March of Millions

'March of Millions
Die Flucht'
'March of Millions; Die Flucht'
Genre	World War II film
Written by
Directed by	Kai Wessel
Starring	Maria Furtwängler; Jean-Yves Berteloot; Hanns Zischler; ;
Theme music composer	Enjott Schneider
Country of origin	Germany
Original language	German
No. of episodes	2
Production
Producers	, , ,
Running time	179 min (2 parts)
Budget	€9 million
Release
Original network	ARD
Original release	4 March –; 5 March 2007

March of Millions is the international English title of the multi-award-winning three-hour German television film Die Flucht (The Escape). The film stars Maria Furtwängler in the role of Lena Gräfin von Mahlenberg, the leader of a small convoy of refugees from East Prussia (including French and Russian prisoners of war and forced labourers) fleeing the advancing Red Army in the winter of 1944–1945, and trying to survive uprooted in Bavaria in the aftermath of World War II. When first broadcast by ARD in two parts, on 4 and 5 March 2007, it drew 13.5 million viewers.^[1]

The production was reported to have cost €9m and to have employed over 2,000 extras.^[2]

The film was controversial for portraying German war-time suffering during the Evacuation of East Prussia (although a number of German atrocities were also shown or mentioned), and led to adverse comment from a foreign-policy adviser to the Polish president of the time, fearful of potential German claims to lands or property in East Prussia lost after the War.^[3] There have been multiple reactions from the Polish side on occasion of other movies about the war.