The Youngsters (1996)

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Movie
Original title The youngsters
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 1996
length 102 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Urs Egger
script Bernd Eichinger ,
Uwe Wilhelm
production Bernd Eichinger,
Uschi Reich
music Detlef Friedrich Petersen
camera Lukas Strebel
cut Hans Funck
occupation

Die Halbstarken is a German television film from 1996 . The film is based on the script by Will Tremper & Georg Tressler for the film Die Halbstarken from 1956 and was produced by Sat 1 as part of the German Classics series, which reinterprets the greatest German post-war film successes.

action

The gang of thugs , led by Freddy , met in the 1950s in Cologne's open-air swimming pool . There Freddy happens to meet his younger brother Jan, whom he has not seen in a long time, and introduces him to his gang. In the joy of seeing him again, he gives him his gold wristwatch. When a bather discovers his radio stolen by Kudde from the gang and wants to get it back, a fight breaks out and the group hastily leaves the pool.

While trying to sell the radio in the pawn shop, gang member Wölfi accidentally finds the shop key, which the owner lost while finishing work. Wolfi gives the key to Freddy. Freddy sees here on the one hand the opportunity to get his girlfriend the promised engagement ring , on the other hand he needs a present for his parents. Jan had suggested a reconciliation visit, which Freddy responded to. So Freddy and his girlfriend Sissy break into the pawn shop and steal a ring and a pocket watch as a present for his father. The meeting at his parents' home is initially harmonious until Freddy hands his father the watch and the latter recognizes his own watch, which has just been sold in the pawn shop. The father then gets angry and beats Freddy out of the house.

In Garezzo's espresso bar, the gang is planning a robbery the next day on the post office where Freddy worked for four years. According to Freddy, the income from the local department store always arrives here on Monday. Jan also appears surprisingly. He tells Freddy that after Freddy's eviction from his former parents' house yesterday he was also put out by his father. He says that since his return from the war, his mother's father has made life hell. In addition, a lot of debts have accumulated because father lost his job due to his war injury. A new job as a sales representative for cosmetics has gone wrong. So meanwhile 5000 DM have accumulated in debts. Freddy offers Jan against Sissy's wishes to move in with him for a few days, which his brother gratefully accepts. There Jan realizes very quickly that Freddy's standard of living cannot be financed by his job at the gas station alone, and he assumes that he would steal. Freddy excuses himself, justifying his actions by saying that even his brother comes to him for money. After a busy life, he wouldn't want to be fobbed off by his employer on his 60th birthday with a silver watch. Finally, he tells Jan about the planned robbery. He has to go along with it for better or for worse. Freddy gets a live pistol and ammunition from the seedy Brillinger. However, it quickly turns out that even Jan is a better shot than Freddy. Jan tries in vain to stop his brother from buying the pistol. The gang member Klaus refuses to take part. He's afraid of his job as a waiter in the espresso bar. Only by using the newly acquired pistol can Freddy finally force him to take part.

Freddy, Mario, Willi and Günther watch the departure of the mail car in the car and overtake it to inform those waiting in the second vehicle at the intersection. However, Klaus has already fled. So Jan and Kudde set up the roadblock on their own from construction signs they had previously received. The approaching mail car now has to take a different route. Jan remains alone at the intersection. The gang fakes a bike accident to stop the mail van. When the drivers get out, there is a fight in the course of which the driver Günther tears the mask off his face. Freddy intervenes when Günther beats the officer almost dead out of anger and fear of being identifiable in front of the police, but for reasons of conscience he cannot shoot him as Günther wanted. In the meantime, the others have reloaded the contents of the mail car and the gang fled. The two postal workers are left seriously injured.

Freddy collects Jan and meets with his boys and girls at the agreed meeting point, an old boathouse. In the stolen box, however, there are only postal orders, no cash. When everyone blames Freddy for the failed plan, Sissy defends him. Eventually, Freddy suggests that the group rob the espresso bar owner, Garezzo, who has bragged about keeping his cash at home in the past. Except for Sissy, none of the youngsters want to participate anymore. Freddy breaks into Garezzo's apartment with Sissy. There they meet his father. Jan is plagued by remorse, and he lets Kudde drive him to Freddy. With the help of the sick father, he found the hidden safe with money and jewelry. When the father takes an opportunity to call the police, Jan comes into the apartment and prevents Freddy in time from shooting the man by knocking the gun out of his hand. Sissy grabs the gun lying on the ground and shoots the old man just as he reports the break-in on the phone. Freddy is horrified and wants to take the gun from Sissy. Because she refuses, a scuffle ensues, in the course of which another shot is released from the gun, which accidentally fatally injures Sissy.

In retrospect, Freddy reports that he received a silver watch from his employer, the Post, for his 60th birthday. He started this job after being mediated by his probation officer after his release from prison.

background

As a homage to the original film, the clique watches the film Das Totenschiff with Horst Buchholz , the Freddy actor from 1956 in the leading role, at the beginning of the film .

Eichinger moved the story from Berlin to Cologne , changed the role of the sissy and the ending.

An exact year of the action is not given in the film. Due to the not necessarily correct props , one can assume a period between 1956 and 1961 here. The post bus bears the license plate BP ... which was only used by the Federal Post Office from 1956 . The songs played in the film were recorded between 1938 and 1961. The aforementioned film Das Totenschiff also fits into the picture with its release year 1959. However, the Ingrid Bergman film Ich kkampf um dich, which was released in Germany in 1952, and the James Cagney film Jump in death, launched in Germany in 1953 in 1953, are advertised as White Heat on the advertising pillar . The tour poster for Louis Armstrong - King of Jazz in the Congress Hall can also be seen on the advertising pillar . The design of the poster suggests the year 1952.

criticism

“Eichinger's second trick from the 'German Classics' series, initially based on four remakes: 'Die Halbstarken'… Producer Eichinger entrusted the director to the Swiss Urs Egger, but this was also the best star cinema. Here the camera is in love with Til Schweiger, who leads an ensemble of otherwise completely unknown young actors. Amazing talents all. "

- Frankfurter Rundschau

“From Bernd Eichinger's 'German Classics' series, in which Til Schweiger plays the part of the young and wild Horst Buchholz. With a surprising ending. Elaborately staged by Urs Egger. "

- kino.de

“Til Schweiger rebels against the must of the Adenauer era. TV youth drama remake Cologne, in the 50s: Freddy (Til Schweiger) prefers life on the street to the stuffy parental home. In the hope of a wild life, he instigated his gang (including Roman Knižka) on amateurish raids ... In 1956 Horst Buchholz became a cool rebel in the original. 40 years later, producer Bernd Eichinger told the story again, this time from the hero's point of view "

- TV movie

Soundtrack

publication title Interpreter
1938 With Mir Bistu Shein Andrew Sisters
1951 How high the moon Les Paul & Mary Ford
1953 That's amore Dean Martin
1958 Rockin 'Robin Bobby Day
1958 Fever Peggy Lee
1961 The Wanderer Dion

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ authorities Plate hegis.de retrieved December 20, 2018
  2. ↑ I fight for you IMDb, accessed December 20, 2018
  3. ↑ jump to their deaths IMDb, accessed December 20, 2018
  4. ↑ historical poster catalog , plakatkontor.de accessed December 20, 2018
  5. ^ [1] Frankfurter Rundschau , October 30, 1996
  6. ^ Die Halbstarken (1996) Kino.de , accessed December 20, 2018
  7. ↑ [2] tvspielfilm.de , accessed December 20, 2018