Berlin Chamissoplatz

Berlin Chamissoplatz (DVD) (*)

Out of Stock

Screened, competed or awarded at:
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Subtitles )
German ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )

Product Origin/Format:
Germany ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
107 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.66:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 1980 and produced in:
Germany ( Germany, Central Europe )

Directed By:
Rudolf Thome

Written By:
Jochen Brunow
Rudolf Thome

Actors:
Hanns Zischler ..... Martin
Sabine Bach ..... Anna Bach
Wolfgang Kinder ..... Jörg
Gisela Freudenberg ..... Claudia
Alexander Malkowsky ..... Alex
Anna Klasse ..... Karin
Hildegard Bach ..... Annas Mutter
Ralf Lotzin ..... Atze
Bela Braukmann ..... Sven
Hans Brockmann ..... Dr. Franke
Ulrich Ströhle ..... Anwalt
Hans Lechner ..... Dieter
Cynthia Beatt ..... WG-Bewohnerin
Jochen Brunow ..... Apotheker
Ingo Kaetel ..... CB-Funker

Synopsis:

This love story that uses Chamissoplatz Square as the substance of its plot development, contrasts with the documentary on the housing crisis embodied by Chamissoplatz Square: Und Wenn Wir Nicht Wollen (...And If We Don't Want To...), directed by Udo Radek and released slightly earlier in 1981. Berlin Chamissoplatz uses meetings between tenants and city officials, and spin-off activities from the housing issue, to provide ample venues for the two protagonists (an older architect and a younger student) to fall in love. The architect wants to demolish the buildings and redevelop the area, the student is fighting against demolition. The Chamissoplatz sector was one of the hot spots of the housing turmoil in the city, getting worse even as this film was released. As street fights were breaking out in the real Berlin, the film has its lovers escaping to Italy for a passionate interlude. The film is not exactly "Walt Disney meets Watts," but the producers might have reconsidered the timing of its release.

The title refers to a street in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg, mostly inhabited by the working class and foreigners. Some time ago, the district was chosen for the government's urban renewal plans. However, as one knows from news reportages, a great protest movement occurred in Berlin, when tenant groups and youth organizations rebelled against the destruction of neighborhoods, when unoccupied homes remained intact in more affluent areas. When Chamissoplatz is announced as an area for the reconstruction scheme, the Berlin Senate organized a street festival, in order to inform the inhabitants about the imminent changes. It is during this gathering that Martin, an architect, meets Anna, a young woman who is opposed to the urban renewal idea; she is preparing a video documentary of the event, in order to illustrate her views. When Anna interviews Martin, he is immediately captivated by her, and succeeds in initiating an affair. Thome is no sentimentalist, but he observes the relationship with sympathetic irony. Martin is excited about himself, a man nearly 40, making love to a woman of 20; they seem to be completely unified. However, the spectator can discern the distance between the lovers' aesthetic impulses: he sings to her as a romantic and her mind wanders-she is deeply moved by a Rivette film-and he dozes. The denouement is unexpected, too, like the film as a whole. Berlin Chamissoplatz is as close as one can get to the emotions of two German intelligences who try to be involved with their own worlds and, possibly, beyond.

In Berlin a man and a woman with opposing views on an urban remodelling scheme meet and are attracted to each other. They live together for a few days, but the relationship does not succeed.

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 13 September, 2011.

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