A Finishing School for Nazi Girls in Britain with a Deadly Secret – Six Minutes to Midnight

Mar 24, 2021 by

By Sue Weston and David Dobkin

How far would you go for a cause you desperately believe in? Set in a finishing school for daughters of the Nazi elite, Augusta Victoria College for girls on the south coast of England, inspired by the escalation in tension between Germany and the UK during the summer of 1939.  These twenty young girls were in the wrong place at the wrong time, trained to be obedient, indoctrinated with Nazi propaganda, and located on the British coast where tensions are high preceding Hitler’s invasion of Poland. Six Minutes to Midnight is a creative spy-thriller, with a star-studded cast that kept me guessing until the end. 

A School for Daughters of Nazi Leaders 

Augusta Victoria College was a real institution, whose crest showed allegiance to England and Germany with the image of a Swastika in the right-hand corner and a union jack in the center. It was intended to be a place of safety, protecting the girls from their English neighbors, in a time where tensions and suspicions ran high. This secluded school was a slice of Nazi Germany existing on English soil, provided the ideal stage for intrigue, and espionage.  

Augusta Victoria College’s crest

The School Raises Suspicion

The British Intelligence has been watching the school, at the disappearance of their last spy planted as an instructor, Captain Thomas Miller (Eddie Izzard) is inserted as his replacement. Miller passes an interview with the school governess, Miss Rocholl (Judi Dench) because he is fluent in German. She asks ‘What brings you here Mr. Miller? What sort of English man would accept a position teaching Herr Hitler’s League of German girls?’ is unconcerned that his CV shows frequent changes of employment and accepts him on probation. 

Miss Rocholl is singly devoted to her girls. They are her life, and they give her hope.  She wants to provide a safe haven and develop their sense of pride. She is assisted by former student and German instructor Ilse Keller (Carla Juri), who has an agenda of her own.  

Six Minutes till Midnight
Miss Rocholl (Judi Dench) is devoted to her girls

Imagination and Imagery

Conceived by Eddie Izzard (actor on film, television, and stage) Six Minutes to Midnight marks his debut as a film writer. He was aided in transforming his idea into a film by collaboration with actor Celyn Jones and director Andy Goddard. Together they splendidly reconstructed the period of 1939 Britain, complete with the boardwalk and countryside. They selected an idyllic setting, secluded, peaceful, which is disrupted by the abrupt disappearance of the English teacher.  

Amid a rapidly escalating political situation, Six Minutes till Midnight is a cloak and dagger story. There are so many agents and double agents that it becomes impossible to tell the difference between the good and bad, which is a sub-plot of the movie.  People were not as they appear.  Ilse asks the girls how do they know the difference between a bee and a wasp – she continues writing on the blackboard or a Jew and Gentile. 

Converging Events

Like an out-of-control train barreling toward the end of the track, events rapidly converge; the girls preparing for graduation, British Intelligence planning to capture the girls, and the Nazis want the girls to return to Germany. Time is running out as England threatens to enter the war. The girls unknowingly have become pawns on an international stage.  

The headmaster, Miss Rocholl is a relic, sitting in her study, finding comfort in tea and music. Miss Rocholl, a spinster, regards her students and Ilse as naïve and wants to shelter them from the world-at-large.  She does not sense the impending danger, nor does she scrutinize the qualifications of her teachers, neither English teacher taught the girls English. For Miss Rocholl the alliance between Germany and England remains unaltered by time, she fails to recognize the political implications of the girls saying Hail Victory (as it was co-opted as the Nazi salute) or consider the possibility of different agendas. She lives in a simpler time, which gives us hope for the future of humanity. 

Inexperienced or Unprepared 

Six Minutes to Midnight is the code identifying Miller as a British Operative, and yet, many of his actions are naïve for a spy, he knows Ilse is working with the Nazis but forgets to remove a lapel pin allowing him to be tracked and picks up the weapon making him the suspect. (Why not keep the gun?) Then again, a spy sent to a girl’s school might be expected to make simple errors.  We question the wisdom of the spy-network, the selection of qualified operatives, and how British Intelligence manages to save the day, arriving in the nick of time. 

Six Minutes Till Midnight

Miss Rocholl (Judi Dench) and Captain Miller (Eddie Izzard) race against time

How far would you go to support a just cause?  

Six Minutes to Midnight shows how easy it is to cross the line, especially when national preservation is at risk.  An entertaining, movie with a happy ending despite leaving a lot of loose ends.  This movie operates on many levels, raising issues of conscience, and loyalty, in the guise of a spy-thriller. It is a good watch and received a 4 Challah rating, and will be available on Video On Demand beginning on March 26. 

four challah rating

Four Challah Rating

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