They can dig it

Movie: The Tunnel. Or in German, Der Tunnel. I watched this 2001 foreign film several months ago and then promptly lost my notes for it but wanted to eventually be sure to mention it because I thought it was well done. Only drawback was its length, clocking in at a whopping 167 minutes. (At least it wasn’t a six hour Italian mini-series.) Based on the true story of East German champion swimmer Harry Melchior who, with cohorts, digs a 430 foot tunnel from East to West Berlin in 1961 so he and said cohorts can live in freedom. Along the way they find themselves beset by logistical problems and betrayals from friends and some comedic relief in the form of a US television news crew filming their efforts. The film’s tension kept building as the time went on until it felt like either the television or my heart was going to explode. The scene with Fritzi on one side of the wall and her boyfriend on the other was especially heartbreaking. Watch it if you can invest the time.