see the horror of the devastating firestorm following the massive bombings as more than 25,000 civilians were killed.
There is tenderness here, too. The characters are multi-dimensional. Even those we think have done terrible things, we know are conflicted and in at least case seek penance.
The photography and special effects are stunning.
I'll have to save my nickles and dimes to buy this one.

Terrific Production - looks like a 100 million-dollar movie!
I got to see part of "Dresden" while in Germany last year and was very impressed with its authenticity and devotion to detail. I know that some of the effects were digitally accomplished, but the acting and sets were terrific, too. My German isn't the best, so I'm looking forward to purchasing the DVD set, which will be subtitled in English. I understand that there will be some great DVD "extras" about the making of the movie, too.

Very Well Done
We love documentaries and accurate historical fiction, and thoroughly enjoyed this program on the History channel. Since we missed the first hour plus, I was happy to see this is now available on DVD, and pre-ordered it immediately. It was extremely well thought out, the characters were engaging and believable, yet the historical details were carefully crafted and well done. Highly recommended. Also recommended about WWII: Band of Brothers; The War.