Written by Linda
March 27, 2011
In the second part of the exceptional two-part documentary about the Berlin Wall (the first part being The Wall—A World Divided), After the Wall—A World United profiles the events directly leading up to the fall of the Wall, as well as the repercussions in the 9 months immediately after.
I remember when the Wall fell, I was 19 years old and really didn't understand the significance of it until I traveled to the unified Germany years later. This hour-long doc goes a long way to explain the gravity of the Wall, and the sheer euphoria of the people from both sides when it came down. Because the event now occurred over 20 years ago, it also offers perspective on the successes and failures of the event on the culture and economy of unified Germany.
I have to admit I was a bit agog at the interviews that were scored in this documentary. As nonchalantly as if they were man-on-the-street reminisces, all the surviving world leaders and other players chime in, including the USSR's Mikhail Gorbachev, the US President George H.W. Bush, and Germany's Helmut Kohl (in older interviews). There are also insights from Condoleeza Rice (Soviet Affairs Advisor), James Baker (Secretary of State), and Brent Scowcroft (National Security Advisor).
Just as interesting are interviews with idealist East German politicians who fought for the system to be changed, only to be swept aside in the tide of capitalism that overtook the shaky unified country. There are also perspectives of Ossies (former East Germans) who found their whole world turned upside down overnight. As East Germans embraced the Western lifestyle, they got the bad with the good, including sudden unemployment, rising costs, and a loss of their cultural identity.
After the Wall, along with its accompanying prequel doc, are excellent introductions to an event that shook the world overnight, and changed the landscape of modern Europe. It is so interesting that I would love to see the topic addressed in a longer series!
