The Ivory Tower | |
---|---|
Directed by | Matthias Drawe |
Written by | Matthias Drawe |
Produced by | Muavin Film Berlin |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Thorsten Schneider |
Edited by | Matthias Drawe |
Music by |
|
Distributed by | Muavin Film Berlin |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
Country | Germany |
Language | German (international distribution: English) |
The Ivory Tower [1] (German: Der Elfenbeinturm) [2] is a 1992 German film by Matthias Drawe set in Berlin and the surrounding forests of Brandenburg.
M. works as a cook in a busy Berlin restaurant. Barely past thirty, he suffers a mild heart attack, which gives him the scare of his life. He decides to turn his life around and write the great novel that he always felt inside him. He packs a little bundle, puts on his feathered hat and ventures into the woods of Brandenburg. When he discovers an abandoned water tower, he immediately knows that this is his Ivory Tower. However, after a few promising pages into his novel, M. experiences a severe case of writer's block. He tries several classic home remedies: a good bottle of Whiskey and a cigar, Kneipp style water treading in an ice-cold creek and balancing an egg on his head while standing on a steep ladder — unfortunately, all to no avail.
To make matters worse: He is far from alone in his retreat. First, he runs into a whacky birdwatcher; second, he discovers a domesticated rabbit that has been abandoned in the wild; and third, there is an enticing country girl collecting wild berries. In addition, his best friend, the waiter R., has given away M's location to his city friends who suddenly show up to throw a party. Realizing that his novel might not been ripe, yet, M. decides to return to the city on a bike. Passing his Ivory Tower for one last time, the country girl walks out of the woodwork and hops on his bike.
Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.6 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituent states, Berlin is surrounded by the State of Brandenburg and contiguous with Potsdam, Brandenburg's capital. Berlin's urban area, which has a population of around 4.5 million, is the second most populous urban area in Germany after the Ruhr. The Berlin-Brandenburg capital region has around 6.2 million inhabitants and is Germany's third-largest metropolitan region after the Rhine-Ruhr and Rhine-Main regions.
Brandenburg is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 square kilometres and a population of 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth-largest German state by area and the tenth-most populous. Potsdam is the state capital and largest city, and other major towns are Cottbus, Brandenburg an der Havel and Frankfurt (Oder).
Horst Werner Buchholz was a German actor who appeared in more than 60 feature films from 1951 to 2002. During his youth, he was sometimes called "the German James Dean". He is perhaps best known in English-speaking countries for his role as Chico in The Magnificent Seven (1960), as a communist in Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three (1961), and as Dr. Lessing in Life Is Beautiful (1997).
Klaus Wowereit is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and was the Governing Mayor of Berlin from 21 October 2001 to 11 December 2014. In 2001 state elections his party won a plurality of the votes, 29.7%. He served as President of the Bundesrat in 2001/02. His SPD-led coalition was re-elected in the 2006 elections; after the 2011 elections the SPD's coalition partner changed from the Left to the Christian Democratic Union. He was also sometimes mentioned as a possible SPD candidate for the Chancellorship of Germany (Kanzlerkandidatur), but that never materialized.
The Berliner Fernsehturm or Fernsehturm Berlin is a television tower in central Berlin, Germany.
Frank Paul Beyer was a German film director. In East Germany he was one of the most important film directors, working for the state film monopoly DEFA and directed films that dealt mostly with the Nazi era and contemporary East Germany. His film Trace of Stones was banned for 20 years in 1966 by the ruling SED. His 1975 film Jacob the Liar was the only East German film ever nominated for an Academy Award. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 until his death he mostly directed television films.
Matthias Wissmann is a German lawyer and politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as the president of the German Automobile Industry Association (VdA) from 2007 until 2018.
The Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is a luxury hotel in Berlin, Germany. It is on Unter den Linden, the main boulevard in the central Mitte district, at the corner with Pariser Platz, directly opposite the Brandenburg Gate.
Matthias Platzeck is a German politician. He was Minister President of Brandenburg from 2002 to 2013 and party chairman of the SPD from November 2005 to April 2006.
Ivory tower refers to a world or atmosphere where intellectuals engage in pursuits that are disconnected from the practical concerns of everyday life.
Paris Blues is a 1961 American musical romantic drama film directed by Martin Ritt, starring Sidney Poitier as expatriate jazz saxophonist Eddie Cook, and Paul Newman as trombone-playing Ram Bowen. The two men romance two vacationing American tourists, Connie Lampson and Lillian Corning. The film also deals with American racism of the time contrasted with Paris's open acceptance of black people. The film was based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Harold Flender.
Matthias Freihof is a German television actor and director. He has performed in many TV films and series including police drama Siska for 5 years. but also works on live stage performing as an actor and a singer. He is most known former the GDR-film 'Coming Out' in 1989. He and the film won prizes in several festivals as best actor and best film as well as 'The Silver Bear' in the Berlin Film Festival 1990.
Matthias Leupold is a German photographer and professor who lives and works in Berlin. His father Harry Leupold was set designer at the D.E.F.A. studio for feature films in Potsdam.
Thomas Nord is a German politician and Member of the German Federal Parliament.
Wolfgang Kohlhaase was a German screenwriter, film director, and writer. He was considered "one of the most important screenwriters in German film history", and was one of the GDR's most well-known and prolific film screenwriters. Kohlhaase was awarded the Honorary Golden Bear at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival.
Karl-Heinz Schröter is a German politician. He is the current State Minister of the Interior government of Minister-President Dietmar Woidke of Brandenburg. He previously served as district administrator of the Oberhavel district and was a member of the twelfth German Bundestag.
Friendship! is a 2010 German film directed by Markus Goller.
Kokowääh 2 is a 2013 German film directed by Til Schweiger. It is a sequel to the 2011 film Kokowääh. It was released in German-speaking countries on 7 February 2013. The film stars Til Schweiger, his daughter Emma Schweiger, Jasmin Gerat and Samuel Finzi reprising their roles from the first film.
Matthias Drawe is a German filmmaker, writer, actor and journalist.