Jahrestage

One woman, two places, two eras. During the summer of 1967, 44-year-old Gesine Cresspahl - a multilingual secretary for a major American bank - lives alone with her 11-year-old daughter, Marie. Originally from the fictional town of Jerichow in Germany, she has remained attached to her native region of Mecklenburg. Urged on by her daughter, Gesine tells her life story in several phases. The Cresspahl family chronicle takes her back to the early 30s. The train of memories makes several stops : Hitler's rise to power and the collective madness of a nation; Kristallnacht in 1938, a harbinger of the Jewish program ; the World War and the destruction of Germany; 1945, year zero of German history; the early 50s and the dogmatic socialism of the GDR; and finally the economic rebirth of West Germany. Against the backdrop of world history, changing totalitarian regimes and triumphant capitalism, the protagonists of Uwe Johnson's famous novel live out their great family history in this four-part film, set between Mecklenburg and New York.

Germany - 1999 - 2 x 1 h 30 mn - 16 mm - Colour

Réalisation
Margarethe von Trotta
Scénario
Christoph Busch, Peter Steinbach
d'après le roman de
Uwe Johnson
Image
Franz Rath
Son
Michael Busch
Décors
Heike Bauersfeld
Montage
Corinna Dietz
Musique
Enjott Schneider
Interprétation
Suzanne von Borsody, Marie Helen Dehorn, Matthias Habich, Axel Milberg, Hanns Zischler, Edgar Seige, Kai Scheve

Production et Ventes
WestDeutscher Rundfunk,
PG Gesellschaft und Dokumentation, Vierscheibenhaus R. 652 Appellhofplatz 1,
50600 Köln, Allemagne
Tél : +49 221 220 4726
Fax : +49 221 220 5830
E-mail : brigitte.moessner@wdr.de

Co-Production
Bayerischer Rundfunk, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg