NOTE:  The German language version of this film is available under the title, Blut un Ehre.

Saddled with severe reparation payments, post-WWI Germany was cursed by a hyperinflation that wiped out the savings of everyone but the rich. Just as the economy was recovering in the late 1920s, the Depression hit and pauperized almost everyone who managed to hold out through the bad economic times of the past decade. Then, In January 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany, just as the economy was beginning to revive again.  Harmut Keller and Hans Monkmann were high school friends at the time.  Hartmut's father, a musician, is unemployed (as if that's something unique in any economy).  And since he doesn't earn much giving music lessons to the future unemployed, he also works as a chef.  The situation in Hans' household is significantly better:  His father took out lots of student loans and became a lawyer; and since he chose a profession where he's already sold his soul to Satan (oops, here comes a lawsuit for libel), it doesn't take much coaxing for him to become a Nazi.  In short time, he's a district leader for the Party.  Hans is a member of the Jungvolk, the lite version of the Hitler Youth for ten to fourteen year olds.  Hartmut, too, would like to be a member, but his parents are against it.  For one thing, his unemployed daddy's a Social Democrat  (the lite version of a Communist).

Anfang 1933 reißt Adolf Hitler als Reichskanzler die Macht in Deutschland an sich. Zu dieser Zeit gehen die beiden Freunde Harmut Keller und Hans Mönkmann aufs Gymnasium. Hartmuts Vater, ein Musiker, ist arbeitslos. Nur selten verdient er etwas mit Musikstunden, und so ist Schmalhans Küchenmeister. Hans geht es besser. Sein Vater, ein Rechtsanwalt, seit Jahren Nazi, hat sich zum Ortsgruppenleiter der NSDAP hochgedient. Hans ist Mitglied in Hitlers Deutschem Jungvolk, der Organisation für die 10- bis 14jährigen Jungen. Auch Hartmut möchte Pimpf werden, aber seine Eltern sind dagegen. Sein Vater ist Sozialdemokrat.

DVD-Rs are in English with no subtitles.  Approx. 246 mins.  See film sample for quality!