I am an elephant, madame

Movie
Original title	I am an elephant, madame
Country of production	Germany
original language	German
Publishing year	1969
length	100 minutes
Age rating	FSK 6 (current)
Rod
Director	Peter Zadek
script	Robert Muller Wolfgang crowd Peter Zadek
production	Ernst Liesenhoff
camera	Gérard Vandenberg
cut	Herbert Taschner
occupation
Wolfgang Schneider : Student Rull Heinz Baumann : Dr. Nemitz Tankred Dorst : Violat Peter Palitzsch : Fiege Maja Eigen : Billa Gudrun Herms : Gisela Guido Baumann : Interviewer Margot Trooger : Mrs. Nemitz Günther Lüders : Dr. Hartmann Rolf Becker : Rohwedder Ilja Richter : Haverkamp pupil Ingrid Resch : Miss Winter Kurt Huebner : Mr. Satemin Robert Dietl : Mueller-Frank

I'm an elephant, Madame is a German feature film from 1969; it was the first feature film by the famous theater director Peter Zadek .

action

The film is based on the novel Die Unberatenen by Thomas Valentin (1963) and a previous TV production of the novel under its original title from 1966 by Peter Zadek, and paraphrases the student revolt of the 1960s. The student Rull rehearses the uprising at a high school in Bremen and tries to break through the authoritarian structures of his school. A humorous protest movement emerges that demands a democratic school system. The film shows the students during class and in their private lives. He exposes the teachers who cling to the traditional form of school. At the same time, the students try to get the progressive teachers on their side.

background

In the 1960s, Peter Zadek was in-house director of the Städtische Bühnen Bremen under director Kurt Huebner , who also played a small role in this film. The title of the film satirizes the song I kiss your hand, Madame . The film was shot at the Alte Gymnasium in Bremen (in the former building on Dechanatstrasse).

Reviews

“ Stylishly formulated time criticism that tries to mirror the general search for a point of view between the extreme positions of persistence in authority and social revolutionary consciousness and the associated identity crises, sometimes with shocking means. "

- Lexicon of international film

“ An equally committed and formally attractive film pamphlet against authoritarian society by the once wild theater maker. "

- Heyne Film Lexicon (1996)

“ A conceptually significant and politically topical film that shows the weaknesses of our social structure using the example of the teacher-student conflict. Irrespective of artistic and aesthetic uniformity, the most diverse formal means can be used appropriately to achieve the desired effect. Suitable as a discussion film and recommended for ages 18 and over. "

- Protestant film observer

literature

• Friedrich Koch : School in the cinema. Authority and education. From the “Blue Angel” to the “Feuerzangenbowle”. Belz, Weinheim / Basel 1987, ISBN 978-3-407-34009-2 .

Awards

The film ran in the competition at the Berlinale 1969 and won a Silver Bear . Zadek also received the Federal Film Prize in gold for his direction . The young actor Wolfgang Schneider ( Best Young Actor ) also received this award for his performance .

Web links

• I'm an Elephant, Madame in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• I am an elephant, Madame at Filmportal.de

Individual evidence

1. ↑ I am an elephant, Madame. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .  
2. ↑ Evangelical Press Association Munich, Review No. 126/1969