Wrack and Ruin The Rubble Film at DEFA Blu-ray Out September 15

Wrack and Ruin: The Rubble Film at DEFA collects five pivotal post-war German films produced by DEFA between 1946 and 1948. These include The Murderers Are Among Us, Somewhere in Berlin, Police Raid, Marriage in the Shadows, and The Blum Affair. They explore themes of denazification, trauma, and reconstruction in the immediate aftermath of World War II, often filmed among the ruins of Berlin.

All five films are presented in 1080p HD, sourced from new 2K scans of the original 35mm camera negatives made by the DEFA Foundation. This set offers a range of new audio commentaries by experts such as Sergio Angelini, Elizabeth Ward, Seán Allan, and David Melville Wingrove. Additionally, it features interviews with scholars Claire Knight and Sue Vice discussing DEFA's founding and the films’ historical context.

The release also includes a wealth of documentary content, including DEFA original documentaries like Rebuilding Berlin (1946), Rebuilding Potsdam (1946), and Death Camp Sachsenhausen (1946). Archival newsreels cover topics such as DEFA's first animation and reports on the premieres and productions of key films in the collection.

Eureka Entertainment presents this as a limited collector’s edition box set with a hardcase featuring new artwork by Carly A-F. It includes a collector’s book with essays by German film historians Tim Bergfelder, Daniel Jonah Wolpert, Brad Prager, and Mariana Ivanova, plus reversible inner sleeve artwork newly designed by Scott Saslow.

This set offers an important retrospective on DEFA’s seminal rubble films, revealing the physical and psychological ruins left by Nazism and war.

Release Contents:

• New 2K scans from original 35mm negatives: High-definition presentations of all five films.
• New audio commentaries: On each film by various cinema experts.
• From the Rubble: Interview with socialist cinema expert Claire Knight.
• Confronting the Past: Interview with Jewish studies scholar Sue Vice.
• Crimewave: Video essay on DEFA’s crime cinema by Sebastian Heiduschke.
• DEFA documentaries: Rebuilding Berlin (1946), Rebuilding Potsdam (1946), Death Camp Sachsenhausen (1946).
• Archival newsreels: Featuring DEFA’s first animation and premiere reports.
• Collector’s edition hardcase: Featuring new artwork by Carly A-F.
• Collector’s book: Essays from prominent German film historians.
• Reversible inner sleeve artwork: New designs for each film by Scott Saslow.

Release Date: September 15, 2025