MA 2412
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| Original title | MA 2412 |
| Country of production | Austria |
| original language | German |
| Year (s) | 1998-2002 |
| length | 20-25 minutes |
| Episodes | 34 in 4 seasons |
| genre | Sitcom |
| idea | Alfred Dorfer , Roland Düringer , Harald Sicherheitsitz |
| production | MR film |
| music | Lothar Scherpe , Peter Herrmann |
| First broadcast | December 31, 1998 on ORF 1 |
| occupation | |
| |
MA 2412 is an Austrian sitcom that from 1998 to 2002 on behalf of the ORF of the MR film was produced. Using the example of the fictitious Vienna Office for Christmas Decoration, it deals with the everyday life of Austrian bureaucracy in a satirical way .
Plot and main characters
The name alludes to the municipal departments of the City of Vienna , which are designated with MA followed by a two-digit number. The designation MA 2412 created for the series is the “office” responsible for the approval of Christmas decorations of all kinds and obviously has its name from December 24th . The series is a parody of the official system in general and the Austrian-Viennese official system in particular. She quotes pretty much all common clichés about offices, civil servants and general human issues, in particular:
- Party traffic : As in reality, parties (applicants) are only allowed to move during certain terms of office, which is satirically exaggerated in the series: Terms of office of MA 2412 depend on the (always lack of) mood or even just the presence of the officials from.
- Long waiting times: You have to wait a long time before entering the office. For the sake of order, common waiting numbers (in the series: starting numbers of racers) are compulsory in Austrian offices. However, the waiting times in MA 2412 are unparalleled, because the start numbers in the series do not start with 1.
- Lack of competence: The forwarding of "parties" is also oversubscribed here. Since Mr. Weber, for example, is not entitled to use a certain stamp due to a lack of training, he sends the party on to his superior and Mr. Breitfuss, who is sitting at the desk opposite, who has to wait again.
- Unfriendliness: parties are bullied, also insulted; But they are defenseless because they have to rely on the issuing or processing of a specific form .
- Abuse of office: Once the officials are willing to stamp an application, they often take bribes or other courtesies from the parties, mostly in the form of spirits, which is then often referred to as consideration for processing.
- Work zeal: During working hours, with the exception of office work, pretty much everything is done: model making, reading erotic men's magazines, private talks on official costs, "field service" in shopping centers, in-house championships in darts etc. That, as well, as in all offices, conversation is held , nagged or argued, of course.
- Sexism : s. below.
The main characters are engineer Breitfuss (who always strictly insists on his title) and Mr. Weber. Both are grumpy to work and constantly busy rejecting parties. An interpersonal problem is the mutual antipathy of the officers sitting across from each other: Mr. Weber is a casual, youthful prole , macho and snob , who, to the displeasure of his narrow-minded older superior, hangs a pin-up calendar on his part of the wall. He is also a car fan, his favorite and only reading is the Autorevue .
Ing. Breitfuss is the official head of the MA 2412. He is an insolent, unattractive and therefore all the more finicky toupee wearer , whose only passion, besides eating chocolate kisses from the Dickmanns brand , is his model cars, which he put together from construction kits throughout his service time. He meticulously keeps his desk tidy and constantly accuses Weber of being untidy.
The two become a trio through the crisp, pretty blonde joke in the person of Mrs. Knackal . The secretary is in addition to their affairs with the Senatsrat (this replaced from Episode 11 with the Obersenatsrat ) busy during their service mainly with private phone calls. Every episode of the series (with the exception of the episodes Sex , Career and Parkpickerl, Part 2 ) begins with a phone call from Ms. Knackal to one of her friends, in the course of which she usually mentions her Mausezahndi followed by the explanation that it is about the man Senate Council or the Upper Senate Council acts. Most of the time, this first phone call contains allusions to the topic of the episode in question.
Gray eminence of the department is the apparently living in the copy Chamber Mr. Claus, the Santa Claus himself, who knows the doings in office, but remains unaffected. As an always correct, friendly, good-natured and helpful public servant, he never refuses an assignment, even if it consists of washing Weber's car (which Weber takes full advantage of). The perspective and occasional advice of Mr. Claus as well as his psychic abilities let the department survive - at least until the end. Sometimes his official superiors are given away by (and with) him for detention . Furthermore, he has magical powers with which he repeatedly helps officers Breitfuss and Weber out of a tight spot. His powers seem to know no bounds (for example he can teleport , levitate and manipulate objects , travel through time and create working cars of a model, as seen in some episodes). Only in a state of mental excitement does he lose the ability to do so (parking sticker, part 1).
The name Mr. Löwy is occasionally mentioned in dialogues between officials. This is actually also an official of the MA 2412; but he never seems to be in office because he is always on "field service", "vacation" or "sick leave". He only appeared in episode 9 as a silhouette in one of Ing. Breitfuss' dreams, and in episode 15 a man introduced himself to Mr. Claus as Mr. Löwy, who then miraculously disappeared. Therefore nothing is known about Mr. Löwy. Official telephone calls from Ms. Knackal merely indicate that Mr. Löwy appears to be the representative for Breitfuss and Weber.
On December 25, 2003, MA 2412 - Die Staatsdiener started the movie with which the TV series ended.
production
All four seasons with a total of 34 episodes were produced by Wiener MR Film and directed by Harald Sicherheitsitz . The camera led to the ninth, penultimate episode of the first season Martin Stingl . Walter Kindler was responsible for the camera work for all subsequent episodes .
The elementary school built in 1913 at Triester Straße 114 was used for the exterior shots . The school closed in the early 1970s, after which and during the filming the building stood empty. After extensive renovation, the building has been used by Municipal Department 49, the forestry office and agricultural enterprise of the City of Vienna, since 2013.
The consequences
1st season
- Episode 1 - The act
Guests: Ottfried Fischer
It is January 2nd and the office is still decorated for Christmas. The office is in a festive New Year mood when an act arrives from master builder Richard Lugner , but neither Mr. Breitfuss nor Mr. Weber want to work on the case and so they award it to the annoying client Emmerich (Ottfried Fischer). What the two don't know: Mr. Lugner has put 10,000 schillings into this file as a precaution in order to speed up the settlement of his matter.
- Episode 2 - Carnival
Guests: Karl Markovics , Reinhard Nowak , I Stangl , cosmetic defects
In the office, Shrove Tuesday is celebrated and both the staff and the parties are masked: Breitfuss as a servant , Weber as D'Artagnan , Knackal as a nun , only Claus stays as he is. Everything seems to be fine, but an annoying monk is waiting for approval. Breitfuss treats the monk surprisingly nicely. When Weber tries to make it clear to him that this is not real, Breitfuss suddenly behaves as he always does - namely, completely unfriendly. The monk then prophesies that the officials will complain to his cousin. Unfortunately, this is the head of the office, the Senate Council. Yet another party also seems to be behaving annoyingly. A certain Mr. Rappoltinger in knight armor is looking for his lost, talking Mickey Mouse watch. But screaming and threatening do not seem to help in MA 2412 either. Finally he is removed from the armor by Mr. Claus' forces, completely undressed and then escapes. But he swears revenge on the officials.
- Episode 3 - Championship
Guests: Ottfried Fischer
Mr. Weber brings a mysterious package to the office. When he announces that it is a gift for everyone, excitement breaks out. This gift turns out to be a dart board. Mr. Weber is already starting to train vigorously. In the beginning Breitfuss is skeptical about the "throwing disc hitting game", but Weber also gets Breitfuss to play along. And by chance and Breitfuss' outburst of rage, the three discover a new game with darts by hitting certain locations on a Vienna map. The official championships will begin soon.
- Episode 4 - Lotto
Guests: Evelyn Engleder , Karl Künstler , Karl Markovics
In addition to lazing around, Mr. Weber's hobbies include playing the lottery. One day he persuades Breitfuss to play along with a note. However, Weber surrenders both certificates. The inconceivable happens, four right things. But when Weber submitted Breitfuss' ticket and nobody knows whose ticket was won, the officials faced a problem. But Mr. Weber does not want to share his 1,627 schillings with Breitfuss. So Breitfuss swears that he will never speak to Weber again (although this is not a problem for Weber).
- Episode 5 - Car
Guests: Bibiana Zeller
Mr. Weber will get his new car in a few days and asks Breitfuss to make him a model of his old Honda Prelude. Breitfuss assembled the car the very next day and was harassed by Weber. He advises him not to do so if his car in the parking lot is important to him. Weber accidentally breaks the rearview mirror off of his model car, but strangely enough, Weber's real Honda Prelude suffers the same damage at the same time, apparently to do with voodoo. Breitfuss promises Weber to glue the rearview mirror on the model again, but pulls out a Stanley knife and slits open the tires. The result: four flat tires on the real Prelude. Eventually Breitfuss maliciously throws the model into the air and Weber can only scream and try to catch the model.
- Episode 6 - Sex
Guests: Ottfried Fischer, Karl Markovics
It is Mrs. Knackal's birthday and she is getting lots of flowers! What her admirers don't know, however, is that Mrs. Knackal is allergic to all kinds of flowers. The Senate Council also gave something to Ms. Knackal. Only Messrs. Weber and Breitfuss still have no present. And so they try to find a suitable gift with heated discussions about waste separation and hand washing and decide on self-made vouchers. But in the end it turns out that Mr. Claus has the best present: Bruce Willis ! Weber and Breitfuss then tear up their ridiculous gifts.
- Episode 7 - Vacation
Guests: Michael Kreihsl , Bibiana Zeller
It's the beginning of July and of course each of the officers wants to go on vacation. Mrs. Knackal in Sardinia, Mr. Weber in Sicily and Mr. Breitfuss to Nursch (near Großmugl ) in the Weinviertel. The vacation of Knackal goes perfectly, but the vacation of the two gentlemen will be a disaster because at least one official has to be in office but both want to go on vacation at the same time. However, Mr. Weber has better relations with the personnel office. Therefore Breitfuss tries to break his foot so that he can take sick leave. But that has fatal consequences.
- Episode 8 - Addiction
Guests: Walter Kordesch , Karl Künstler
Mr. Breitfuss pretends to suffer from bronchial disease and wants to get Weber and Knackal to stop smoking in office. Of course, Weber doesn't act stupid either and declares the copy room to be a smoking room, whereas Breitfuss has nothing against it for the time being. Even after repeated requests and reminders of the smoking ban, Breitfuss fails because of this project. Even the parties sit with cigarettes in the already foggy corridor. When Weber then declared the smoking room to be a “drinking room”, that broke the barrel at Breitfuss. Finally, his colleagues discover that Breitfuss has only been to a veterinarian in Großmugl and confesses his weakness for alcohol.
- Episode 9 - Career
Guests: Eva Billisich , Karl Markovics, Rudolf Rohaczek , Bibiana Zeller
Weber and Breitfuss fell asleep gently in office, but in their dreams there is the everyday "official war". First, the Senate Council orders that the desks should be put together, and as if that weren't bad enough for the two gentlemen, the appointment of the new head of office is just around the corner. Of course, each of the two gentlemen thinks that the post is his. They literally get into each other's hair (and toupee) about it.
- Episode 10 - Horror
Guests: Martin Beck, Andreas Vitásek
Due to a network expansion, the telephones in the office are switched off. That is reason enough for Ms. Knackal to go home two hours earlier than usual. Mr. Claus goes to a Christmas seminar and as a precaution locks the doors downstairs, because there is a serial killer in the neighborhood who only targets officials. Two hours later, the two remaining gentlemen want to go home, but neither of them has a key. For better or worse, they have to spend the night in office and have bad nightmares that almost drive them out of their (nonexistent?) Mind. The next morning, however, a party (Vitásek) turns up at Weber who looks exactly like the murderer of his dreams.
- Episode 11 - Tribunal
Guests: Wolfgang Böck , Karl Markovics
For a few days now, a man has been roaming the corridors of MA 2412 who keeps saying: “I'm just looking” and changes his beard, glasses and headgear every 10 minutes. The Senate Councilor, who is already in office, fears that this man is a private detective hired by his wife. The two officers decide to use all their tricks to help their boss. But in the end it turns out that this private detective has an assignment from a certain Irmgard Breitfuss.
- Episode 12 - Love
Guests: Wolfgang Böck, Karl Künstler
A special event is just around the corner: It's Easter and a discotheque owner shows up in office and wants to let an "Easter Bunny" dance in front of his discotheque. He also brought the "rabbit" with him, and with it he plunges Mr. Claus into complete confusion: Santa Claus falls in love for the first time in his life, in a plush costume of an Easter bunny.
2nd season
- Episode 13 - Body Cult
Guests: Peter Reiser
Armchair lifting is now the sport in MA 2412 and everyone is practicing hard. However, Ms. Knackal has been training for years and she is already so strong that she can lift an office chair with her left hand. Breitfuss and Weber, however, have trouble lifting the chair with two hands at all. So you not only take Mr. Claus as a trainer, but also all kinds of strength food. But in the end, Breitfuss took so many starch tablets that, due to an overdose, it gained incredible strength.
- Episode 14 - Transformation
Guests: Wolfgang Böck, Karl Künstler, Bibiana Zeller
Breitfuss and Weber are so bored that they don't feel like arguing with each other. Finally a well-known client shows up. This time she, the otherwise shy one, comes into office confidently and purposefully and explains that this is due to her druid stone, which changes her personality. She also gives the two gentlemen two stones, which, however, trigger something unwanted: They accidentally swap their stones, which also interchanges their personalities.
- Episode 15 - Open House
Guests: Wolfgang Böck, Karl Künstler, Wolfgang Pissecker , Bibiana Zeller
MA 2412 also has something like the “Open House”. But neither of the two gentlemen knows anything about it. When Breitfuss was reminded of this one afternoon by a party, he of course did not pass this information on to Weber. The next day he watched with pleasure as the completely surprised Mr. Weber fell out of the clouds and stood in despair in front of his untidy desk. But later the question arises: Do the parties also know that MA 2412 is the open day?
- Episode 16 - The Bird
Guests: Christoph Fälbl (as a bird), Helmut Pechlaner In the
morning a well-known man appears in the MA 2412: Franz von Assisi himself, who brings a speaking carrier pigeon. Mrs. Knackal and Mr. Claus immediately take the pigeon into their hearts, but this is by no means the case with Breitfuss: He is in a worse mood than usual because a pigeon has shit on his vest and Breitfuss vows revenge on all other pigeons. But when he sees the speaking dove, he befriends her too. Weber also likes the speaking dove very much. Even the zoo director Helmut Pechlaner is appropriately impressed and recommends the officials as animal lovers, which, however, has the consequence that the office is quickly transformed into a zoo for homeless (predatory) animals.
- Episode 17 - Freud
Guests: Wolfgang Böck, Michael Niavarani , Bibiana Zeller
The senior senate has applied for supervision for the two gentlemen, as he keeps noticing that the two are mentally overloaded. The unfortunate psychologist - a Herr Mag. Neumann - gradually loses his mind himself when examining the two gentlemen and also with that of Mr. Claus.
- Episode 18 - Kebab
Guests: Leo At
A party comes into office, a private patient of Weber, whom he treats rudely as usual because he is a foreigner. When Mr. Breitfuss gets upset about it, Mr. Weber brings Mr. Bogdanovic back and they treat him unusually friendly. When a few days later the Turk Güsel appeared in the office, the two gentlemen no longer knew the word "xenophobia".
3rd season
- Episode 19 - Field Service
Guests: Wolfgang Böck, Christoph Fälbl, Margit Gara , Walter Kordesch, Michael Kreihsl
It is June 15, the last day of registration for the Christmas decorations. There are about 40 parties in the aisle, a black day for Mr. Breitfuss. Ms. Knackal has reported "sick" and Mr. Weber has not yet shown up. When he appears at 10:30 a.m., he immediately recognizes the seriousness of the situation and wants to switch to a field service at lightning speed, which Breitfuss does not want to put up with. He escapes from office and ultimately drives to the SCS with Weber to do field work .
- Episode 20 - Hollywood
Guests: Wolfgang Böck, Walter Kordesch, Bibiana Zeller
In a few days the "Art Film Festival of the Vienna Municipal Department" will take place. Therefore, Mr. Weber named himself a director, Claus a cameraman and Breitfuss a male "star" in order to produce a film. Weber's goal is to show the MA 2412 from its most beautiful sides in order to win the festival, which ultimately succeeds. But it looks different when you win the prize.
- Episode 21 - Vegetables on the Net
Guests: Wolfgang Böck, Werner Brix , Gunther Gillian , Peter Uray
The employees cannot prevent the MA 2412 from being networked. In the corridor in front of the secretariat, boxes of cables and wires are piled high. But that doesn't bother the two gentlemen at first. Weber and Breitfuss go shopping because Breitfuss has to buy fruit and vegetables for his wife. But he forgot the few groceries he should have bought. Finally, the officials like the new computers. But they seem to use the Internet for anything but "office work", which results in a gigantic telephone bill.
- Episode 22 - Knowledge is Power
Guests: Wolfgang Böck, Karl artist Frau Knackal indulges in a new pastime: she solves crossword puzzles. But there are just too many questions that she cannot answer. And if she asks Weber about a country with seven letters beginning with "M" and he suggests "Milan" as the solution, that is a help, but by no means the right solution. Breitfuss also sees it with displeasure when Weber claims that he is helping Mrs. Knackal. In short, the competition for larger puzzle-solving capacities makes the three fall for the crazy idea of expanding their knowledge horizons in advanced training courses, which their parties have to notice in the most painful way.
- Episode 23 - The New One
Guests: Eva Billisich , Wolfgang Böck, Karl Künstler, Johannes Silberschneider
How long has Breitfuss dreamed of finally getting rid of his colleague Weber? Now he seems to have reached the goal of his desires without any action on his part. While he has to stay away from the office because of a tick bite, Weber has messed with Ms. Löffler, who intends to decorate her condom business with Christmas tree-shaped condoms, in an ignorant manner. But she doesn't put up with the usual lousy treatment and complains to the senior senate who throws Weber out of office. But his replacement seems anything but unfriendly, which ultimately drives Mr. Breitfuss to white heat.
- Episode 24 - Hostage Taking
Guests: Reinhard Nowak
Just as Weber and Breitfuss have been treating their clients for years, plans for revenge have to mature in one or the other of the humiliated. For example, the knight Ivanhoe, the Lord Rappoltinger, whom the two robbed of his shiny armor and his underpants in Carnival. Rappoltinger has patiently endured other, similar humiliations, but now he's had enough. On the phone he threatens a bomb attack on the MA 2412. But this one does not seem to have had any experience in taking hostages because he has no demands at hand and only has a dummy pistol with him. Finally, all ways to call the police fail because they are not in the mood due to the hostage taker's inability and the lack of interest in rescuing the hostages (after all, nobody would miss a magistrate).
- Episode 25 - Parking sticker 1
Guests: Haymon Maria Buttinger , Simon Schwarz , Gerald Votava, Elke Winkens
Breitfuss, Weber and also Claus are outraged: Two parking policemen issued them penalty mandates in the morning because the use of their office parking spaces has recently become a picker. After several miserably failed attempts by the four officers, Weber and Breitfuss decide to make their way to the parking lottery office. However, this office is a madhouse - every customer is treated like a subhuman (as in MA 2412). Breitfuss and Weber "give a shit" and quickly make their way back to office.
- Episode 26 - Parking sticker 2
Guests: Wolfgang Böck, Karl Künstler, Nina Proll , Simon Schwarz, Elke Winkens
After their first unsuccessful attempt to get a parking sticker, Breitfuss and Weber make a second attempt and this time they are also accompanied by Knackal and Claus. Although they were prepared for the worst by Weber and Breitfuss' poignant descriptions, their expectations were far exceeded when the team of MA 2412 came across two officers who are the exact likeness of Weber and Breitfuss.
- Episode 27 - Money Rush
Guests: Oliver Baier (as radio announcer), Wolfgang Böck, Andrea Eckert (as the voice of the heart), Andreas Herzog , Karl Künstler
The smell of big money wafts through the offices of the MA 2412 and shakes the firmly established fronts. It's actually Mr. Claus's fault, who thinks it's time again to teach his colleagues a little lesson. So he pretends to Breitfuss that Weber won the jackpot in the lottery and again makes Weber believe that Breitfuss is the winner. Everyone wholeheartedly grudges the other for profit, but at the same time looks for ways and means of snatching as large a piece as possible of their new wealth. The great vying for the favor of the colleague sets in. And in between is Knackal, who in turn believes Breitfuss and Weber won the jackpot together. In vain she asks Claus, her heart and her brain, to whom of the two gentlemen she should bestow her favor. But there is a problem: Nobody seems to be at home in her brain ...
4th season
- Episode 28 - Time Travel
Guests: Wolfgang Böck, Christoph Fälbl, Beatrice Frey , Viktor Gernot , Walter Kordesch, Herwig Seeböck , I Stangl
Because Breitfuss mourns the past times when he would have been a famous inventor, Knackal and Weber fall for the idea of how exciting it is should be to travel back in time. Claus does not allow himself to be asked for long and thanks to his magical abilities, all four find themselves suddenly in the Middle Ages (according to the hanging sign on the door in the "Mittelalder"), where the Inquisition Court is already waiting for them. But after escaping to Mozart's classical music, the next difficulties await the officials.
- Episode 29 - Election Campaign
Guests: Beatrice Frey
As always, a client comes into office who is treated very unfriendly by Weber and Breitfuss. But she does not accept that either and explains that she will report the officials to her works council. Weber, Breitfuss and Knackal are very interested in this, and each of the three now also wants to become a works council. But Mr. Weber uses Mrs. Knackal to cheat his way to the top.
- Episode 30 - Christmas
Guests: Wolfgang Böck, Haymon Maria Buttinger, Karl Künstler, Gerold Rudle , Herbert Steinböck
"Merry Christmas" is the motto for everyone, just not for Mr. Claus. It's actually the only day he really has to work. It starts in Lugner City and seems to have to deal with unbelievers and "fake" Santa Clauses there. Breitfuss and Weber don't seem to be in a happy Christmas mood. Even at Christmas, the two fight and have their own problems. Breitfuss just doesn't manage to pack the bodice for his wife and Weber mourns his vacation in Bhali, because according to Mr. Claus' prediction he has to reckon with rain. The only one who feels sorry for Mr. Claus is Mrs. Knackal. She suggests giving him something. But what do you give Santa Claus? The three puzzle around for a long time. Mrs. Knackal has the idea of simply asking Mr. Claus. When they arrive in Lugner City, they involuntarily relieve Mr. Claus. At the end the two gentlemen have to play Santa Clauses and distribute gifts.
- Episode 31 - Control
Guests: Wolfram Berger , Wolfgang Böck, Andreas Herzog
Each of the officers thinks he is being watched, spied on and shadowed. Several eerie guests hang around in the corridor. In the end, the situation escalates. At first Weber and Knackal believe that Breitfuss is shadowing them. They tie him up and interrogate him. Finally, Mrs. Knackal gets to feel the bonds and lastly Mr. Weber. But then the audience is accused.
- Episode 32 - Total write-off
Guests: Wolfgang Böck, Nicholas Ofczarek
The Senate Councilor has bought a new car. Ms. Knackal can no longer control her curiosity and asks Weber and Breitfuss to help her guess the car. Weber vacillates between a Ferrari Spyder and a Porsche Turbo Cabrio. But it will be a very big disappointment: It's a Smart. In addition, the engine of Breitfuss' Polo explodes. Weber, Claus and Knackal are now trying to make themselves "knowledgeable" in order to replace Mr Breitfuss' dakota-beige 77 polo as much as possible. Both Weber's relationships with car dealers and Ms. Knackal's newspaper ad turn out to be a shot in the dark. But then the four officers meet a desperate woman at a car dealer who simply cannot get rid of her car.
- Episode 33 - Talk Show
Guests: Eva Billisich, Wolfgang Böck, Evelyn Engleder, Andrea Händler , Karl Markovics, Florian Scheuba , Christian Schmidt
"And tomorrow the whole world will know you". With this sentence, the producer of the "Karl-Heinz-Show" persuades the two officials, Weber and Breitfuss, to take part in their show. After all, they are diligently trying to present the office in the best possible way. But unfortunately the camera team seems to be filming more than the officers would like. Finally, the two gentlemen also appear on the talk show, with the well-known Ms. Löffler and Mr. XY (who does not want to be recognized). Since officials are very unpopular people and the secret footage is also being published, it seems to be tight for Breitfuss and Weber. Mr. XY talks about his own experience as a civil servant and presents the yacht bought with his salary in a photo. Since Frau Knackal is sitting in the audience and recognizes the yacht, the mask seems to be falling and it is none other than the former Senate Councilor. Suddenly Karl-Heinz begins to speak negatively about the audience, which is not without consequences. But with this spontaneous outing, Mr. Claus has a hand in the game with his strength.
- Episode 34 - The End
Guests: Eva Billisich, Wolfgang Böck, Karl Künstler, Klaus Rott
Breitfuss and Weber don't seem to notice (even after 2 weeks) that the furniture is gradually disappearing from office and that parties no longer appear. The reason: The only right to exist for the senior senate councilor, Ms. Knackal, no longer exists for him and therefore he decides to close the municipal department. And since he wants to prevent the climate in other departments from being influenced, he is promoting both Mr. and Mrs. Knackal into retirement. Everyone is happy and looking forward to early retirement. Breitfuss is having a bit of a heavy heart. Because he remembers the few, but nevertheless, "happy" events that he and Weber endured and what if they had held the office for many more years as senior citizens. Mr. Weber finally has the "saving" idea: The facility is bought back and the office is privatized. Now the officials can still pursue their true calling, professional idleness, and still remain employed ...
particularities
Although one can understand the series by and large as a sitcom disguised cynical and ironic parody of the Austrian civil service and most episodes live from jokes about the miserable treatment on the part of civil servants or swipes at official customs, there are some noteworthy and (especially for sitcoms ) exceptional elements:
Santa Claus: One of the protagonists is, as already mentioned, Santa Claus, or as he is affectionately called in the series - Mr. Claus. How Mr. Claus came to the officials of the MA 2412 is only clarified in the movie. In the series he is already a firmly integrated "member" and beyond that the only one able to work. Mr. Claus is abused as a cleaner by his colleagues - especially Mr. Weber. Despite his bad treatment and his depression, Mr. Claus is always ready to help the civil servants by giving these lessons (Messrs. Weber and Breitfuss go back to school after the school bell rings) and cheer them up with his magical powers , teaches a lesson or rescues it. Logically, Mr. Claus will be employed elsewhere for Christmas.
The journey through time: see above (The consequences).
“Interactivity”: Occasionally, the viewers are integrated directly into the action of the episode, which is noticeable in that the protagonists suddenly look into the camera and address the audience directly. Especially Mr. Claus turns to the audience to have the last word; in episode 31 ("Control") it is made particularly clear that they are being watched by film cameras and that the office is just a studio.
These elements give the series a special touch and clearly set it apart from other genre colleagues.
Special offers
The specials only appeared on VHS / DVD and were not broadcast on TV.
- Knackal special
- The whole truth about MA 2412
VHS and DVD
All episodes of MA 2412 as well as the movie have been released both on video and on DVD.
- VHS
Overall, all thirty-four episodes appeared on twelve VHS cassettes, the Knackal Special appeared on cassette 9 (episodes 25 + 26 ), and the special “The whole truth about MA 2412” appeared on the last cassette (episodes 33 + 34).
- DVD
All episodes appeared on a total of seven DVDs, the specials can be found here on the last DVD (episodes 33 + 34). There are also "What Happened So Far" specials on the last 3 DVDs that show excerpts from the episodes of the first 4 DVDs. On the fifth DVD, episodes 25 + 26 are listed as specials - not as normal [?] Episodes.
- In the year 2005
the Collectors Edition "MA 2412 - The Complete Nude" was launched. This contains 7 DVDs with all 34 episodes including specials. There is also an official MA 2412 fan block including a ballpoint pen.
Individual evidence
- ↑ In addition to the elaborate article on the German-language Wikipedia, it should be noted that this title is awarded to graduates of higher technical schools in Austria after a certain period of practical experience (in contrast to the graduate engineer from the Technical University; colloquially referred to as "narrow gauge engineer"). Graduates (Maturanten) of higher schools, for example grammar school, commercial academy, technological trade museum, are classified in the public service in Austria in the salary level "B", ie Ing. Breitfuss is placed higher than Weber.
- ↑ monthly car magazine of the NEWS publishing group
- ↑ Filmography of MR Film: MA 2412 ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Page accessed on May 4, 2008)
- ↑ https://www.wien.gv.at/stadtentwicklung/architektur/oeffliche-bauten/stadt/amtshaus-triesterstrasse.html
- ↑ https://www.wien.gv.at/kontakte/ma49/index.html
