Contergan (film)

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Movie
Original title Contergan
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 2007
length 180 minutes
Rod
Director Adolf Winkelmann
script Benedikt Röskau
production Volker Hahn ,
Michael Souvignier
music Hans Steingen
camera David Slama
cut Rudi Heinen
occupation

Contergan is a two-part TV series by WDR from 2007 , in which the Contergan scandal is fictionalized. The script was written by Benedikt Röskau and directed by Adolf Winkelmann .

content

Part one: a single tablet

In 1960 lawyer Paul Wegener founded a law firm together with colleague and friend Horst Bauer; you can win important clients from the industry. Wegener's wife Vera is pregnant. Because sleep she takes one evening a tablet by her doctor recommended popular as harmless sleeping pill thalidomide . She gives birth to a child who is missing both arms and one leg. In the clinic, the parents have to hear from doctors that they have not been examined for hereditary diseases. The doctor also advises them: “Today there are homes for that, you can easily hand it in there.” He is then thrown out of the room by Wegener.

The suspicion is confirmed that the drug Contergan could be the cause of the deformity. Precisely the preparation that is produced by Grünenthal GmbH , which has given the law firm such lucrative industrial mandates. At the urging of his wife, Wegener finally sues the company, which leads to a falling out with his partner Bauer. Bauer changes sides and begins to work for the Grünenthal company, which tries to discredit Wegener with spying and denigration.

Part two: the process

In 1961 Contergan is taken off the market; the process begins in 1968 after seven years of preparation.

The now seven-year-old daughter Katrin finds it difficult to assert herself in everyday life and has to cope with depressing situations such as avoidance by other children. This isolation only breaks when an Italian woman moves in with her daughter. The mothers and daughters become friends, which improves Katrin's situation enormously.

At the same time, the Wegener's marriage is under heavy strain, as Vera does not agree with Paul's litigation strategy. Naumann, defender of the group, on the other hand, plays for time in order to bring about a statute of limitations for the offense. If this succeeds, there would be no compensation payments for the victims. In court, Vera is charged with the fact that her daughter's deformities could also have been caused by an electric shock she suffered from a defective electric stove during pregnancy. During the trial there is a scandal when Naumann cross- examines Vera Wegener as a witness . Despite preparation by her husband, she is not up to the situation and attacks Naumann.

The responsible employees of the Grünenthal company are worn down by the long process and sometimes want to give up. Wegener wants to prevent the statute of limitations and reaches an out-of-court settlement in the amount of 100 million  DM as compensation for the victims. The case was finally dropped in December 1970 for "minor guilt" on the part of the accused and "lack of public interest".

Trial of the film

The film was originally scheduled to run on ARD in autumn 2006 . However, the broadcast was prevented by an injunction at the Hamburg district court by the Grünenthal company in Stolberg (Rhineland) , which had sold the sleeping pill at the time, as well as a lawyer who saw himself recognizable in the film . Grünenthal criticized that the topic was not suitable for an entertainment film and that the events were portrayed in a distorted manner in various key scenes.

The basis of the ruling was an early and longer version of the script, which had been changed or shortened due to usual dramaturgical considerations before the shooting began. On April 10, 2007, the judgment by the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg was largely overturned. The film differed in parts from the contested script version, which was already out of date at the time of the application for a disposition. On May 15, 2007, the Hamburg Regional Court overturned the pharmaceutical company's last preliminary injunctions against the WDR and the Zeitsprung production company.

A judgment was to be given on July 20, 2007 in the practically identical main proceedings, which were also heard on May 15, 2007 before the same civil chamber of the Hamburg Regional Court. Because of a planned showing of the film at the Munich Film Festival , the plaintiffs filed urgent motions against the film with the Federal Constitutional Court . Out of respect for the Supreme Court, which was completely overburdened in the early summer of 2007, especially because of applications in connection with the G8 summit in Heiligendamm , the producer decided not to perform the screening so as not to put the judges under unnecessary time pressure - although legally from the point of view of the producer would not have spoken against a demonstration. However, the producer should have expected that the Federal Constitutional Court would have issued an interim order against him.

In an urgent decision published on September 5, 2007, the judges of the Federal Constitutional Court dismissed the lawsuits of the Contergan manufacturer Grünenthal and a lawyer. In a decision of August 29, 2007, the Federal Constitutional Court also rejected the application for an injunction against the film.

"It represents a serious encroachment on the freedom of the broadcaster to design and distribute its program if it is prevented by issuing an urgent order from the first broadcast of a feature film at a point in time chosen according to current relevance and in a context chosen according to media-specific aspects. [...] The weighing of the consequences outlined above does not show that the disadvantages that threaten the complainants if they refuse to take an urgent decision outweigh the adverse effects on the interests of the broadcaster and the public's interest in information associated with their adoption. "

- BVerfG : press release of September 5, 2007

In the main proceedings on January 25, 2008, the Hamburg Regional Court dealt with the case again and dismissed the four injunctions in the ruling on April 18, 2008. An appeal by Grünenthal from May 2008 was rejected by the Hamburg Higher Regional Court on December 16, 2008.

Charisma

The first finally showed the first part of the film on November 7, 2007 and reached 7.27 million viewers with a market share of 22.2 percent of the total audience. The ARD undertook to clarify in the opening and closing credits that the movie was largely fictional, especially as regards private and professional people and actions. Then 4.73 million viewers saw the discussion on the film. On the talk show Hard but fair with the broadcast title How Safe Are Medicines Today? Can a case like Contergan repeat itself? Actors of the feature film also took part. The second part was broadcast the following day and reached 6.85 million viewers with a market share of 21.2 percent. At the same time, the film was shown on ORF 2 .

DVD

Originally, Contergan should have been available on DVD from Warner Home Video on November 9, 2007 . But for “legal reasons” - no further reason was given - the film could not be offered for sale. Instead, Jan Moito's company EOS wanted to release the film on DVD in March 2008.

The film was actually released on DVD by Kinowelt Home Entertainment on December 5th, 2008.

Reviews

“For dramaturgical reasons, the script occasionally shortens the historical situation; The connection with the Nazi era is inevitably shortened by the personalization in the film. Nevertheless, a very impressive, important film was created that lives from the emotions that are also controlled by the music and with which he lets us experience the historical scandal. "

"The film is first class quality television and a deeply moving plea for humanity."

- Peter Luley : Spiegel Online

“The ARD film is moving, maybe it moves one or two viewers to tears, but it escapes these dangers. He has not become a stir. Of course, it personalizes and emotionalises - what else? Structural history and medical sociology cannot be filmed. Conflicts are intensified. The conflict with the pharmaceutical manufacturer bursts into the middle of an up-and-coming law firm run by two young lawyers. But the result is a large, mass-compatible piece of television that uses the possibilities of the medium. "

- Bernd Gäbler : Stern.de

“'Contergan' is undoubtedly made professionally, has an above-average cast, is outfitted with great attention to detail and sometimes played movingly. However, the film never breaks out of the black and white of victims and perpetrators, the film never leaves the conventional behind. The figures are too seamless for that, the conflicts too clear and the hairstyles too quick. "

- Heinrich Wefing : "The only tablet" in FAZ , November 6, 2007

particularities

The role of the Contergan-damaged girl Katrin is played by Denise Marko from Schrobenhausen in Bavaria, who was born without arms and with only one leg; but without a history of Contergan, which at the time of her birth had long since been taken off the market in Germany. Her handicap, as she calls it, is the result of a genetic error.

While searching for an actress, Souvignier found out during his research that there are still thalidomide -damaged children in third world countries because thalidomide is also used against leprosy and the symbolic pregnancy warning on the pills is often misunderstood as a contraceptive. However, these children have dark skin, which is why he could not find any actors for his film here. Then he found out that there is a rare clinical picture ( dysmelia , especially: amniotic ligament syndrome ) that laymen cannot distinguish from thalidomide damage externally. He then got in touch with doctors who specialize in this and found Denise, whose acting excitement made him enthusiastic. At the time of filming, Denise was 11 years old, much older than the child she plays, which can be clearly seen in the proportions of her foot.

Denise was attending regular school at the time and did not use prostheses, although she had one for her left leg. She said the prosthesis only hindered her.

Prices

Michael Souvignier with the Romy for Contergan in Vienna (2008)

The two-parter won the Bambi on November 29, 2007 . In his acceptance speech, producer Michael Souvignier appealed to the pharmaceutical company Grünenthal: "I wish that Grünenthal no longer sues us and finally seeks a dialogue with the Contergan victims". The invited guests applauded the producer for several minutes.

The thalidomide victims joined this appeal and started a list of signatures on contergan-treff.de .

In 2007 Michael Souvignier received the Golden Gong for his overall performance as a producer . In 2008 the film received the Golden Camera and the German Television Award in the category of Best German Television Film, and in Vienna Michael Souvignier and Adolf Winkelmann were awarded the Golden Romy for Best Television Film.

Katharina Wackernagel received in 2008 a. a. for her performance in this film, the Bavarian Television Award as Best Actress in the category TV movie .

In 2008 the film received the German Television Award in the category of best television film / multi-part .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, March 17, 2006 ( Memento of the original from March 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ksta.de
  2. ^ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , April 11, 2007, p. 38
  3. ↑ A stage win for a film about the Contergan scandal . ( Memento of May 17, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Netzeitung
  4. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , July 21, 2007, p. 39
  5. Article. ( Memento from February 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Netzeitung , September 5, 2007.
  6. Press release BVerfG 88/2007
  7. ^ Report to the Institute for Copyright and Media Law
  8. http://www.judicialis.de/Oberlandesgericht-Hamburg_7-U-49-08_Urteil_16.12.2008.html
  9. Over 7 million viewers saw “Contergan” . DWDL
  10. ^ "Contergan": Film and reportage top again . DWDL
  11. Warner: "Contergan" does not appear on DVD .
  12. EPD ( Memento of the original from October 19, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.epd.de
  13. ^ "Contergan" DVD . Cinema world
  14. Lexicon of International Films - Film Year 2007. Schüren Verlag, Marburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-89472-624-9
  15. Sensitively against forgetting . Spiegel Online , September 27, 2007; review
  16. ARD shows what it is good for . Stern.de , November 6, 2007
  17. Heinrich Wefing : The only tablet . In: FAZ , November 6, 2007, p. 40.
  18. m & c  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.monstersandcritics.de  
  19. Signature list . Contergantreff.de. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2019.