The Promise (1995)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The promise |
| Country of production | Germany , France , Switzerland |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1994 |
| length | 115 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Margarethe von Trotta |
| script |
Felice Laudadio , Margarethe von Trotta , Peter Schneider (dialogues) |
| production | Eberhard Junkersdorf |
| music | Jürgen Knieper |
| camera | Franz Rath |
| cut | Suzanne Baron |
| occupation | |
| |
The Promise is a German feature film from 1994.
action
The film begins in Berlin in 1961. In summer the wall was built and in autumn five young people try to flee from East to West Berlin . Sophie, Monika, Max and Wolfgang manage to escape. Sophie's friend Konrad stays behind and is arrested. Sophie then organizes another escape attempt for Konrad, but this also fails. Konrad stays in the east and has to start his service with the border troops of the GDR .
In the summer of 1968 Konrad was a student and was allowed to travel to Prague for a conference with Professor Lorenz . Sophie uses the opportunity to see Konrad again. Konrad is supposed to write his doctoral thesis in Prague and Sophie decides to move there for this time as well. But the dream of being together shattered when Warsaw Pact troops ended the Prague Spring on August 20, 1968 . Konrad and Sophie return to divided Berlin, again separated by the wall. Finally Sophie, who is pregnant by Konrad, decides to travel to East Berlin. She now wants to be with Konrad for good and apply for re-naturalization. But Konrad is against it. He has the opportunity to travel to Stockholm for a teaching position and then wants to come to Sophie in West Berlin. But again nothing comes of the young people's plans. Konrad is refused a visa to Sweden . Sophie now decides not to see Konrad again.
Twelve years later, Konrad is now Professor Lorenz's successor, married and has a daughter. When he comes to West Berlin, he gets in touch with Sophie. He sees his son Alexander for the first time and then manages to get a permit that Alexander can visit him regularly in East Berlin. However, when Konrad's sister Barbara's husband was arrested due to protests on the anniversary of the building of the Wall, deported to West Berlin and killed by an exploding mine while trying to cross the border, Konrad's permission to visit his son was revoked. It wasn't until November 9, 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell, that father and son meet again. Alexander informs his mother Sophie of the fall of the Berlin Wall and sets off for the east. Sophie meets the two of them when they cross the border together.
background
The film premiered at the 1995 Berlinale on February 9, 1995. The film was released in German cinemas on February 16, 1995.
Reviews
“A vividly played 'political melodrama' that combines the failure of a love with a historical inventory of divided Germany. In some scenes it is over-constructed and sometimes simplistic in its overly grippy historical images, but overall the film impresses with its effort to convey through people's feelings how much political and private events intermingle. "
Awards
Meret Becker was awarded the Bavarian Film Prize in 1995 for her performance . Margarethe von Trotta received the award for best director. In the same year Becker and Corinna Harfouch were nominated for the German Film Award.
Web links
- The promise in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The promise at filmportal.de (with trailer and photo gallery)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The promise. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed April 20, 2017 .