Friday, June 27, 2008
Down on Ecke Schönhauser
Berlin Schönhauser Corner (Berlin-Ecke Schönhauser) is a film concerning 15-20 year olds in 1957 East Germany. This is the first full generation to come of age since the duration of the war and the first wave of Deutsch rock 'n roll teens. Dieter, Karl Heinz, Kohle and Angela all come from households still greatly impacted by the war when they were five or eight. They are having a heck of time getting a bearing on the world, and move forward sometimes into enterprises without considering repercussions.
In this world, the neighborhood East German police play a substitute paternal role playing guidance counselor in between processing and inquiring about the corner gang's latest transgression. For instance Dieter when exiting after being held by the police said "You Don't believe me." The police commander replies:"I believe You. Believe in yourself."
There are some excellent performances here, especially by Ekkehard Schal as Dieter
and Ilse Pagé as Angela. But it is director Gerhard Klein's blend of workmanlike classic filmmaking a'la Hitchcock, and a fearlessness to take some time out for some visual poetry. There is also an Unmistakable Italian neo-realistic feel to the film, but more towards the I, Vittelonizone of that cinema's Rosselini-Olmi-Fellini spectrum.
And there are these absolutely wonderful sections of poetry in this film. The first comes as Angela, the young seamstress leaves the scene of some bet you I can vandalism at the corner Die Jungen all hang out at. Later other street scenes of this absolutely convincing Lolita woman child are handled with a sweetness and care. The director takes his time if it is significant and needed to present the story of his characters.
In 1957 our protagonists can move between East and West, and they do so, especially for movies and culture and cash flow opportunities. A full fledge escape by two of them occupies the last act of the film.
I am hoping that more and more fifties and sixties DEFA films will continue to surface. Ecke Schönhauser is the best East German film I have seen since I first became aware of the richness of this country's cinema with exposure to works like Das Kaninchen bin ich (The Rabbit Is Me), Naked among Wolves (Nackt unter Woelfen), and Ich war neunzehn (I Was Nineteen).
It has been intriguing to see two products of 1957 (the year of the Bobman) back to back. A common link between Ecke Schönhauser and Sweet Smell of Success besides their worlds of moral ambiguity is that both are presented with a wonderful link between realism and a highly art-driven style of storytelling.
posted by well-executed buffet at 11:25 PM
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