Lotte in Weimar (film)
Lotte in Weimar is a German film adaptation of DEFA by Egon Günther from 1975. It is based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Mann .
action
Court councilor Charlotte Kestner traveled to Weimar with her daughter in 1816 to visit relatives. At the Gasthaus Zum Elephanten she is welcomed and cared for by the literature enthusiast waiter Mager, because for years the court councilor has been considered the archetype of Lotte in The Sorrows of Young Werther , the successful novel by Goethe . Mager carries the news of “Lotte's” arrival in town and soon not only dozens of onlookers gather in front of the inn and prevent Lotte from visiting her relatives. Various people also wish to be admitted to Lotte in person. But she's resting for now. In the course of time she remembers again and again episodes with Goethe and her fiancé Kestner , whereby in many cases the reality mixes with the scenery described by Goethe in the Werther , which she notes with annoyance.
Visitors want to be welcomed: First, a draftswoman appears who paints Lotte in a rather amateurish way. Lotte actually wants to go, but Dr. Riemer , the long-time teacher of Goethe's son August . Riemer stayed a long time and lamented the ingratitude of the genius Goethe, who after all these years hadn't thought of getting him a teaching position at the university. This is followed by a visit from Adele Schopenhauer , who seeks advice from Lotte. She describes Ottilie von Pogwisch 's complicated relationship with Goethe's drink-loving son August and her secret love for a soldier whom they had rescued from Napoleonic troops injured. This is followed by the visit of August himself, who finally reports to his father of Lotte's presence the next day. He reacts upset and feels obliged to receive Lotte for a meal.
Lotte arrives at Goethe's, who has invited numerous guests to this meal. Lotte feels outside the group, is unable to grasp the cheerfulness of Goethe's remarks and, like everyone else, bring herself to the conversation at the table in a witty way. Goethe's farewell to everyone present is short and sweet.
Lotte stays in Weimar for a few weeks. During this time she only hears one more time from Goethe, who offers her his seat in the theater and also his carriage. She accepts the offer. On the way back from the theater, in Goethe's carriage, she imagines Goethe next to her, who mocks, among other things, about her age and her misplaced presentation in the style of young Lotte at the evening dinner. She bursts into tears. When she arrives at the inn, waiter Mager opens the carriage for her and is ecstatic about being able to help Werther Lotte out of Goethe's carriage.
production
From October 28 to 30, 1974, scenes from the film Lotte in Weimar were shot at the Hotel Elephant in Weimar - during this time the hotel was interrupted. The film was otherwise made in the studio in Babelsberg . It was the only DEFA film adaptation of a work by Thomas Mann. Dramaturge Walter Janka was acquainted with the Mann family, who, among other things, had campaigned for him during his imprisonment in the GDR, and had secured the rights to the film adaptation of the work for DEFA. The film received special international attention through the participation of the then world star Lilli Palmer . The film premiered on June 6, 1975 at the Berlin Kino International .
criticism
Contemporary criticism highlighted Lilli Palmer's play: “Palmer thoroughly researched and measured, thought through, turned, examined and examined every sentence, every scene, every little and tiniest nuance, every tiny insert, every secondary thought and subordinate clause Solidity and how to play it. At the end she moves him easily and with grace. Her game is clever, full of grace and nobility. She plays Lotte, this apparition of poetry and legend, with charm and subtle sensitivity. She doesn't hide Charlotte's age for a second. And not for a second is it without charm. You can't imagine Lotte played by anyone else afterwards. "
The lexicon of international films called Lotte in Weimar an "endeavored, but far removed from the witty charm of the original film adaptation of the Goethe novel by Thomas Mann". In its new edition, the LdiF described the film as an “ironic adaptation of Mann's Goethe novel, cleverly transposing the witty charm of the original into the medium of film […] Outstanding alongside guest star Lilli Palmer, DEFA director Martin Hellberg as a saturated Goethe and Jutta Hoffmann as nervous Adele Schopenhauer. "
Cinema wrote: “The Palmer (1914–1986) shines, but the DEFA film fails to capture the cool charm of Thomas Mann's 1939 novel. Conclusion: Lillis Esprit cannot save the film ”.
Awards
The International Film Festival of Cannes 1975 ran Lotte in Weimar in competition for the Palme d'Or .
literature
- F.-B. Habel : The great lexicon of DEFA feature films. The complete documentation of all DEFA feature films from 1946 to 1993. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-89602-349-7 , pp. 369–371.
Web links
- Lotte in Weimar in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Lotte in Weimar at filmportal.de
- Lotte in Weimar on progress-film.de ( Memento from October 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- Lotte in Weimar at the DEFA Foundation
Individual evidence
- ↑ P. 90 in: Andrea Dietrich: The Hotel Elephant in Weimar with the gourmet restaurant Anna Amalia and his star chef Marcello Fabbri. Weimar 2013, ISBN 978-3-00-043677-2
- ↑ F.-B. Habel : The great lexicon of DEFA feature films. The complete documentation of all DEFA feature films from 1946 to 1993. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-89602-349-7 , p. 370.
- ↑ Günther Rücker: Jupiter appears . In: Film und Fernsehen , Berlin, No. 6, 1975.
- ↑ Klaus Brüne (Ed.): Lexicon of International Films . Volume 5. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1990, pp. 2322–2323.
- ↑ Lotte in Weimar. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed August 7, 2018 .
- ↑ Lotte in Weimar. In: Cinema . Hubert Burda Media , accessed on August 7, 2018 .