Magdalena and Michael have loved each other since they were children. But when the Nazis come to power, Michael rebels against the regime and is sentenced to fifteen years in a concentration camp. Magdalena, meanwhile, goes underground with the help of a friend and later immigrates to the Soviet Union. Michael, who has joined the Red Army, discovers on the way to Moscow that Magdalena is staying there. But when his plane lands, she is already on her way back to Germany. Michael hopes that one day, he and Magdalena will be reunited.
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Reviews
So much average
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
A decent war drama, this has some of the best acting talent Germany had at the time. Even if its East Germany, both actors made a lot of movies after that and especially Armin Mueller Stahl is known all over the world. The story on hand here is pretty easy to follow and might entice you completely.Acting is good as stated above, but there seems to be something special missing. Well at least that's what I felt, when I watched it at the Berlin International Festival this year. I might be too harsh on this film (though my rating would suggest a bit otherwise), but I think there was more that could've been done with the story. And the superb acting of course ...
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.
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