Germany, Pale Mother

Germany, Pale Mother
Germany, Pale Mother
	Theatrical release poster
German	Deutschland bleiche Mutter
Directed by	Helma Sanders-Brahms
Written by	Helma Sanders-Brahms
Produced by	Walter Höllerer ; Helma Sanders-Brahms;
Starring	Eva Mattes ; Ernst Jacobi ;
Cinematography	Jürgen Jürges
Edited by	Uta Periginelli; Elfie Tillack;
Music by	Jürgen Knieper
Production; companies	Helma Sanders-Brahms Filmproduktion; Literarisches Colloquium; WDR ;
Distributed by	Basis-Film Verleih
Release dates	20 February 1980(Berlin); 26 September 1980(West Germany);
Running time	123 minutes
Country	West Germany
Language	German

Last updated December 22, 2024

Germany, Pale Mother (German : Deutschland bleiche Mutter) is a 1980 West German drama film written and directed by Helma Sanders-Brahms. It premiered at the 30th Berlin International Film Festival in 1980, where it was nominated for a Golden Bear award. The title is taken from the poem of the same name by Bertolt Brecht.

Plot

In the 1930s, Hans is attracted to Lene, the only dark-haired one of a German family of seven sisters. As Hans's friend, Ulrich, is a member of the Nazi party, Lene is reluctant to see Hans but, after ascertaining that Hans is not a Nazi, she agrees to see him, and they eventually marry. On Lene's birthday, she learns that Hans has been conscripted to fight in Poland because he is a low-level bureaucrat who is not in the party, while Ulrich has been spared. In Poland, Hans murders civilians and has a hard time adjusting to war, like many other soldiers. When he returns on leave, he and Lene conceive a child, Anna, who is born during an air raid.

After their home is bombed, Lene takes Anna to see Hans, back on a two-day leave. Though Lene is happy to see him, he becomes jealous of Anna and Anna of him. To keep herself and Anna safe from the war, Lene treks on foot across the country. After the war, she is raped by two American soldiers in front of Anna. Eventually heading home, Lene reunites with a sister and, later, Hans. Over time, their reunion unravels as he is continually paranoid that she was unfaithful when he was away. He is also harsh with Anna over her schoolwork, sporadically beating her and constantly criticizing her. After the war, he reunites with Ulrich, who briefly encourages Anna to tease Hans. The teasing breaks Hans' cheerful mood (whose fragility is likely due to post-traumatic stress), leading him to beat Anna to tears.

Depressed, Lene contracts facial paralysis. Hans comes home, happy about his promotion, to discover his wife's condition. He takes her to the doctor, who informs them that all her teeth must be removed to stop the paralysis from spreading. Against her will Hans, noting that life is more important, orders the extraction. This further isolates and depresses Lene whose facial paralysis persists, who takes to her bed, withdraws from Anna, and wears a veil when she has to go out.

Ulrich and Hans maintain good relations, until one night, after they have been drinking, Hans learns Ulrich has been promoted above him. Ulrich justifies it by his qualifications. Hans, embittered by Ulrich's promotions, no longer attracted to Lene, and tired of her depression, does not react when Lene tells him she does not want to live anymore. He leaves for work, and Lene locks herself in the bathroom, intending to gas herself. Anna cries and begs her to come out, and eventually, she does.

Cast

Eva Mattes as Lene
Ernst Jacobi as Hans
Elisabeth Stepanek as Hanne
Angelika Thomas as Lydia
Rainer Friedrichsen as Ulrich
Gisela Stein as Aunt Ihmchen
Fritz Lichtenhahn as Uncle Bertrand
Anna Sanders as Anna

Awards

In 1980, the film won the Grand Prix at the Créteil International Women's Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear at the 30th Berlin International Film Festival.^[3]

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References

↑ French, Philip (12 July 2015). "Germany, Pale Mother review – highly stylised account of a family in freefall". The Guardian . Retrieved 6 January 2017.
↑ "Germany, Pale Mother (Blu-ray)". BFI Shop . Retrieved 1 August 2023.
↑ "Awards for Deutschland bleiche Mutter". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 2007-12-25.

External links

Germany, Pale Mother at IMDb

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[1] French, Philip (12 July 2015). "Germany, Pale Mother review – highly stylised account of a family in freefall". The Guardian . Retrieved 6 January 2017.

[2] "Germany, Pale Mother (Blu-ray)". BFI Shop . Retrieved 1 August 2023.

[3] "Awards for Deutschland bleiche Mutter". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 2007-12-25.

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