The documentary starts by briefing us about the conflicts between the Allied Forces and the Soviet Union that emerged at the end of WWII, and by explaining the political circumstances that led to the separation of Germany and the birth of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the East and the Federal Republic of Germany in the West. It moves quickly on to examine why the Wall was built. The Wall, as we all know, became a symbol of the Cold War and a part of the Iron Curtain, and divided families and friends.
 
We can certainly learn the historical backgrounds and facts from books or of course nowadays from the internet. But, even though some politicians like JFK, Erich Honecker, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev played crucial roles, listening to the experiences of everyday people who were actually affected by, and suffered from the Wall reveal more shocking and painful facts.
 
The tales of escapees and participants are significant parts of this documentary. Even though the running time is less than 100 minutes, these stories are told in great detail. Since some segments of this documentary were produced by the prominent German TV channel ZDF, the escape reenactments look very real and are elaborately supplemented with historical photos, actual film footages, and historically correct equipment (e.g. an old 1960’s Volkswagen Beetle). CGI is also used (but not overwhelmingly) to clarify details for the maps, different stages of construction and designs of the Wall, as well as escape tunnels and routes. Some methods are hard to imagine, and they are almost like coming from Hollywood action movies. The most incredible scene must be an actual footage of one of the Bethke brothers’ escape mission. A small camera was attached to an ultralight aircraft which was used to pick up the youngest Bethke brother in East Berlin and to fly him out to the West (each of three Bethke Brothers escaped in different procedures at different times).
 
Unlike some boring documentary which includes only accounts from so-called experts and historians, The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall features fascinating interviews with actual survivors, escapees, former guards and soldiers. The viewers are not just sprayed with numbers and data. On the contrary, this documentary manages to be exciting and compelling from the beginning to the end. Even if you saw news about the Berlin Wall coming down in 1989 or you have learned about it in school, you still will definitely learn something new from this documentary. It serves as an excellent document to pass on to coming generations.