German Film: Kästner and Little Tuesday

Posted by Dave (Southeast US) on 04/28/20 04:00 AM

I found this film excellent. Set in Berlin, it follows the relationship between German author Erich Kästner and a fatherless boy from the late days of the Weimar Republic to the end of WWII. Kästner is best known for writing children's books, including Emil and the Detectives and Das doppelte Lottchen (the inspiration for Disney's The Parent Trap), but he wrote for adults, too. A pacifist, he watched his books be burned at the massive Bebelplatz book burning in 1933.

The film is an interesting portrayal of the Weimar Republic and of the choices children and adults made as the Nazis rose to power.

It is included in Amazon Prime Video.

Posted by Barbara

Brooklyn, NY

04/28/20 01:33 PM

4321 posts

We will cHeck it out, always looking for a good movie to watch.

Posted by Nancy

Corvallis OR

04/28/20 02:26 PM

7174 posts

Thanks Dave for the heads up, it sounds really interesting and I'll check it out.

Posted by Judy B ✈️🧳🐈

Atlanta

04/28/20 05:15 PM

2517 posts

Thanks Dave. I will look for it on my Amazon Prime where I found Jack Strong the other day.

Posted by steven

white plains, ny, usa

04/28/20 05:36 PM

4176 posts

Sounds great , Dave . Pulling it up right now !

Posted by steven

white plains, ny, usa

04/28/20 07:32 PM

4176 posts

Dave , Knowing you like good music , and the historical significance of this , this ensemble from Berlin is perfect for you . This program from The Admiralspalast in Berlin has a good underpinning of history , and sense of location . - https://youtu.be/FiaNQG7HPpc

Posted by phannah00

Fort Mill, SC

04/29/20 12:37 AM

166 posts

Dave,
Thanks for this film recommendation. We watched it tonight and thought it was a very good film. I wasn't aware of this author and I like that you pointed out the reference to The Parent Trap, I wouldn't have caught that otherwise.
Great pick.

Posted by Dave OP

Southeast US

04/29/20 02:47 AM

4078 posts

steven--

That was great. Thanks for the link. Max Raabe performed in nearby Greenville (SC) in 2010, but I didn't make it to the show. The video made me a little sad I missed it. Every time I head to Berlin, I check the events at the Admiralspalast because it would be cool to see a show there, but I haven't made it yet.

Posted by steven

white plains, ny, usa

04/29/20 05:32 PM

4176 posts

Dave , that was a staggering film , I'm sitting here contemplating the impact of it . This brings to mind the story of another highly celebrated author of the period , Stefan Zweig . This article from The New Yorker is a distillation of George Prochnik's 2014 biography of Zweig - https://www.amazon.com/Impossible-Exile-Stefan-Prochnik-2014-05-06/dp/B01FIYO044 The New Yorker article - https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/when-its-too-late-to-stop-fascism-according-to-stefan-zweig Needless to say , Many Thanks for this ! We have also been trying to see Max Raabe in person , and always just missed him in Berlin and Munich . As they were supposed to play last Thursday at Carnegie Hall , here in New York , we had tickets , but due to the current situation , the program was cancelled. . Hopefully next time in Germany !

Posted by Mona

California USA

04/29/20 05:43 PM

4127 posts

Thanks Dave we put the film in our Watch List!

Posted by Diane

Westford, MA, USA

04/29/20 06:49 PM

567 posts

Thanks bookmarked it!

Posted by Dave OP

Southeast US

05/13/20 05:21 AM

4078 posts

steven,

I feel like I have a biography of Zweig around my house somewhere (I sometimes buy more books than I have the time to read!), but I can't locate it at the moment. I'm going to keep looking for it, though! If I can't find it, I'll beat down my current reading pile and then look it up!

Posted by onefastbob

Davis CA

05/13/20 06:02 AM

759 posts

Dave- joining in with the others saying Thank You for the referral. Great to see book and movie selections being brought forward, especially during this quiet time for many.