Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Hanna Schygulla | ... | ||
Giancarlo Giannini | ... | ||
Mel Ferrer | ... |
David Mendelsson
|
|
Karl-Heinz von Hassel | ... |
Henkel
(as Karl Heinz von Hassel)
|
|
Erik Schumann | ... |
von Strehlow
|
|
Hark Bohm | ... |
Taschner
|
|
Gottfried John | ... |
Aaron
|
|
Karin Baal | ... |
Anna Lederer
|
|
Christine Kaufmann | ... |
Miriam
|
|
Udo Kier | ... | ||
Roger Fritz | ... |
Kauffmann
|
|
Rainer Will | ... |
Bernt
|
|
Raúl Gimenez | ... |
Blonsky
(as Raul Giminez)
|
|
Adrian Hoven | ... |
Ginsberg
|
|
Willy Harlander | ... |
Prosel
|
In Switzerland German singer 'Willie' falls in love with Jewish composer 'Robert' who offers resistance to the Nazis by helping refugees. But his family thinks that 'Willie' is also a Nazi and may be a risk for them. One day 'Willie' helps 'Robert' but has to stay in Germany. As Willie starts to sing the song 'Lili Marleen' she becomes very famous and every soldier hears that song via radio at 8 pm. Although even Hitler wants to meet her she still does not forget 'Robert' and helps to smuggle photos of concentration camps to the free Switzerland. When 'Robert' wants to visit her he is captured he can finally get free again but he will never see Willie again until war is over. Written by Marco Louis <Alouisius@hotline.pfalz.de>
Jolly good show eld chap - bit of a must see if you like that eld song... I don't know what the makers of this film were thinking, but it was obviously something along the lines of "Dash it all! We appear to got ourselves into a spot of bother here! Too many of the chaps and gels have accents which aren't quite up to par! Well, not to fear - technology to the rescue! I'll just call up the chaps at the club and get them to lend their distinguished Queens English voices to making this film a ripping english yarn about a German singer and a Swiss Jewish music artist..."
Well, the dubbing of an obviously English film with 'upper crust' English accents had me rolling in the aisles, snorting with laughter at some points throughout the film - it all rather distracted from what was really a very good film. Although the editing was a bit choppy in places (1970's relict directing?), the film faily trundles along providing a genteel look at the distractions and hardships WWII had on life in Europe. True, towards the end, one can sympathise with Giancarlo Giannini's 'torture' scene where the Germans lock him up in a room to listen to a couple of lines from the song, 'Lili Marleen' over and over again... How much was Giannini acting and how much was genuine suffering??? But, if you can overlook the dreadful dubbing, this is a good film!