A Lively Christmas Eve
Encyclopedia
A Lively Christmas Eve is an East German comedy Christmas film, directed by Günter Reisch
. It was released in 1962.
, Christmas Eve. Veteran communist and factory director Walter Lörke is told by his daughter Anne that she became pregnant by a young man named Thomas Ostermann, whom she intends to marry. Thomas is revealed to be a sharp critic of the government. Enraged, Walter leaves the house. Outside, he begins to inquire about his would-be son-in-law. After a clumsy voyage in the streets of the city, during which he encounters many absurd phenomena, he discovers that Thomas had a friend whose parents escaped to West Germany
. The friend was ostracized by society, but Thomas did not shun him, and was therefore barred from entering university. Walter returns home and talks to Thomas, who realizes that although he suffered injustices, he remains true to the ideals of the party. The two reconcile.
. The script was adapted from a Czechoslovak play; director Günter Reisch
received the authorization to make the picture after using the influence of the leading actor Erwin Geschonneck
on the members of the State Cinema Committee.
East German cinema expert Joshua Feinstein wrote that the film was one of the "more outlandish" made at the time, that reminded him of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
. He also noted that it was the only pre-1989 East German picture to make a satirical reference to the Stasi
.
Joe Perry, who researched the Christmas costumes in Germany, considered Ach, du Fröhliche... as an example to the SED's attempt to uphold the holiday's traditions as a time of familial bonding while completely rejecting any religious connotation. A "Socialist miracle" of reconciliation between oneself and the leading ideology replaced the Christian-inspired one. The film presented the Christmas costumes of East Germany, that were a readjustment of the old tradition: the fir tree, for example, was decorated by little sputniks
. Perry interpreted the film as a typical "happy end Christmas story" with a communist setting.
Günter Reisch
Günter Reisch, is a German film director. After World War II, Reisch started working with theater and film and became one of East Germany's most prominent film makers. He has made approx. 20 motion pictures, including the two Karl Liebknecht films.-Selected filmography:* The Sailor's Song * Ach du...
. It was released in 1962.
Plot
DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Christmas Eve. Veteran communist and factory director Walter Lörke is told by his daughter Anne that she became pregnant by a young man named Thomas Ostermann, whom she intends to marry. Thomas is revealed to be a sharp critic of the government. Enraged, Walter leaves the house. Outside, he begins to inquire about his would-be son-in-law. After a clumsy voyage in the streets of the city, during which he encounters many absurd phenomena, he discovers that Thomas had a friend whose parents escaped to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. The friend was ostracized by society, but Thomas did not shun him, and was therefore barred from entering university. Walter returns home and talks to Thomas, who realizes that although he suffered injustices, he remains true to the ideals of the party. The two reconcile.
Cast
- Erwin GeschonneckErwin GeschonneckErwin Geschonneck was a German actor. His biggest success occurred in the German Democratic Republic, where he was considered one of the most famous actors of the time.-Early life:...
- Walter Lörke - Mathilde Danegger - grandmother
- Karin Schröder - Anne Lörke
- Arno Wyzniewski - Thomas Ostermann
- Günter Junghans - Karl Lörke
- Rosemarie Schelenz - Peggy
- Herwart Grosse - Mr. Ostermann
- Marianne Wünscher - Mrs. Klinkhöfer
- Walter Jupé - Mr. Klinkhöfer
- Karla Runkehl - Mr. Siebkorn
- Fred Delmare - taxi driver
- Gerd Ehlers - drunken butcher
- Walter E. Fuß - Professor Flimrich
- Horst GieseHorst GieseHorst Fritz Otto Giese was an East German actor.-Biography:In 1945, Giese made his debut on stage at his native Neuruppin, then in the Soviet occupation zone. Later he appeared on television. His first role in a movie was at the 1954 Alarm in the Circus...
- Gisse
Production
The film was part of a wave of comedies, relatively free from political restrictions, that were produced by DEFA at the early 1960s. At the time, the anti-Stalinist approach espoused by the Soviet Union allowed a more relaxed cultural climate, that came to an end in the 1965 XI Plenum of the Socialist Unity Party of GermanySocialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
. The script was adapted from a Czechoslovak play; director Günter Reisch
Günter Reisch
Günter Reisch, is a German film director. After World War II, Reisch started working with theater and film and became one of East Germany's most prominent film makers. He has made approx. 20 motion pictures, including the two Karl Liebknecht films.-Selected filmography:* The Sailor's Song * Ach du...
received the authorization to make the picture after using the influence of the leading actor Erwin Geschonneck
Erwin Geschonneck
Erwin Geschonneck was a German actor. His biggest success occurred in the German Democratic Republic, where he was considered one of the most famous actors of the time.-Early life:...
on the members of the State Cinema Committee.
Reception
The German Film Lexicon defined Ach, du Fröhliche... as an "better than average comedy, with barbed satire against dogmatic beliefs... with brilliant acting".East German cinema expert Joshua Feinstein wrote that the film was one of the "more outlandish" made at the time, that reminded him of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a 1967 American drama film starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn, and featuring Hepburn's niece Katharine Houghton...
. He also noted that it was the only pre-1989 East German picture to make a satirical reference to the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
.
Joe Perry, who researched the Christmas costumes in Germany, considered Ach, du Fröhliche... as an example to the SED's attempt to uphold the holiday's traditions as a time of familial bonding while completely rejecting any religious connotation. A "Socialist miracle" of reconciliation between oneself and the leading ideology replaced the Christian-inspired one. The film presented the Christmas costumes of East Germany, that were a readjustment of the old tradition: the fir tree, for example, was decorated by little sputniks
Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 ) was the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1s success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space...
. Perry interpreted the film as a typical "happy end Christmas story" with a communist setting.
External links
- Ach du fröhliche... on PROGRESS.
- Ach du fröhliche... on DEFA Sternstunden.
- Ach du fröhliche... on cinema.de.