▁young ▁husband ▁ ▁Ger tr ud ▁Br end ler : ▁Mrs . ▁Sim mel ▁ ▁Klaus ▁G end ries : ▁Border ▁Police ▁officer ▁ ▁Harry ▁Stud t : ▁Gro tt ▁ ▁Production ▁Res erved ▁for ▁the ▁Death ▁was , ▁according ▁to ▁author ▁Sab ine ▁H ake , ▁one ▁of ▁a ▁" hyper bo le ▁of ▁esp ion age ▁thr ill ers " ▁produced ▁soon ▁after ▁the ▁ere ction ▁of ▁the ▁Berlin ▁Wall . ▁ ▁W riter ▁Ger hard ▁B ensch ▁told ▁in ▁an ▁interview ▁that ▁the ▁plot ▁was ▁based ▁on ▁" numer ous ▁authentic ▁documents , ▁files ▁and ▁details " ▁g lean ed ▁by ▁him ▁from ▁the ▁intelligence ▁services . ▁After ▁an ▁evaluation ▁board ▁of ▁DE FA ▁viewed ▁the ▁un ed ited ▁picture ▁before ▁its ▁release , ▁its ▁members ▁concluded ▁that ▁the ▁produ cers ▁managed ▁to ▁create ▁a ▁" good ▁picture ... ▁Ex pos ing ▁the ▁in human ▁methods ▁of ▁the ▁Imperial ists ... ▁And ▁allowing ▁the ▁audience ▁to ▁see ▁the ▁experiences ▁of ▁our ▁society ' s ▁hero es , ▁engaged ▁in ▁brut al ▁class ▁struggle ." ▁ ▁Re ception ▁The ▁rev iewer ▁of ▁the ▁East ▁German ▁Berliner ▁Zeitung ▁called ▁the ▁film ▁" a ▁better - than - aver age ▁criminal ▁film , ▁that ▁will ▁surely ▁be ▁well ▁received ▁by ▁the ▁public ." ▁On ▁ 5 ▁July ▁ 1 9 6 3 , ▁the ▁film ▁critic ▁of ▁the ▁West ▁German ▁Rhein ische ▁Mer kur ▁wrote ▁that ▁the ▁film ▁was ▁a ▁" dist urb ing ▁piece ▁of ▁n ons ense ... ▁Commun ist ▁picture