This film, though 48 years old, was delivered on DVD to SuperIllu readers in Germany yesterday. And for me at least, it was a very strong experience.
The story, very briefly told, is about a love triangle of Magdalena (Annekathrin Bürger), Michael (Armin Müller-Stahl), and Jürgen, before and in WW2. It starts in childhood days, with a fountain, stairs, and an amusement park getting repeated attention. Michael is an outspoken communist, soon to be on WANTED posters. Jürgen joins the SA (Nazi police, so to speak). Both are trysting with Magdalena, and both end up in the well-known "Penitentiary Batallion 999", in war action in the Soviet Union. Both are made Soviet POWs, and in an airport ending even more open than Casablanca, Magdalena leaves for Königsberg (East Prussia, now Kaliningrad) for an undescribed assignment.
Michael chases the plane without success (like Magdalena chased the truck carrying him away earlier). The End.
Of course there's much deeper content to this film, in my impression mostly the interactions between the German soldiers, and soon later with Soviet soldiers, up to funny dialogs about which newspaper is better to roll cigarettes, Pravda or Isvestiya.
All in all, a very interesting East German movie. Manfred Krug also has a role as bad-guy colonel (or whatever his rank was). But the true star is Müller-Stahl, and he does an intense job. Well worth watching.
The story, very briefly told, is about a love triangle of Magdalena (Annekathrin Bürger), Michael (Armin Müller-Stahl), and Jürgen, before and in WW2. It starts in childhood days, with a fountain, stairs, and an amusement park getting repeated attention. Michael is an outspoken communist, soon to be on WANTED posters. Jürgen joins the SA (Nazi police, so to speak). Both are trysting with Magdalena, and both end up in the well-known "Penitentiary Batallion 999", in war action in the Soviet Union. Both are made Soviet POWs, and in an airport ending even more open than Casablanca, Magdalena leaves for Königsberg (East Prussia, now Kaliningrad) for an undescribed assignment.
Michael chases the plane without success (like Magdalena chased the truck carrying him away earlier). The End.
Of course there's much deeper content to this film, in my impression mostly the interactions between the German soldiers, and soon later with Soviet soldiers, up to funny dialogs about which newspaper is better to roll cigarettes, Pravda or Isvestiya.
All in all, a very interesting East German movie. Manfred Krug also has a role as bad-guy colonel (or whatever his rank was). But the true star is Müller-Stahl, and he does an intense job. Well worth watching.