One or the Other of Us
Encyclopedia
One or the Other of Us is a 1974
West German
film directed by Wolfgang Petersen
. It was Petersen's first theatrical feature film, and was based on the novel of the same name by Horst Bosetzky, published anonymously under his pseudonym -ky. The film is a psychological thriller
and focuses on the intense conflict between a university professor and a blackmail
er. The film features Klaus Schwarzkopf and Jürgen Prochnow
as the two main characters and won two Bundesfilmpreis
e.
Ziegenthals (Jürgen Prochnow
), a failed student, makes ends meet as an academic ghost writer. By accident he discovers that the respected professor of sociology
, Rüdiger Kolczyk (Klaus Schwarzkopf), has plagiarized
his doctoral dissertation by translating the work of an American scholar. He decides to blackmail Kolczyk and to ask for 10,000 DM and additional monthly payments of 1,500 DM. Kolczyk initially agrees, but vows to Ziegenhals that "only one of us will survive". Looking for a way to fight back, Kolczyk tries to gather information about Ziegenhals from Miezi (Elke Sommer
), a prostitute and a housemate and friend of Ziegenhals. As Miezi has saved enough money she is thinking of leaving her profession. At the same time her violent ex-boyfriend and former pimp
, Kalle Prötzel (Claus Theo Gärtner
), has been released from prison; he murders her and steals her savings. During the investigations the police finds out that Miezi had an appointment with Kolczyk and discovers the payments Kolczyk makes to Ziegenhals. Being the main suspects in the murder investigation only increases the hatred between Kolczyk and Ziegenhals, who fight with all means available. Kolczyk, learning that Ziegenhals thinks that Kolczyk wants to kill him, starts playing with Ziegenhals' mind. For example, he sends him a package with an alarm clock, making Ziegenhals think that he has received a mail bomb. Ziegenhals meanwhile befriends Kolczyk's daughter Ginny (Kristina Nel) and makes her his lover. Although this forces the both to have to pretend in public that they are friends, the final disaster cannot be averted.
. Klaus Schwarzkopf and Jürgen Prochnow had already played in some of Petersen's Tatort productions. The script was based on the novel of the same name written by Horst Bosetzky, a professor of sociology. At this time the identity of Horst Bosetzky was unknown as due to his position as a professor he published under the pseudonym -ky. One or the Other of Us was shot in October and November 1973 in Berlin
and Sylt
. The film was shot in Eastmancolor on 35 mm
in an 1.66:1 aspect ratio
.
The film made its theatrical debut on 22 February 1974 at the Gloria-Palast in Berlin
. It was first showed on television on 12 February 1982 on ZDF
. The film was released on VHS
in 1998 and on DVD
in 2008 in Germany.
It was also chosen as West Germany's official submission to the 47th Academy Awards
for Best Foreign Language Film
, but did not manage to receive a nomination.
1974 in film
The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...
West German
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....
film directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen is a German film director and screenwriter. His films include The NeverEnding Story, Enemy Mine, Outbreak, In the Line of Fire, Air Force One, The Perfect Storm, Troy, and Poseidon...
. It was Petersen's first theatrical feature film, and was based on the novel of the same name by Horst Bosetzky, published anonymously under his pseudonym -ky. The film is a psychological thriller
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
and focuses on the intense conflict between a university professor and a blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
er. The film features Klaus Schwarzkopf and Jürgen Prochnow
Jürgen Prochnow
Jürgen Prochnow is a German actor. His most well-known roles internationally have been as the sympathetic submarine captain in Das Boot , Duke Leto Atreides I in Dune , the minor, but important role of Neo-Stalinist dictator General Ivan Radek in Air Force One and the villain Maxwell Dent in...
as the two main characters and won two Bundesfilmpreis
Deutscher Filmpreis
The Deutscher Filmpreis is the highest German movie award. From 1951 to 2004 it was awarded by a commission, since 2005 the award has been given by the Deutsche Filmakademie...
e.
Plot
Jürgen Prochnow
Jürgen Prochnow is a German actor. His most well-known roles internationally have been as the sympathetic submarine captain in Das Boot , Duke Leto Atreides I in Dune , the minor, but important role of Neo-Stalinist dictator General Ivan Radek in Air Force One and the villain Maxwell Dent in...
), a failed student, makes ends meet as an academic ghost writer. By accident he discovers that the respected professor of sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, Rüdiger Kolczyk (Klaus Schwarzkopf), has plagiarized
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
his doctoral dissertation by translating the work of an American scholar. He decides to blackmail Kolczyk and to ask for 10,000 DM and additional monthly payments of 1,500 DM. Kolczyk initially agrees, but vows to Ziegenhals that "only one of us will survive". Looking for a way to fight back, Kolczyk tries to gather information about Ziegenhals from Miezi (Elke Sommer
Elke Sommer
Elke Sommer , born Baroness Elke Schletz, is a German actress, entertainer and artist.-Career:Sommer was born in Berlin to a Lutheran minister and his wife...
), a prostitute and a housemate and friend of Ziegenhals. As Miezi has saved enough money she is thinking of leaving her profession. At the same time her violent ex-boyfriend and former pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
, Kalle Prötzel (Claus Theo Gärtner
Claus Theo Gärtner
Claus Theo Gärtner in Berlin, Germany is a German television actor mainly known for his role as Josef Matula, the main character in the German detective show series Ein Fall für Zwei ....
), has been released from prison; he murders her and steals her savings. During the investigations the police finds out that Miezi had an appointment with Kolczyk and discovers the payments Kolczyk makes to Ziegenhals. Being the main suspects in the murder investigation only increases the hatred between Kolczyk and Ziegenhals, who fight with all means available. Kolczyk, learning that Ziegenhals thinks that Kolczyk wants to kill him, starts playing with Ziegenhals' mind. For example, he sends him a package with an alarm clock, making Ziegenhals think that he has received a mail bomb. Ziegenhals meanwhile befriends Kolczyk's daughter Ginny (Kristina Nel) and makes her his lover. Although this forces the both to have to pretend in public that they are friends, the final disaster cannot be averted.
Cast
- Klaus Schwarzkopf as Professor Rüdiger Kolczyk
- Jürgen ProchnowJürgen ProchnowJürgen Prochnow is a German actor. His most well-known roles internationally have been as the sympathetic submarine captain in Das Boot , Duke Leto Atreides I in Dune , the minor, but important role of Neo-Stalinist dictator General Ivan Radek in Air Force One and the villain Maxwell Dent in...
as Bernd Ziegenhals - Elke SommerElke SommerElke Sommer , born Baroness Elke Schletz, is a German actress, entertainer and artist.-Career:Sommer was born in Berlin to a Lutheran minister and his wife...
as Miezi - Ulla JacobssonUlla JacobssonUlla Jacobsson was a Swedish actress who is perhaps best known for playing one of the very few female roles in the film Zulu....
as Reinhild Kolczyk - Kristina Nel as Ginny Kolczyk
- Anita Kupsch as Sekretary Beate Blau
- Walter Gross as Grandfather Melzer
- Fritz Tillmann as Dr Sievers
- Berta Drews as Mother Braats
- Claus Theo GärtnerClaus Theo GärtnerClaus Theo Gärtner in Berlin, Germany is a German television actor mainly known for his role as Josef Matula, the main character in the German detective show series Ein Fall für Zwei ....
as Kalle Prötzel
Production and Distribution
One or the Other of Us was Petersen's first theatrical feature film. Petersen had already directed several high profile films for television, including four episodes for the Tatort television seriesTatort
Tatort is a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss , crime television series set in various parts of these countries. The show is broadcast on the channels of ARD in Germany, ORF 2 in Austria and SF1 in Switzerland...
. Klaus Schwarzkopf and Jürgen Prochnow had already played in some of Petersen's Tatort productions. The script was based on the novel of the same name written by Horst Bosetzky, a professor of sociology. At this time the identity of Horst Bosetzky was unknown as due to his position as a professor he published under the pseudonym -ky. One or the Other of Us was shot in October and November 1973 in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Sylt
Sylt
Sylt is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the largest island in North Frisia...
. The film was shot in Eastmancolor on 35 mm
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
in an 1.66:1 aspect ratio
Aspect ratio (image)
The aspect ratio of an image is the ratio of the width of the image to its height, expressed as two numbers separated by a colon. That is, for an x:y aspect ratio, no matter how big or small the image is, if the width is divided into x units of equal length and the height is measured using this...
.
The film made its theatrical debut on 22 February 1974 at the Gloria-Palast in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. It was first showed on television on 12 February 1982 on ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
. The film was released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in 1998 and on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in 2008 in Germany.
Awards and honors
One or the Other of Us won two Bundesfilmpreise in 1974:- Filmband in Gold for Best New Director (Wolfgang Petersen)
- Filmband in Gold for Best Cinematography (Charly Steinberger)
It was also chosen as West Germany's official submission to the 47th Academy Awards
47th Academy Awards
The 47th Academy Awards were presented April 8, 1975 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Sammy Davis, Jr., Bob Hope, Shirley MacLaine, and Frank Sinatra...
for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, but did not manage to receive a nomination.