A useful man

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Movie
Original title A useful man
Country of production GDR
original language German
Publishing year 1989
length 99 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Hans-Werner Honert
script Hans-Werner Honert,
Helmut Grewald
production Giselher Venzke
music Jürgen Wilbrandt
camera Helmut Grewald
cut Brigitte Koppe
occupation

A useful man is a DEFA- produced feature film from the GDR from 1989. It is based on the radio play of the same name by Hans-Werner Honert from 1987.

action

The junior squad Uli Merkel receives a controversial order by the Directorate General of his farm: He will again raise the lost technology designs of his predecessor Heiner Rudolf. The fact that this is a job to steal intellectual property doesn't bother Uli at first, after all, he expects a variety of career opportunities and the implementation of his own ideas from success. However, things are developing differently.

After his drafts and suggestions were rejected, Heiner withdrew to the island of Rügen . He lives bitterly isolated on the island of Rügen and works as an undertaker. After initial problems, a relationship of trust develops between the two protagonists. In the discussions, Heiner reveals that the management did not want to use his ideas. As Heiner continued to advocate his ideas, the leadership pushed him out of the combine . Now Uli is also beginning to rethink. He realizes that his suggestions were also rejected by the leadership. When he returns to Berlin, he finds out that his partner is having an affair with his best friend. Now Uli is ready to give up everything. In a rage, he confronts his superiors. Although he tries again to convince Uli of the correctness of his order, Uli can no longer let himself be used. He travels to the island of Rügen again and confides in Heiner the real reasons for his first trip. At this moment Gerhard appears symbolically and can convince Heiner once more to return to Berlin with him. Uli remains alone in the cemetery and completes Heiner's pit.

Reviews

  • Film and television : "In spite of all its limitations, the film gives a picture of the time that could also tell later generations a lot about stupidity, self-governing decisions and restrictions on individual creativity."
  • Neues Deutschland : "What this film offers us is not a breathtaking, dramatic work of the century, but it has all the features of a controversial pamphlet about moral questions of our socialist everyday life, which are being discussed with particular passion these days."

swell

  • Klaus M. Fiedler: "They were all useful ..." In: Film und Fernsehen. The German film magazine of the Berlin-Brandenburg region , vol. 18 (1990) issue 3, pp. 11f., ISSN  0323-3227 .
  • Günter Sobe: Useful men in a useful film . In: Neues Deutschland from October 20, 1989, p. 6, ISSN  0323-3375 .
  • Stefan Zahlmann: Body and Conflict. Cinematic culture of memory in the FRG and GDR since the sixties (Innovations. Library for Modern and Modern History; Vol. 9). Spitz-Verlag, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-8305-0219-2 (also dissertation, University of Münster 1999).

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