"Rheingold - Gesichter eines Flusses", which means "Rheingold - Faces of a River" is a German 1.5-hour documentary from 2014, so this one is already over five years old and it is still shown on television these days. This is not surprising though because it as theatrical release back then and honestly I am a lot happier if solid documentaries like this one here are shown in the afternoon on German television than the many many horrible Regina Ziegler / Degeto Herzkino movies. The directors here are Peter Bardehle and Lena Leonhardt. As you may have guessed from the names, Bardehle is the far more experienced of the two. For Leonhardt it was her very first directorial effort, but since then she has worked on several projects and is on course to becoming a prolific filmmaker as well. As for Bardehle, he has worked on many documentaries since the start of the new millennium and there are quite a few "von oben" documentaries includes. This one here does not have this exact expression in the title, but it would have made sense too because the vast majority of recordings come from the filmmakers being up there in a helicopter and flying above the River Rhine. This is the subject of the documentary and you probably guessed this already because said river, the biggest in Germany and also among the biggest in Europe is mentioned in the title already with a reference to a mythical trasure. You will also find out quite a bit about the Nibelungen and what they did that caused the Rhine to rise over its banks and flood the areas surrounding it. Of course only in myths. Or find out about a resilient virgin who managed to scare away a dragon with a cross. Bilbo could have needed this approach. Or another story about a daring fisherman who did not get as lucky the second time in surviving the wrath and power of the River Rhine. I think they got a nice mix in here in terms of combining fiction with reality. For example, we also find out about environment catastrophes from a long time ago that caused a great deal of poison to enter the river and the consequences it had not only for the river and the water, but also for the people in the sense of a boomerang effect. Don't think you can do whatever you want to the Rhine, he will make you pay for it.
This as handled in an interesting fashion as the river was given a voice by prolific German actor Ben Becker. I would not say he is a superstar or anything, but certainly still among the most known actors here in Germany, not only because his known family members. I mean not too many could probably managed to have shows sold out in which he is channeling his inner Kinski. He is a bit of an enfant terrible as well. But here with his narration, he is as soothing and calm as he is powerful. Unfortunately, he was not the most prolific narrator from this movie. That would be Anne Moll, another prolific German actress about the same age as Becker, but hardly anybody even knows her, not even German film buffs. I can see why. I did not like her narration that much. I easily would have preferred to have Becker narrate the entire thing and we could have done without an actor speaking for the river itself in this scenario. I can still see why they did what they did because with the approach they actually gave this movie, only a female and a male narrator would have made sense. Perhaps they could have come up with a better female narrator though. Okay, what else? Oh yeah, there is really a great variety in here: On one occasion you find out about most simple pleasures even like pig races that take place somewhere near the river. More inclusion like this would have been appreciated. Like I said in the title of my review, I felt this take on the Rhine did feel a little dry overall. I mean I am perfectly fine with factual inclusions, but it was a bit exaggerated here I guess. Maybe it also had to to with the bleakness of the narrator's voice that I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. They went very much by the books I'd say. Still, don't get me wrong, the outcome here is certainly good enough. And some of the recordings from up in the airare downright stunning. I certainly wanna check out some of the other Bardehle "von oben" ("from up above") documentaries at some point in the future. And I hope these have better narration. Overall, this is about what you could expect, a fairly informative take on this massive river and why it is so significant. Maybe you will not find the river when watching this one (if we talk R.E.M. language), but there is no hesitation for me in giving this one a positive recommendation. Actually, I think that it was almost too much information here. It also could have been an amazing watch with nothing but a not too loud soundtrack and 90 minutes of footage from the helicopter. With the approach they actually took, I also could have done with less Nibelungen stuff. Nonetheless, these weaker inclusions totally have been made up for by the stronger inclusions like all the animal footage, mostly birds, but also the seals at the very end. What can I say? I love seals. And I liked this film. Go check it out, especially if you are Germany or even live next to the Rhine. Then it is close to a must-see. Don't miss out.
This as handled in an interesting fashion as the river was given a voice by prolific German actor Ben Becker. I would not say he is a superstar or anything, but certainly still among the most known actors here in Germany, not only because his known family members. I mean not too many could probably managed to have shows sold out in which he is channeling his inner Kinski. He is a bit of an enfant terrible as well. But here with his narration, he is as soothing and calm as he is powerful. Unfortunately, he was not the most prolific narrator from this movie. That would be Anne Moll, another prolific German actress about the same age as Becker, but hardly anybody even knows her, not even German film buffs. I can see why. I did not like her narration that much. I easily would have preferred to have Becker narrate the entire thing and we could have done without an actor speaking for the river itself in this scenario. I can still see why they did what they did because with the approach they actually gave this movie, only a female and a male narrator would have made sense. Perhaps they could have come up with a better female narrator though. Okay, what else? Oh yeah, there is really a great variety in here: On one occasion you find out about most simple pleasures even like pig races that take place somewhere near the river. More inclusion like this would have been appreciated. Like I said in the title of my review, I felt this take on the Rhine did feel a little dry overall. I mean I am perfectly fine with factual inclusions, but it was a bit exaggerated here I guess. Maybe it also had to to with the bleakness of the narrator's voice that I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. They went very much by the books I'd say. Still, don't get me wrong, the outcome here is certainly good enough. And some of the recordings from up in the airare downright stunning. I certainly wanna check out some of the other Bardehle "von oben" ("from up above") documentaries at some point in the future. And I hope these have better narration. Overall, this is about what you could expect, a fairly informative take on this massive river and why it is so significant. Maybe you will not find the river when watching this one (if we talk R.E.M. language), but there is no hesitation for me in giving this one a positive recommendation. Actually, I think that it was almost too much information here. It also could have been an amazing watch with nothing but a not too loud soundtrack and 90 minutes of footage from the helicopter. With the approach they actually took, I also could have done with less Nibelungen stuff. Nonetheless, these weaker inclusions totally have been made up for by the stronger inclusions like all the animal footage, mostly birds, but also the seals at the very end. What can I say? I love seals. And I liked this film. Go check it out, especially if you are Germany or even live next to the Rhine. Then it is close to a must-see. Don't miss out.
