"Die Ostsee von oben" is a German documentary movie from 2013, so not that long anymore until this under 1.5-hour film has its tenth anniversary. Maybe it happened already if you don't show up here right away. It was originally a theatrical release, but they are showing it on television occasionally these days in fact. The title means "The Baltic Sea from up above" and this means of course that all you see in here was filmed from a helicopter basically. There have been many projects now with the "von oben"/"from up above" since then, but this was one of the earliest. I think the very first was about the North See, so elaborating on the Baltic Sea next makes very much sense. Christian Wüstenberg, a writer and director here , has also worked on the previous one. He is a prolific documentary filmmaker, but the one most associated with this specific series is Peter Bardehle. I am a bit surprised to see him "only" listed as the cinematographer here because early on in the film it also shows that he worked as writer and director if I remembered correctly. Cannot say too much about Silke Schranz who is listed here on imdb as writer and director. I doubt it's a pseudonym though. My guess is that there are crucial differences between the original theatrical release and this television version. I mean, at the very end, they even displayed 2015 as the year of production which is two years later than the release date in cinemas. Another key difference is that the aforementioned Wüstenberg was apparently in charge of the narration for the theatrical release, but for this television release they got a female narrator, one without an imdb profile. So it would not surprise me if they also changed some of the stuff that is exactly said. Not sure about that though. I think I might have seen this one back in theaters in 2013 or 2014, but really not 100% sure about that. In any case, it's a film that will work even better on the big screen, but I take what I can get and from my rating you can see that I also liked the television version from today.
Back in 2013, there was another nature documentary with focus on the sea, namely the North Sea, and for that they got Axel Prahl from Tatort as the narrator. Here they went with no famous narrators whatsoever. I guess if you prefer male narration you can go search for the original theatrical release. Anyway, Prahl's movie is also very much worth seeing and he is too much of a big name to replace him in another version. Of course, with him, there is also a bit more comedy than to this one here. I liked both approaches. I shall elaborate on this one here now though. One thing they did really well with was how they find the right balance between being informative and not being too complicated. The start when they tell us the size of the Baltic Sea compared to the Mediterranean Sea was a good idea to get things straight. Maybe just for me because I am not so good with imagining proportions, but I appreciated the comparison. One thing that certainly surprised me is how many castles you find in this film. I mean I had no idea there were so many up there near the Baltic Sea. Which makes it an even more interesting destination for me to travel to because I like castles. And the film really only focused on the German regions next to the Baltic Sea here, so they could have been even more had they included Poland etc. Also included is Warnemünde. This was of special interest to me because I went there last year for a brief trip (gimme back my MP3 player) and it was as beautiful as it was short. Except the gigantic amount of people of course. But it was nice to see it on the screen again and I would like to go there again once the pandmic allows us to. Or the restrictions allow us to I should say. They combined these recordings of special places with nice little anecdotes, like with the last example a little elaboration on how the first beach chair got invented. Also pretty fitting because these chairs are everywhere in Warnemünde.
So this film certainly increased my desire to go to the sea again and this is why already it can be called a success. I don't need exaggerated stuff like the pompous "WEIT. Die Geschichte von einem Weg um die Welt". This one here is just fine, especially with all the water we see and how much I love swimming. And honestly, in the sea it is much sweeter than in the lake or especially inside a swimming pool or something. Good thing is that the sea was not packed with people either, at least when I went there. Okay, back to the movie: Another thing that got me really curious was when they said there is a ferry from a place on Rügen that takes four hours to get to one of Sweden's bigger cities if I remember correctly. Now that would be quite something to do. Sweden is a place I'd very much love to go anyway. But it is not just the sea that really appealed to me here. Or the castles and other sights. It's also the great deal of green areas we see in here, plains, but also many huge forests, so if you are not in the mood for a swim, you can also always go for a lengthy walk near the Baltic Sea. Animals are something I also appreciate constantly and of course we have many seagulls in here. We honestly hear them more often than we see them, but early on there is also cattle for example (before the ten-minute mark already) and several other species of animals appear during the watch in here. Such as horses later on. Or away from the nature side, you also briefly see a gigantic submarine for example.
On the informative side, we really get the expected. You are watching ppretty amazing places and at the same time finding out mostly interesting aspects about agriculture, industry, tourism and history. And more. The historic aspect is always especially interesting to me. Of course, there is a great deal of elaboration on GDR-related topics as well. Nothing political or only indirectly. We see a nuclear power plant and find out how it was closed right after the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Or we hear about a specific hotel with a Cold War background in terms of who resided there that could get used in a James Bond movie as well. And what we are also listening too aside from the specific contents is the female narrator's voice here and I think she did a good job overall. The name is Brigitte Assheuer. Or how you hear neighing on the occasion of the narrator elaborating on a special breed of horses. Simple, but effective and another good choice. This film also comes with a soundtrack or I should say score that fits the occasions. It felt almost soothing, kinda relaxing and never gets in the way of the exact contents. But I would still miss it if it wasn't there, so probably that's what a good soundtrack should be like. The mention there goes out to Edition Vidicom. Not really a name listed in the credits, at least not for this television version. Another inclusion I would like to mention here is the one of Greifswald. I know there is some kind of connection in my family to this place, just not exactly which, just like there is to the Baltic Sea in general. But these houses in Greifswald sure looked really beautiful and also historically significant. Shocking to hear that the GDR government plant on tearing them down and replacing them through ugly constructions. Don't remember the exact name and also not the translation.
I am sure there is something for almost everybody in this film. Probably you will prefer other segments than the ones I mentioned and that is perfectly fine. I guess though that this film is an especially good watch for Germans and those living maybe not too far away the location depicted. But also alright for everybody else because the film will get you into the mood to travel. Let's bring back to attention what a great country Germany is with how many different kinds of landscapes and regions worth a watch. Not just the mountainside in the south, but also the sea you get to witness with this movie. For all I am concerned, it could have been 45 minutes longer and I still would have enjoyed it. I like the watch from up abbove for sure and feel motivated to check out other of these documentaries. It is also technically a good choice for example when it comes to depicting all these cliffs you see in here. Man I had no idea there are such steep cliffs near the Baltic Sea. Or at least not that money. While admiring them, you also find out some nice background stuff as well and they are keeping it light for example with the explanation on the Königsstuhl, the gigantic chalk cliff. I really need to go there. Up there at best and enjoy the view. Okay, sorry for all the drooling that is only partially linked to this film, but then again, it is enough for me to see how this is a really inspiring watch. Also one that can be shown to classes (maybe not the higher classes) during geography lessons I'd say. Even technical stuff here, like the least reliable bridge of the country, caught my interest and for that I never really care otherwise. So yeah, this is a beautiful little movie. Criminally underseen and you should change that. One of the best documentaries of 2013/2015. Not just from Germany, but internationally. I give this one a big thumbs-up and highly recommend checking it out. I want to go there so badly again and see it all. Lighthouses are amazing too by the way. That's all.
Back in 2013, there was another nature documentary with focus on the sea, namely the North Sea, and for that they got Axel Prahl from Tatort as the narrator. Here they went with no famous narrators whatsoever. I guess if you prefer male narration you can go search for the original theatrical release. Anyway, Prahl's movie is also very much worth seeing and he is too much of a big name to replace him in another version. Of course, with him, there is also a bit more comedy than to this one here. I liked both approaches. I shall elaborate on this one here now though. One thing they did really well with was how they find the right balance between being informative and not being too complicated. The start when they tell us the size of the Baltic Sea compared to the Mediterranean Sea was a good idea to get things straight. Maybe just for me because I am not so good with imagining proportions, but I appreciated the comparison. One thing that certainly surprised me is how many castles you find in this film. I mean I had no idea there were so many up there near the Baltic Sea. Which makes it an even more interesting destination for me to travel to because I like castles. And the film really only focused on the German regions next to the Baltic Sea here, so they could have been even more had they included Poland etc. Also included is Warnemünde. This was of special interest to me because I went there last year for a brief trip (gimme back my MP3 player) and it was as beautiful as it was short. Except the gigantic amount of people of course. But it was nice to see it on the screen again and I would like to go there again once the pandmic allows us to. Or the restrictions allow us to I should say. They combined these recordings of special places with nice little anecdotes, like with the last example a little elaboration on how the first beach chair got invented. Also pretty fitting because these chairs are everywhere in Warnemünde.
So this film certainly increased my desire to go to the sea again and this is why already it can be called a success. I don't need exaggerated stuff like the pompous "WEIT. Die Geschichte von einem Weg um die Welt". This one here is just fine, especially with all the water we see and how much I love swimming. And honestly, in the sea it is much sweeter than in the lake or especially inside a swimming pool or something. Good thing is that the sea was not packed with people either, at least when I went there. Okay, back to the movie: Another thing that got me really curious was when they said there is a ferry from a place on Rügen that takes four hours to get to one of Sweden's bigger cities if I remember correctly. Now that would be quite something to do. Sweden is a place I'd very much love to go anyway. But it is not just the sea that really appealed to me here. Or the castles and other sights. It's also the great deal of green areas we see in here, plains, but also many huge forests, so if you are not in the mood for a swim, you can also always go for a lengthy walk near the Baltic Sea. Animals are something I also appreciate constantly and of course we have many seagulls in here. We honestly hear them more often than we see them, but early on there is also cattle for example (before the ten-minute mark already) and several other species of animals appear during the watch in here. Such as horses later on. Or away from the nature side, you also briefly see a gigantic submarine for example.
On the informative side, we really get the expected. You are watching ppretty amazing places and at the same time finding out mostly interesting aspects about agriculture, industry, tourism and history. And more. The historic aspect is always especially interesting to me. Of course, there is a great deal of elaboration on GDR-related topics as well. Nothing political or only indirectly. We see a nuclear power plant and find out how it was closed right after the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Or we hear about a specific hotel with a Cold War background in terms of who resided there that could get used in a James Bond movie as well. And what we are also listening too aside from the specific contents is the female narrator's voice here and I think she did a good job overall. The name is Brigitte Assheuer. Or how you hear neighing on the occasion of the narrator elaborating on a special breed of horses. Simple, but effective and another good choice. This film also comes with a soundtrack or I should say score that fits the occasions. It felt almost soothing, kinda relaxing and never gets in the way of the exact contents. But I would still miss it if it wasn't there, so probably that's what a good soundtrack should be like. The mention there goes out to Edition Vidicom. Not really a name listed in the credits, at least not for this television version. Another inclusion I would like to mention here is the one of Greifswald. I know there is some kind of connection in my family to this place, just not exactly which, just like there is to the Baltic Sea in general. But these houses in Greifswald sure looked really beautiful and also historically significant. Shocking to hear that the GDR government plant on tearing them down and replacing them through ugly constructions. Don't remember the exact name and also not the translation.
I am sure there is something for almost everybody in this film. Probably you will prefer other segments than the ones I mentioned and that is perfectly fine. I guess though that this film is an especially good watch for Germans and those living maybe not too far away the location depicted. But also alright for everybody else because the film will get you into the mood to travel. Let's bring back to attention what a great country Germany is with how many different kinds of landscapes and regions worth a watch. Not just the mountainside in the south, but also the sea you get to witness with this movie. For all I am concerned, it could have been 45 minutes longer and I still would have enjoyed it. I like the watch from up abbove for sure and feel motivated to check out other of these documentaries. It is also technically a good choice for example when it comes to depicting all these cliffs you see in here. Man I had no idea there are such steep cliffs near the Baltic Sea. Or at least not that money. While admiring them, you also find out some nice background stuff as well and they are keeping it light for example with the explanation on the Königsstuhl, the gigantic chalk cliff. I really need to go there. Up there at best and enjoy the view. Okay, sorry for all the drooling that is only partially linked to this film, but then again, it is enough for me to see how this is a really inspiring watch. Also one that can be shown to classes (maybe not the higher classes) during geography lessons I'd say. Even technical stuff here, like the least reliable bridge of the country, caught my interest and for that I never really care otherwise. So yeah, this is a beautiful little movie. Criminally underseen and you should change that. One of the best documentaries of 2013/2015. Not just from Germany, but internationally. I give this one a big thumbs-up and highly recommend checking it out. I want to go there so badly again and see it all. Lighthouses are amazing too by the way. That's all.
