The Quality of Mercy (film)

The Quality of Mercy original title Hasenjagd Vor lauter Feigheit gibt es kein Erbarmen is a dramatization of the events surrounding the Mhlviertler Hasenjagd, a Nazi war crime that took place near Linz, in the Mhlviertel region of Upper Austria, just before the end of the Second World War. The movies original title translates as Rabbit chase for sheer cowardice, there is no mercy, a reference to the name given by the SS to the manhunt for the hundreds of prisoners who managed to escape from MauthausenGusen concentration camp. Nearly 500 tried to escape, over 300 made it to the nearby woods, and of those, a meremanaged to survive the three months till the war ended. Most were shot on the spot or beaten to death when they were found, 57 were returned to the camp. The movie attracted 123,000 spectators in Austria, making it the most successful movie of 1995.

Among the prisoners of war who crawl outside onto the courtyard are also the Russian officers Michail and Nikolai, whose destiny serves as the central thread in the movie. It is winter, and the men, who are dressed much too lightly, try to warm each other. Then a stone falls down the wall. There is a message is wrapped around it Blockshall be cleared in a monthDue to their hopeless situation, a planned breakout is carried out in one of the following days. The prisoners overpower the Kapos, construct shoes and weapons out of blankets and other items and say goodbye to those who are too weak for the escape. Afterwards they leave the barracks. While the tower guards are distracted with fire extinguishers and missiles, tables and chairs are piled up in front of the walls. Only 150 of the 500 manage to escape into the night, among whom are Michail and Nikolai. The majority, however, dies in the confines of the camp. ........

Source: Wikipedia