User Reviews

"Man spricht deutsh" is a fairly short German film from almost 30 years ago starring Gerhard Polt. Polt was one of the most known German comedy actors from that time, even if he is not really known to many today anymore. The reason may be that he has not really been prolific recently or maybe also that his films have not aged as well as the films of Loriot for example, who was also pretty famous around that time already, actually before. Writer and director here is Hanns Christian Müller, who has worked with Polt on several occasions and same goes for female lead actress Gisela Schneeberger, who is still acting in many projects these days and together with the late Dieter Hildebrandt the most known cast member almost 3 decades later.

So yeah, this film was made shortly before the Fall of the Berllin Wall and it is a West German production, which is why it is almost entirely unpolitical and instead goes for the cultural differences in behavior between Germans and Italians. The film is 100% comedy and the intentional spelling error in the title already shows that this one should not be taken seriously by audiences as it was not taken seriously by the people who made this. Interestingly enough, I think that spelling error is something that non-German native speakers will see than Germans really. I myself (as a German native speaker) only did not recognize it intentionally. Sadly, there aren't too many funny scenes in this film really. Like I said, Polt's works may not have aged too well. And even German native speakers may need subtitles here as the Bavarian accent is sometimes so thick that it is impossible to understand everything they are saying. Overall, not a particularly good watch and I can see why people who watch this may think German humor sucks. However, there are many funny German comedies actually, for example the 2 movies by the aforementioned Loriot. As for "Man spricht deutsh", I do not recommend it and it does not get me curious about Polt's other works either. Thumbs down.

When Ozzy Osbourne first saw "This is Spinal Tap", supposedly he was the only one in the cinema thinking that it was a real documentary and wondering what the laughter was all about. If you happen to come from a middle-class family in southern Germany and particularly if you tend to spend your vacation in the north of Italy, say, Lago di Gada, you might have a similar reaction when watching "Man spricht Deutsh".

It is difficult to explain this film to people who're not familiar to the German language, culture and 'peculiarities' – even more difficult, if one has to explain it to somebody who's not from Southern Germany. Let's just say, it is a satire of all the above mentioned We witness the final hours of the holiday of the Löffler-family at their designated vacation spot in Terracina, on the west-coast of Italy: father Erwin (Polt), wife Irmgard (Giesella Schneeberger) and son Heinz Rüdiger (Thomas Geier). The Löfflers are as bourgeoisies as the German middle-class comes, (presumably) having come to the same spot, like a clock-work, every years.

In Terracina the Löfflers are among their own kind: Germans as far as the eye can see, pestered only by a few locals, running Restaurants, beach-stands and/or are lingering around, presumably just waiting to steal whatever the Germans haven't nailed to the floor. In one of the most memorable lines, a newcomer is introduced with the warning to keep his possessions save, since "there are many Italians around here".

Their final day is as uneventful as any other, having their pasty skins turned red by the sun, day-dreaming about what could or could not have been: father Löffler taking off with a hot-blooded Italian beauty, mother Löffler dreams about becoming winner at a local beauty queen contest or being kidnapped by millionaires who likewise spend their time at the beach. We witness a final celebratory lunch (which is left unconsumed by the family since they're not sure what's edible on the seafood-platter and not liking fish or seafood in the first place) and we witness how they write final postcards to friends and relatives in Germany, arguing about the correct postal addresses.

If you're thinking "stereotype" right now, then you're absolutely correct – but that's the problem most people have with stereotypes: they're usually true. Polt and director Müller have never been afraid to embrace stereotypes, which is no ordinary thing in Germany and too few comedians daring to put a mirror in the faces of their audience. However, the actor/director-duo don't do it in a mean or demeaning way, portraying their characters as stooges; just millions of straight-faced, blue-collar people like you and me (if you happen to have a middle-class Bavarian background).

Polt presents us a picture of bourgeoisies Germany that is as true as it is grotesque – take my word; I'm not talking out of prejudice but because I have numerous family-members that view "Man spricht Deutsh" not as a parody but as documentary. Every cliché is fulfilled – not because clichés are spiteful or wrong but because they repeat themselves so often that they often become reality.

Would I recommend this film to non-Germans? Well, if you want to acquaint yourself with the mentality and culture of Bavarian proletarians, yes, by any means. It's just too 'localized' for outsiders to get the inside jokes. Brilliant films – but beyond comprehension for people not familiar with the 'modern' German way-of-life, who, like mentioned traditional patrons of Lago di Gada will wonder what the joke is.