November 9, 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. This may not sound terribly spectacular, but it's huge in perspective. The wall was established on August 13, 1961 and cut off West Berlin from East Berlin and East Germany. It tore the country apart and tore families apart. Even today, its lasting effects can be seen, most notably in Berlin. Half of the country endured communism while the other half had democracy. This lasted until November 9, 1989, over 28 years later, when the wall was torn down.
I was barely 1 year old when the wall came down, so I don't remember what the division was like, but I've heard about it from many people. I have family that lived in the East and family that lived in the West. My parents and grandparents have shared stories about being terrified going into East Germany to visit. I've heard about how family in East Germany was anxious and paranoid even outside of the East and how free they felt to be out of there. It's hard to convey how much this impacted so many people and how powerful and symbolic the wall coming down was.
So, why not let some movies try?
I don't intend to review movies every week because I honestly don't have the time to rewatch them and write about them so often. But, this month will be an exception. I plan to review 5 movies this month: 1 on each Friday and possibly a non-movie post on Sunday, November 9. All of them are related to the Berlin Wall in some way and paint a picture of how things were before, during, and after it.
I really hope that people will watch at least one of these movies as a result. I'm excited to see them all again myself and maybe learn some things I didn't see or know before. Please share your reactions and stories in the comments too! I'm interested in hearing from you all.
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