With the wind to the west

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Movie
German title With the wind to the west
Original title Night crossing
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1982
length 107 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Delbert man
script John McGreevey
production Tom Leetch
Ron Miller
music Jerry Goldsmith
camera Tony Imi
cut Gordon D. Brenner
occupation

With the Wind to the West (original title: Night Crossing ) is a feature film made in 1980 and premiered in 1982 by director Delbert Mann . The Disney production describes the escape from the GDR , which has become known as the balloon flight .

action

Framework for action

The film describes the balloon flight of the Strelzyk and Wetzel families, who crossed the inner-German border on September 16, 1979 in a self-made hot air balloon in order to flee to West Germany . The balloon ride from Pößneck ( Thuringia ) to Naila ( Bavaria ) caused a media response that led to the making of this film. The balloon is exhibited in a museum in Naila.

Opening credits

Before the actual film plot begins, a short black and white documentary about the inner-German border is shown, which was massively reinforced in 1961 by pioneers of the National People's Army , supposedly as protection from capitalist foreign countries, but in reality to largely prevent attempts to escape, as more and more attempts to escape GDR citizens fled to the West due to the political and economic conditions in the GDR. The inner German border separated the two German states by barbed wire fences, alarm systems, self-firing systems, minefields and watchtowers. In front of the border, the GDR set up a five-kilometer-wide restricted border area that could only be entered with special permission. The heavily armed border guards had the task of preventing any attempt to escape to the West by all means. Nevertheless, there were repeated attempts to escape.

The death of Lukas Keller

Peter Strelzyk lives with his wife Doris and his two sons Frank and "Fitscher" in Pößneck in the GDR. There he works as a self-employed craftsman and employs Günther Wetzel, who also has two sons with his wife Petra, and Josef Keller, father of three children. When the three men are on their way to have a beer after work, they meet Lukas, Josef's eldest son, who was more or less compelled by the school to collect signatures to condemn Horst Müller , who fled the republic , because he had read his poems from them the intention to flee was evident. This is how the topic of escaping to the West comes up with beer . The political conditions and the restricted freedom of expression in the GDR are unbearable, but everyone knows the high risks one takes when trying to escape.

Josef Keller knows that his son Lukas is desperate and would like to go to the West. Finally, Lukas tries to escape when he brings his girlfriend home in the evening, who lives in the restricted border area. He steals a wheel loader parked there, drives it towards the watchtower and causes it to collapse. Then he first hides from the alarmed border guards. While trying to continue the escape on foot and climb over the security fence, he was hit by several shots from a self-gun range. The border guards leave him there, even though he is still alive, so that he eventually dies of his gunshot wounds.

When the families have a picnic together, the Keller family is picked up by the Stasi and informed about what happened to Lukas. While his family is allowed to go home again, Josef has to stay and is put to work by the Stasi. Parents are accused of failing to raise their son. After Lukas' tragic death, Peter Strelzyk is determined to look for a safe way to escape to the West with his family. He wants to offer his sons a future and prevent his eldest son Frank from attempting to escape on his own and how Lukas ends. Peter meets Josef Keller again at a later point in time, who, however, does not want any further contact between their families, since he was apparently put under pressure by the Stasi.

The balloon idea

Peter had the idea of ​​escaping with a self-made hot air balloon and was able to convince Günther Wetzel of his idea, who was initially skeptical. Doris and Petra are also initially skeptical about their husbands plan. In order to sew the balloon envelope, about 1500 square meters of suitable material must be obtained. In addition, a gas burner with sufficient power must be built to heat the air and a blower to inflate the balloon envelope beforehand.

Peter and Günther already have to be careful not to attract attention when purchasing materials. The balloon envelope is secretly sewn together in the attic of the Wetzel family over weeks of work. At night, numerous tests are carried out in an uninhabited area, which uncover many problems to be solved. The two families are gradually becoming noticeable in their behavior and have to watch out for the neighbor of the Wetzel family, who is known as a party member loyal to the regime, and the Stasi officer Hans Schmolke.

The exit of the Wetzel family

Petra Wetzel is plagued by nightmares and suffers from constant fear of discovery and of the fact that the balloon escape will end in a crash. Most of all, she worries about her children, who are just out of infancy. Günther shows understanding for his wife's fears and the two decide to get out of the matter. But Peter Strelzyk does not want to give up. After Doris has agreed to this, he lets his son Frank in on the escape plans, who is now enthusiastically helping him.

The first attempt to escape

The Strelzyk family makes the first attempt to escape alone. After a successful start in the middle of the night, the high humidity ensures that the balloon envelope sucks in water and becomes heavier, and that the gas burner fails. The family ends up in the middle of a forest. After getting out of the gondola, the balloon becomes so light that it is blown away by the wind and lost. Peter explores the area and realizes that they have landed in the middle of the restricted border area. There are trip wires everywhere that can trigger an alarm and probably also mines.

The family waits until sunrise and manages to escape unnoticed from the forest and to evade passport control in the next town. After a long march, they return to the launch site, load the utensils into the car and drive home without anyone noticing. However, the balloon is found and secured at the border. Major Körner from the Stasi is determined to track down those who want to flee and prevent them from attempting a second escape. After the failed attempt to escape, Peter Strelzyk is totally desperate, but is comforted by his wife and encouraged by Frank to try again, which makes it clear to his father that the Stasi will be looking for them.

The second attempt to escape

Peter Strelzyk visits the Wetzel family and talks to Günther about the failed attempt to escape. He is convinced that both families could escape if they tried again. Finally, the Wetzels get back in. Günther makes it clear to his wife that they have to come along in order not to be arrested by the Stasi as a confidante. When the second balloon was built, families would have to “blobs” of material from many different locations as stores were instructed to report any requests for larger amounts of material. In addition, the seized objects are published in the newspaper and the population is asked for relevant information. There isn't much time left to build the balloon and make the next attempt at escape.

When the landing site is searched again, Doris' tablets are found that she had lost on landing. Since there is no prescription number, it takes a while in the pharmacy until the name Strelzyk is discovered in the card index and Hans Schmolke concludes from the behavior of the family that they are the ones who wanted to escape with the balloon. In this context he also comes across the name Wetzel. However, the two families who want to flee that night are no longer found in their apartments.

Before they can be tracked down by the police, they are already in the air with the balloon at a height of over two thousand meters. When the balloon catches fire when it takes off, Günther is able to prevent a disaster with the fire extinguisher. From the helicopter, the balloon can be seen as a glowing point that goes out after the gas has gone out. The two families land on a meadow and narrowly avoid a collision with a high-voltage line. While Peter and Günther explore the area, their families stay at the landing site. In a barn, the two of them hide from an approaching police car. After the police asked them to come out and Peter asks if they are in the west, the two of them get the answer: “Of course. Where else?"

At the end of the film, you learn that Günther Wetzel has found a job as a car mechanic in the West and that Peter Strelzyk has set up his own electrical business.

Awards and reviews

Doug McKeon and the film for Best Family Film were nominated for the Young Artist Award in 1983 .

  • "After an actual event (1979) as an elaborate international production made adventure film, which guarantees exciting entertainment in places, but gives too little information about the political background and depicts life in the GDR and the state of mind of its citizens far too cliché." - Lexicon des international film . (CD-ROM edition), Systhema, Munich 1997.
  • "[...] how tick, trick and track imagine the eastern zone." - (Der Spiegel)

Others

German actors also appear in the film, including Klaus Löwitsch as the dark, sniffing Stasimann, Sky du Mont and Günter Meisner .

In the autumn of 1981, the American producers had offered the festival director of the Berlinale , Moritz de Hadeln , the German premiere of the film for the Berlinale 1982 . De Hadeln rejected the film, however. The Springer press in Germany sensed ingratiation to the GDR, as the Berlinale was always a forum for GDR films. Axel Springer then organized a German premiere of the film on the opening day of the Berlinale as a counter-event to the Berlinale.

DVD release

  • With the wind to the west. Buena Vista Home Video 2003.

Soundtrack

  • Jerry Goldsmith : Night Crossing. Original motion picture soundtrack . (Extended Version) Intrada / Walt Disney, San Francisco 1994, No. VJF 5004D.

Another film adaptation

literature

  • Jürgen Petschull : With the wind to the west. The adventurous escape from Germany to Germany. (Documentation: Dieter Herold and Eberhard Stephani). Original edition. Goldmann, Munich 1980, 244 pages, ISBN 3-442-11501-9 .
  • Doris Strelzyk, Peter Strelzyk, Gudrun Giese (collaboration): Destiny balloon flight. The long arm of the Stasi. Quadriga, Berlin 1999, 192 pages, ISBN 3-88679-330-3 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ THIS WEEK ON TELEVISION - DER SPIEGEL 25/1985. Retrieved June 10, 2020 .