Andrew Weber
@noplot.bsky.social
Mostly harmless random stupid stuff (citation: my wife). Confusing relatives, coworkers, spouse, and cat for decades. Probably at the movies as you read this. He/him.
Which Purina One do we get her? Is it Indoor Advantage Senior 7+?
October 26, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Which Purina One do we get her? Is it Indoor Advantage Senior 7+?
This is a wonderful film, and undoubtedly one of the most personal films DEFA ever produced. Gregor is doing his best to understand what has happened and trying to find himself as a German in Germany again, but what identity can he build from the rubble of the war? He is certain about one thing:
October 14, 2025 at 5:37 AM
This is a wonderful film, and undoubtedly one of the most personal films DEFA ever produced. Gregor is doing his best to understand what has happened and trying to find himself as a German in Germany again, but what identity can he build from the rubble of the war? He is certain about one thing:
Everyone's teenage years are a time when they figure out who they are and what they believe in. For Gregor (and for Konrad Wolf), he grew up as a German living abroad and finding his German heritage is an asset, but also shameful because of what his countrymen have done. Wadim sums up the contrast:
October 14, 2025 at 5:37 AM
Everyone's teenage years are a time when they figure out who they are and what they believe in. For Gregor (and for Konrad Wolf), he grew up as a German living abroad and finding his German heritage is an asset, but also shameful because of what his countrymen have done. Wadim sums up the contrast:
And while the war seems over, it isn't: the team encounters a firefight when a Soviet tank (Drunken Soviets? Stolen by Nazis? No one knows.) fires on a resting group of troops and later, when the team accepts the surrender of dozens of troops at a farm, passing SS troops fire and a comrade dies.
October 14, 2025 at 5:37 AM
And while the war seems over, it isn't: the team encounters a firefight when a Soviet tank (Drunken Soviets? Stolen by Nazis? No one knows.) fires on a resting group of troops and later, when the team accepts the surrender of dozens of troops at a farm, passing SS troops fire and a comrade dies.
As April turns to May, Hitler is dead and a mood of celebration emerges at times. The audio truck team helps make pelemeni for a party with Soviet soldiers celebrating with German comrades and prisoners. Yet though he is among fellow Germans, he still feels like an outsider and is questioned.
October 14, 2025 at 5:37 AM
As April turns to May, Hitler is dead and a mood of celebration emerges at times. The audio truck team helps make pelemeni for a party with Soviet soldiers celebrating with German comrades and prisoners. Yet though he is among fellow Germans, he still feels like an outsider and is questioned.
Being a German speaker and interpreter in the Soviet army puts Gregor in some delicate situations, notably the request of Spandau fortress to surrender. A vote of German officers doesn't go the Soviets' way, so they go into the fortress to make their case. It succeeds in the end, but only just...
October 14, 2025 at 5:37 AM
Being a German speaker and interpreter in the Soviet army puts Gregor in some delicate situations, notably the request of Spandau fortress to surrender. A vote of German officers doesn't go the Soviets' way, so they go into the fortress to make their case. It succeeds in the end, but only just...
The Nazi soldiers they encounter vary; while some refuse to surrender, others keep going about their duties until the Soviets are literally at the door. A supply unit's leader ends up calling his boss to request that he be captured, but his boss doesn't believe it until Sascha gets on the phone...
October 14, 2025 at 5:37 AM
The Nazi soldiers they encounter vary; while some refuse to surrender, others keep going about their duties until the Soviets are literally at the door. A supply unit's leader ends up calling his boss to request that he be captured, but his boss doesn't believe it until Sascha gets on the phone...
Running ahead of the rear guard, often they find towns empty of soldiers; with the lead troops moving on, Gregor finds himself appointed mayor of Bernau for a short time and meets a Soviet woman soldier who is quite angry at the Germans and a young German woman who is quite fearful of the Soviets.
October 14, 2025 at 5:37 AM
Running ahead of the rear guard, often they find towns empty of soldiers; with the lead troops moving on, Gregor finds himself appointed mayor of Bernau for a short time and meets a Soviet woman soldier who is quite angry at the Germans and a young German woman who is quite fearful of the Soviets.
He is part of a small crew, led by Sascha (Aleksey Eybozhenko) with former teacher Wadim Gejman (Vasiliy Livanov) from Kyiv and Mongolian driver
Dsingis (Kalmursa Rachmanov). Together they play music and speak messages encouraging German surrender as they approach Berlin.
Dsingis (Kalmursa Rachmanov). Together they play music and speak messages encouraging German surrender as they approach Berlin.
October 14, 2025 at 5:37 AM
He is part of a small crew, led by Sascha (Aleksey Eybozhenko) with former teacher Wadim Gejman (Vasiliy Livanov) from Kyiv and Mongolian driver
Dsingis (Kalmursa Rachmanov). Together they play music and speak messages encouraging German surrender as they approach Berlin.
Dsingis (Kalmursa Rachmanov). Together they play music and speak messages encouraging German surrender as they approach Berlin.
#DEFAcember 38: "I Was Nineteen" (1968) is Konrad Wolf's most personal film, and no wonder: it's based on his diaries from when he was serving with the Soviet army at the end of World War II. He's German, but left when he was young and now is with a winning army but from the losing country.
October 14, 2025 at 5:37 AM
#DEFAcember 38: "I Was Nineteen" (1968) is Konrad Wolf's most personal film, and no wonder: it's based on his diaries from when he was serving with the Soviet army at the end of World War II. He's German, but left when he was young and now is with a winning army but from the losing country.
Friedel/Müller's plan for Kerster becomes a success, but afterwards he confesses his fraud and comes up for trial. Additionally, Irene still has feelings for him and when Kerster decides to leave town to go to college, she's faced with another moment of decision whether to stay or go.
October 13, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Friedel/Müller's plan for Kerster becomes a success, but afterwards he confesses his fraud and comes up for trial. Additionally, Irene still has feelings for him and when Kerster decides to leave town to go to college, she's faced with another moment of decision whether to stay or go.
His assignment includes a difficult patient who's been there for years, Max Kerster (Wilhelm Koch-Hooge), who Friedel/Müller doesn't know is a friend of the man he saved years ago. Kerster doesn't know (or want to know, perhaps) that he's paralyzed from the waist down and will never walk again.
October 13, 2025 at 12:55 AM
His assignment includes a difficult patient who's been there for years, Max Kerster (Wilhelm Koch-Hooge), who Friedel/Müller doesn't know is a friend of the man he saved years ago. Kerster doesn't know (or want to know, perhaps) that he's paralyzed from the waist down and will never walk again.
He has no papers of his own, just those of the deceased Doctor Müller, and so that's who the British think he is. He returns to his hometown to search for Irene, but the local clinic needs doctors desperately, and he is hired on the spot when the clinic supervisor hears about him.
October 13, 2025 at 12:55 AM
He has no papers of his own, just those of the deceased Doctor Müller, and so that's who the British think he is. He returns to his hometown to search for Irene, but the local clinic needs doctors desperately, and he is hired on the spot when the clinic supervisor hears about him.
With Friedel likely to be sought after for saving a Communist's life, he plans to head abroad as well and wants Irene to go with him. But she wants to stay and work against the Nazis at home and when both get to the train station, she stays behind at the last minute. So he's on his own...
October 13, 2025 at 12:55 AM
With Friedel likely to be sought after for saving a Communist's life, he plans to head abroad as well and wants Irene to go with him. But she wants to stay and work against the Nazis at home and when both get to the train station, she stays behind at the last minute. So he's on his own...
But he has good reason for not becoming a doctor: he dropped out of medical school in 1941 under the Nazis and took up a career singing (!) and has known Irene for a few months. But an emergency arises and Nazi doctors can't be trusted, so Friedel saves a Communist's life and he escapes abroad.
October 13, 2025 at 12:55 AM
But he has good reason for not becoming a doctor: he dropped out of medical school in 1941 under the Nazis and took up a career singing (!) and has known Irene for a few months. But an emergency arises and Nazi doctors can't be trusted, so Friedel saves a Communist's life and he escapes abroad.
#DEFAcember 37 (another bonus!): "Recovery" (1955) was the second film Konrad Wolf directed, and it feels a lot more like his later films than "Once Doesn't Count" did. Its main character is Walter Friedel (Wolfgang Kieling), who has been found out by officials as not being the doctor he claims.
October 13, 2025 at 12:55 AM
#DEFAcember 37 (another bonus!): "Recovery" (1955) was the second film Konrad Wolf directed, and it feels a lot more like his later films than "Once Doesn't Count" did. Its main character is Walter Friedel (Wolfgang Kieling), who has been found out by officials as not being the doctor he claims.
But that wasn't a popular identity, so for 2019 they worked with the Spanish-language community to develop a new identity and came up with the Soňadores de Hillsboro, which translates as "dreamers". (That's also the nickname for DACA immigrants in the U.S., so it's kind of a clever double meaning.)
October 7, 2025 at 7:12 AM
But that wasn't a popular identity, so for 2019 they worked with the Spanish-language community to develop a new identity and came up with the Soňadores de Hillsboro, which translates as "dreamers". (That's also the nickname for DACA immigrants in the U.S., so it's kind of a clever double meaning.)
Thank you so much! I'd never heard of Klingenthal before last week (it honestly sounded fictional) and it's great to know that the film reflects some of the reality.
As a bonus, here's where my brief remark "accordions are in!" comes from, a truly weird 1967 promotional ad for electric accordions.
As a bonus, here's where my brief remark "accordions are in!" comes from, a truly weird 1967 promotional ad for electric accordions.
October 6, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Thank you so much! I'd never heard of Klingenthal before last week (it honestly sounded fictional) and it's great to know that the film reflects some of the reality.
As a bonus, here's where my brief remark "accordions are in!" comes from, a truly weird 1967 promotional ad for electric accordions.
As a bonus, here's where my brief remark "accordions are in!" comes from, a truly weird 1967 promotional ad for electric accordions.
This film is available through the DEFA Film Library at vimeopro.com/defafilmlibr... along with two other early films; you can find the password at the DEFA Film Library Facebook page. But they're only available through Sunday, so call into work or postpone that wedding; this may be your one chance!
October 3, 2025 at 4:50 AM
This film is available through the DEFA Film Library at vimeopro.com/defafilmlibr... along with two other early films; you can find the password at the DEFA Film Library Facebook page. But they're only available through Sunday, so call into work or postpone that wedding; this may be your one chance!
For a first film, Wolf makes some creative decisions, from breaking the fourth wall early on to a short dream sequence for Anna with some surreal elements. He never did a film like this again, but it shows how much talent he had that he did so well with his first film. And it's lots of fun!
October 3, 2025 at 4:50 AM
For a first film, Wolf makes some creative decisions, from breaking the fourth wall early on to a short dream sequence for Anna with some surreal elements. He never did a film like this again, but it shows how much talent he had that he did so well with his first film. And it's lots of fun!
In the end, of course, there are other complications before the festival, but Peter's songs are a success for everyone (well, almost everyone), but there are relationship complications to the end. Even the people around Peter and Anna know they should be together, and scheme to make that happen...
October 3, 2025 at 4:50 AM
In the end, of course, there are other complications before the festival, but Peter's songs are a success for everyone (well, almost everyone), but there are relationship complications to the end. Even the people around Peter and Anna know they should be together, and scheme to make that happen...
Complications ensue for Peter when his uncle throws him out of his apartment and grabs one of his compositions in the process for his traditional music group. But Peter's effort to fix that results in problems with Anna; since he's composed a traditional dance here, why won't he compose for her?
October 3, 2025 at 4:50 AM
Complications ensue for Peter when his uncle throws him out of his apartment and grabs one of his compositions in the process for his traditional music group. But Peter's effort to fix that results in problems with Anna; since he's composed a traditional dance here, why won't he compose for her?
As with many films of this sort, Peter and Anna alternate between falling in love and not liking each other. She is jealous of a possible (and mistaken) rival, while he isn't interested in composing a dance song for her group...at first. But as we know from other films like this, it'll work out.
October 3, 2025 at 4:50 AM
As with many films of this sort, Peter and Anna alternate between falling in love and not liking each other. She is jealous of a possible (and mistaken) rival, while he isn't interested in composing a dance song for her group...at first. But as we know from other films like this, it'll work out.
Klingenthal also has customs besides the music festival, notably a legend about a tinny goat that will beset those who aren't nice to local women. Naturally, Anna and her colleagues take advantage of this to torment Peter, making this the only Konrad Wolf film with three people in a goat costume.
October 3, 2025 at 4:50 AM
Klingenthal also has customs besides the music festival, notably a legend about a tinny goat that will beset those who aren't nice to local women. Naturally, Anna and her colleagues take advantage of this to torment Peter, making this the only Konrad Wolf film with three people in a goat costume.
But she and four male colleagues at the accordion factory (accordions are in!) want a new song for the festival, and the guys work to convince Peter to create a song for them. Meanwhile, the accordion factory leader wants a rhapsody and his uncle wants a song for harp, so he's quite busy on holiday.
October 3, 2025 at 4:50 AM
But she and four male colleagues at the accordion factory (accordions are in!) want a new song for the festival, and the guys work to convince Peter to create a song for them. Meanwhile, the accordion factory leader wants a rhapsody and his uncle wants a song for harp, so he's quite busy on holiday.