The Punch Bowl (1959 film)
Encyclopedia
Maibowle is an East German musical comedy film, released in 1959. It was directed by Günter Reisch
.
on his sixty-fifth birthday, for being the best worker in the most successful chemical plant in the country. However, it is soon made clear that all his grown up children have other plans for the day, and none of them can arrive to honor their father and their mother Auguste. But, after a series of comical mistakes that lead to utter pandemonium, all the sons and daughters eventually appear to greet Wilhelm as he is awarded the Order. The whole family drinks the traditional May wine
, as they have done in every year.
, at July 1958. It was a musical comedy, one of the pictures which authors Antonin and Mira Liehm considered as an attempt by DEFA to balance the effects its heavily ideological works had on the public. Although it was light-hearted, director Günter Reisch emphasized the hapiness experienced by the citizens in the socialist system and the importance of the chemical plants' development - one of them served as the setting for the plot. The director's decision was influenced by the response to his last film, the 1957 Trail in the Night, which was negatively received by the State Film Board due to a scene featuring rock-and-roll music.
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...
.
Plot
Wilhelm Lehmann is informed that he will receive the Order of the Banner of LaborBanner of Labor
The Banner of Labor was an order issued in the German Democratic Republic .It was given for "outstanding achievements of many years which stabilized and strengthened the country, and in particular for high results of working in the national economy"....
on his sixty-fifth birthday, for being the best worker in the most successful chemical plant in the country. However, it is soon made clear that all his grown up children have other plans for the day, and none of them can arrive to honor their father and their mother Auguste. But, after a series of comical mistakes that lead to utter pandemonium, all the sons and daughters eventually appear to greet Wilhelm as he is awarded the Order. The whole family drinks the traditional May wine
May wine
May wine, also known as Maitrank, Maiwein, Maibowle and Waldmeisterbowle, is the name of a German beverage that uses aromatized wine as a base . May wine is served in the spring, traditionally on the May Day holiday...
, as they have done in every year.
Cast
- Erich Franz as Wilhelm Lehmann
- Friedel Nowack as Auguste Lehmann
- Albert Hetterle as Gustav Lehmann
- Erika Dunkelmann as Marion Lehmann
- Christel Bodenstein as Suse Lehmann
- Heinz Draehn as Franz Lehmann
- Ekkehard SchallEkkehard SchallEkkehard Schall was a German stage and screen actor/director.He was one of the best profiled actors of Brecht's works and together with Helene Weigel a member of the Berliner Ensemble....
as Günther Lehmann - Stefan Lisewski as Paul Lehmann
- Horst KubeHorst Kube-Selected filmography:* Ernst Thälmann - Führer seiner Klasse * A Berlin Romance * Der Fackelträger * Schlösser und Katen * Don't Forget My Little Traudel * Zwei Mütter * The Sailor's Song...
as Albert Lehmann - Ernst-Georg Schwill as Knispel
- Fritz DiezFritz DiezNot to be confused with the West German industrialist Fritz Dietz.Fritz Diez was a German actor, producer, director and theater manager.-Early life:...
as State Secretary Frisch - Karla Runkehl as Rosa
Production
The film was commissioned for the tenth anniversary of East Germany's independence, and the decision to begin the project was taken on the 5th Congress of the Socialist Unity PartySocialist 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...
, at July 1958. It was a musical comedy, one of the pictures which authors Antonin and Mira Liehm considered as an attempt by DEFA to balance the effects its heavily ideological works had on the public. Although it was light-hearted, director Günter Reisch emphasized the hapiness experienced by the citizens in the socialist system and the importance of the chemical plants' development - one of them served as the setting for the plot. The director's decision was influenced by the response to his last film, the 1957 Trail in the Night, which was negatively received by the State Film Board due to a scene featuring rock-and-roll music.