The incorrigible Barbara
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The incorrigible Barbara |
| Country of production | GDR |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1977 |
| length | 109 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Lothar Warneke |
| script | Lothar Warneke |
| production | DEFA , KAG "Babelsberg" |
| music | Andrei Korzynski |
| camera | Jürgen Lenz |
| cut | Erika Lehmphul |
| occupation | |
| |
The incorrigible Barbara is a German contemporary film by DEFA by Lothar Warneke from 1977 .
action
Barbara was once a successful swimmer who made it into the GDR national team. Out of love for her husband, she gave up her swimming career and followed him to the small town of Ergsleben. Her husband Herbert worked there as a mathematician and developed, among other things, large calculating machines. Barbara began to work as an unskilled worker in the spinning mill of a textile company in which Herbert's mother was also employed. Barbara trained them further so that she qualified as a skilled worker. Barbara is now about to qualify as a master craftsman and is supported in her work by her superior Ferdinand. Even when Barbara's examination paper calls for a rigorous rethinking of work and training methods that would require more effort from all workers, Ferdinand stands behind her. Barbara is an energetic woman with high goals. In a completely unconventional way, she also succeeded in building a swimming pool belonging to the plant in which she could train the local children and young people and in which even swimming competitions would be possible. With her appearance, she causes resistance among men and occasionally incomprehension among women due to her “masculine nature”. However, Barbara is popular with young people who are just about to be trained in the company because she openly addresses grievances and warns of changes.
Her marriage to Herbert seems stable, so they both adopted the child Jacki almost a year ago. The probationary year is almost over when Barbara learns by chance that Herbert has been cheating on her with his secretary Eva for a long time. Eva is seven months pregnant by Herbert and the affair began nine months ago. At this time Herbert's employment relationship also began to deteriorate. His company realized that it didn't need a data center designed by Herbert with the most modern machines and sold the devices to industry. Herbert's job was rationalized and he was entrusted with work for which he was overqualified. He did not confide in Barbara because he believed that he could no longer meet her requirements.
The situation is messed up, especially since Barbara is now being closely watched at work. In the latently misogynistic Obermeister Franz, she receives a new superior who questions her approach and tests her limits. At home, Barbara has to share the apartment with her husband and Eva because their father threw her out after they discovered their affair. Barbara and Herbert get divorced and Jacki is awarded to Barbara. Herbert is obliged to move out of the apartment, but takes his time until it becomes too much for Barbara. She begins to look for her own apartment, but it turns out that Eva's father has already set up an apartment for his daughter and Herbert. Last but not least, Herbert's mother takes Barbara's side and gives her new strength, but accepts a collapse herself.
Barbara is promoted to master craftsman and her commitment to a new training plan pays off, so it should be introduced on a trial basis. When a former swimming colleague offers Barbara a job as a swimming instructor in another city, Barbara hesitates. She realizes that he loves her and would give up his family for her, and cancels the new position. She doesn't want her divorce to lead to further falling out. The swimming pool in Ergsleben has meanwhile been completed. The lanes are a few centimeters too short so that competitions can never be held in the hall. Nevertheless, Barbara will use it to train the girls in the company. In the end, she built a new life for herself with her adopted son. She happily spends her vacation with him on the Baltic Sea - alone.
production
The incorrigible Barbara was filmed under the working title Spinners in 1976. Director Warneke was also able to draw on his own experience, as he had worked in a cotton mill himself at times. The costumes for the film were created by Regina Viertel , Brigitte Pleißner and Werner Pleißner , the production design comes from Dieter Adam .
The incorrigible Barbara had its film premiere on March 11, 1977 in the Leipzig Capitol and was shown in GDR cinemas on the same day. On May 1, 1978 it was broadcast for the first time on GDR 2 on GDR television and on October 15, 1996 on ORB for the first time on German television. The film was shown in a retrospective at the 1983 Berlinale .
The film was one of Johanna Schall's first screen roles . Cox Habbema and Eberhard Esche, who are friends in the film, were already married to each other at the time of shooting.
criticism
The contemporary criticism of the GDR found that the film did not "come together to form a whole." The narrative is erratic, some cuts are too abrupt, some passages remain incomprehensible. ” Frank-Burkhard Habel wrote that Warneke, with Barbara,“ [created] one of the most interesting female characters of those years. Unfortunately, not all other roles were equally profiled, which was particularly noticeable in Herbert's role. "
The film-dienst called the incorrigible Barbara a "contemporary film that largely fails because of the multitude of its problems and the brittleness of dramaturgy and direction."
literature
- F.-B. Habel : The great lexicon of DEFA feature films . Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-89602-349-7 , pp. 650-651 .
Web links
- The incorrigible Barbara in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The incorrigible Barbara at filmportal.de
- The incorrigible Barbara at the DEFA Foundation
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b F.-B. Habel : The great lexicon of DEFA feature films . Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-89602-349-7 , pp. 651 .
- ↑ See the incorrigible Barbara on progress-film.de ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Renate Holland-Moritz : cinema owl . In: Eulenspiegel , No. 16, 1977.
- ↑ The incorrigible Barbara. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
