How do we tell our children?
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | How do we tell our children? |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1949 |
| length | 85 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Hans Deppe |
| script |
Luiselotte Enderle Toni Huppertz Heinz Riedel Volker von Collande |
| production | Erich Holder (production group) |
| music | Hans-Otto Borgmann |
| camera | Robert Baberske |
| cut | Willy Zeunert |
| occupation | |
| |
How do we tell our children? is a 1944 German feature film by Hans Deppe with Mathias Wieman and Leny Marenbach in the leading roles.
action
The divorced Käthe Westhoff lives in a small house in a suburb of Dresden with her three children Sigrid, Klaus and Wölfchen. In order to earn a living, Käthe makes toys, which she then sells. Their children are often at odds with those of the widowed architect Dr. Thomas Hofer, who lives on the other side of an undeveloped property. He has four boys named Erich, Theo, Kurt and Pepi and is busy all day at work. While he devotes himself to drawings and construction plans, the housekeeper Adele takes care of the wild four, who maintain a friendly relationship with their father. Ms. Westhoff and Mr. Hofer have only met from a distance when arriving or leaving and do not take much notice of each other. And so you actually don't know anything about the other. The seven children are completely different: They know each other well, but unfortunately not necessarily in the way it should be, because with six rowdy, rowdy boys, all of the property often becomes a battle arena - bruises and scratches included.
One day the two adults, who see each other on the tram every now and then, get to know each other better by chance and find each other very likeable. But that doesn't change the bad mood at home. One day Kathe's trouble with the neighbour's “dear little ones” is enough and she goes over to Thomas Hofer to finally explain to him what a tough gang of rascals he has brought into the world. But the "accounting" turns into an edifying conversation, and she simply cannot be angry with the likeable father. So everyone finally goes on a joint steamboat trip on the Elbe . But the seven young fighters promptly clash again violently on this excursion. The centrifugal forces between the two families are getting bigger and bigger: while with the mother and the father mutual sympathy turns into love, the offspring seem absolutely irreconcilable. Nevertheless, Käthe and Thomas want to take the risk and get married. As expected, this provokes the most severe protests in the respective brood. You don't want to let it get that far and are already making sabotage plans. When Erich Hofer once called Sigrid Westhoff a coward and she immediately undertook a childish test of courage, an accident promptly occurred. Sigrid has to be hospitalized after falling from a fairground swing from a lofty height with a suspected concussion , which at least makes Erich gradually rethink.
This incident is an ultimate warning signal for Käthe. She sees no chance of reconciliation and is seriously considering not marrying her beloved Thomas. After all, your own children take precedence, and you simply cannot interlock divided families with coercion. Kathe then writes a farewell letter to her neighbor. In the following weeks, there was a lot of distress on both sides, because nobody is particularly happy with this state of affairs. Something like deeper insight is now maturing in the children too: They come together, speak out and resolve to pull themselves together because of the love of their parents. A plan has already been worked out how to bring the currently separated couple back together. Käthe and Thomas each receive a ticket to a serenade taking place in the Zwinger . When they meet there, it becomes clear to both of them that only their seven children can be behind it and that they have given their consent to the marriage. The harmony at the wedding only lasts for a short time, because now the enlarged gang of rascals is on the lookout for new "enemies" of their age, with whom one can fight splendidly in a stronger formation.
Production notes
How do we tell our children? was made in the months of August to November 1944 in the UFA town of Babelsberg as well as in Dresden (which was still undestroyed at the time) and in Saxon Switzerland (exterior shots), was censored in the spring of 1945 without any problem and was ready to be shown at that time. The near end of the war prevented the premiere, which was therefore not held until December 21, 1949 in Berlin. The film also opened in Austria on March 13, 1951.
Production group leader Erich Holder also took over production management and production management. Wilhelm Vorwerg designed the film structures that Rudolf Linnekogel carried out. Erich Schmidt was responsible for the sound.
Reviews
Paimann's film lists summed up: “What I have already experienced myself or others is condensed into a simple, but nevertheless remarkably stimulating action; the main roles are entrusted to certain actors who are assisted by a crowd of unmanaged [sic!] children. Punch-filled dialogue, especially done by Wiemann [sic!]. "
"UFA comedy with humor and depth, shot against the backdrop of Dresden shortly before it was almost completely destroyed by bombing."
Web links
- How do we tell our children? in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- How do we tell our children? at filmportal.de
