Fresh
As for Haneke's handling of the material, his directing is immaculate. Every moment is the product of a penetrating mind and a steady talent.
Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic
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The White Ribbon
Overview
An aged tailor recalls his life as the schoolteacher of a small village in Northern Germany that was struck by a series of strange events in the year leading up to WWI.
Director and cast
- Michael Haneke Director
- Christian Friedel as Lehrer
- Ernst Jacobi as The School Teacher as an Old Man (voice)
- Leonie Benesch as Eva
- Ulrich Tukur as Baron
- Fion Mutert as Sigmund
- Ursina Lardi as Marie Louise
- Burghart Klaußner as The Pastor
- Steffi Kühnert as The Pastor's Wife
- Maria Dragus Cast
- Josef Bierbichler Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
86%
Tomatometer
Fresh
The White Ribbon is a stark, contemplative and hauntingly brilliant film.
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Fresh
Writer-director Michael Haneke doesn't pull any punches, but then he doesn't throw any wild ones, either. His filmmaking shows precisely the sort of obsession with control that the movie itself is denouncing. Interesting, you've got to admit.
Tom Long, Detroit News
Fresh
Haneke tells this tale a bit too patiently for my taste. But the metaphors are unmistakable, as is the power of the film's message.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Rotten
The White Ribbon lunges hungrily for serious art-film credibility. Don't be fooled.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
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