User Reviews

I wanted to rent this film because of the subject matter -- the great German singing group The Comedian Harmonists, who are still popular in Europe 75 years after the events depicted in this film.

Alas, while I watched it, the sadness set in as I started to realize the inevitable was going to hit me square in the eyes.

Simply put, you just can't combine these words -- the 1930s, Germany, three Jews -- without being stung by outrage, sadness, astonishment: pick your adjective. You just KNOW what's going to happen before it happens. It's too bad, but this kind of situation becomes ultimately very predictable. This is not to say that the film isn't worth seeing -- it is. There is brilliant acting, splendid sets, a wonderful (and brutally sinister) 1930s Nazi-era 'feel,' and, of course, the music (via the dubbed, original Harmonists themselves), which is nothing short of sublime.

I think I'm going to stop watching films set in 1930s' Germany that involves Jewish characters. It was just too crushingly depressing a period. In this film, three tremendously talented Jews in the Harmonists sextet are victimized simply because they're Jews. This is a microcosm of the millions of great talents that were destroyed in 1930s-40s Europe simply because they were born 'non-Aryan,' as the Nazi euphemism would have it.

One note: a reviewer here has commented on the wildly incongruous DVD cover, which shows a cabaret-style babe in heavy lipstick peeping out from a top hat. It's obviously a ploy to attract viewers into thinking they're going to see some sexy stuff with hot dancers, when no such thing exists. Shame on those who decided to do this cover. It's really an insult to the basic subject matter of the film.

"Comedian Harmonists" or "The Harmonists" is a German(-language) film from 1997, so this one will have its 20th anniversary next year. The director is Joseph Vilsmaier and the script comes from Jürgen Büscher and Klaus Richter. If you know a bit about History, especially German history of the 20th century, then you will maybe also heard of the Comedian Harmonists, a music group who were really famous in the first half of the century with their a capella music. They probably weren't the most talented singers in terms of range or particularly high notes or volume of their voices, but they found their niche and succeeded in entertaining the audiences with funny texts and a little bit of wisdom too. The big problem: They were Jewish.

This film won big at the German Film Award, including lead actor for Noethen and supporting actress for Becker. Her brother Ben also plays in here and their dad Otto Sander has a brief cameo too. And last but not least the movie won German Film of the Year, even if it was not picked as Germany's submission to the Oscars back then. Maybe the Harmonists just weren't known enough abroad or they were scared that the Hamonists would fail again in the United States as their attempts to make it there were not successful, after they had to leave Germany. I personally like some of the songs of this band that the film is about. But not all of them are used in here. I would say the music is the only aspect that was pretty good in here. The acting was mostly forgettable I felt and the script also wasn't great.

I do not think that this film really stands out compared to all the other many many German films that are about the days of Hitler Germany. I think they missed a chance here as the Comedian Harmonists were a pretty unique band, still are today and people here in Germany know them very well and many still like them with their wit and nice texts. Sadly, they did not really manage to elaborate on all the Harmonists convincingly. I just did not care about some of them at all. And they also could have been played by better actors. Ferch is mostly forgettable and Becker is very much in your face, but lacks subtlety and it's also not a good performance. Noethen is decent, but not really awards-worthy. The rest is entirely forgettable and this makes me especially sad in Schafmeister's case as I quite like him. This film certainly goes on long enough to deliver a convincing film and make every character count, but the screenwriters did not succeed. Many people consider this Vilsmaier's most known, possibly best work, but I cannot agree. It dragged on too many occasions and the nice music alone is not enough. I give it a thumbs-down. Not recommended.

I had never heard of the group The Comedian Harmonists before seeing this film, but they were truly awesome musicians. This film seamlessly blends the actual recordings of the group with wonderful acting and directing to create a true classic. The R rating is a bit too strong, in my opinion, and should be closer to PG-13. The film features mature themes but would be suitable for viewing by most audience members aged 11 and above, with parental guidance of course. Anything of a mature nature in the film is strictly secondary to its real story and was not presented lewdly in any way. You will want to talk about the subject matter with the kids, ie: the effects of prejudice and how Hitler, seemingly on a quest to create perfection and beauty, by trying to play God (which none of us have the right to do), actually destroyed so many beautiful things which were meant to be here to enrich all life. I won't use any plot spoilers but I can tell you there were no dry eyes left in the room at the end. Truly worth seeing and the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a long time. Bravo!

Ben Becker is the lead star, playing Robert Biberti in this based-on-a-true story movie that I saw back in the cinema soon after this moving and cerebral movie was released. Anyway, Comedian Harmonists will make you shake your head in despair about the intolerance of humanity where gentiles and non-gentiles unite to bring comedy and harmony to the world before the world went to war thanks to Don't-Mention-The-War.

Anyway, I'm surprised it's taken me ages to post a review for this movie, and really it was only when I saw a NYT article about the Barry Manilow Broadway musical that prompted me to post a review. I highly recommend this movie.