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The Turning Point (1983 film)
Encyclopedia
The Turning Point is a 1983 East German film directed by Frank Beyer
and starring Sylvester Groth, Fred Düren and Klaus Piontek. The film is based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Hermann Kant
, which was based on Kant's own experience as a prisoner of war in Poland. The film tells the story of a German prisoner of war at the end of World War II
who is wrongly accused of being a war criminal. The film was controversial upon release as Polish commentators criticized that the film showed the Polish army wrongly accusing someone of war crimes. Nevertheless the film was successful and won several awards and was the East German official submission to the 56th Academy Awards
for Best Foreign Language Film
.
officer who murdered her daughter during a raid in Lublin
. He is removed from the other prisoners and incarcerated in a single prison cell. Again and again he is interrogated by a Polish officer who is asking him to write down his life story and to tell his real name. The young former soldier asserts that he is Mark Niebuhr and maintains his innocence, not knowing why he has been detained and does not understanding why he is being questioned.
After four months of solitary confinement he is transferred to a new prison cell he is sharing with Polish criminals. As a German he is subject to their hatred and is regularly harassed. He is also assigned the most dangerous works, having to remove stones from bombed houses in Warsaw. During one of his assignment he saves a child, but breaks his arm. He is transferred to a hospital where he learns that he is charged with murder.
After his hospital stay he is transferred to a new prison, where he has to share a cell with German prisoners of war. The German prisoners maintain strict military order according to their former ranks. They are led by General Eisensteck (Fred Düren) and Major Lundenbroich (Klaus Piontek) who still cling to fascist ideals. Little by little Niebuhr gets to know his fellow prisoners. Although everyone is maintaining his innocence, Niebuhr slowly realizes that they are murderers and war criminals. He begins to distance himself from his fellow prisoners and realizes his guilt as an ordinary German soldier. While his cell mates are one by one executed, the Polish authorities ultimately believe Niebuhr and release him.
declaring the film "a testament to the friendship between the People's Republic of Poland
and East Germany". The Polish reaction was very negative and the depiction of the Polish army wrongly accusing a German of war crimes was perceived as anti-Polish. Both the Polish actors in the film and Polish representatives boycotted the premiere of the film. The controversy also resulted in a withdrawal of the film from the Berlin International Film Festival
, where it was originally planned to be screened and was expected to successfully compete for the awards. Despite the controversy the film became the top grossing film of 1983 in East Germany and was released in West Germany
to mixed reviews in spring 1984.
Director Frank Beyer, screenwriter Wolfgang Kohlhaase and the main actor Sylvester Groth were awarded the Heinrich-Greif-Preis in 1984. The Heinrich-Greif Preis was an East German award for film and television productions, named after the German actor Heinrich Greif. The Association of Film and Television Employees (Verband der Film- und Fernsehschaffenden) awarded the critics award of the section theory and film critic in the categories Best Film and Best Actor (Sylvester Groth) in 1983. At the East German National Feature Film Festival in Karl-Marx-Stadt
in 1984 the film won awards in the categories Best Director (Frank Beyer), Best Script (Wolfgang Koohlaase), Best Editing (Rita Hiller), Best Production Design (Alfred Hirschmeier) and Best Young Actor (Sylvester Groth).
Internationally, The Turning Point was screened at the 40th Venice International Film Festival in 1983. The film was also chosen as East Germany's official submission to the 56th Academy Awards
for Best Foreign Language Film
, but did not manage to receive a nomination.
Frank Beyer
Frank Beyer was German film director. In East Germany he was one of the most important film directors, working for the state film monopoly DEFA and directed films that dealt mostly with the Nazi era and contemporary East Germany. His film Traces of Stones was banned for 20 years in 1966 by the...
and starring Sylvester Groth, Fred Düren and Klaus Piontek. The film is based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Hermann Kant
Hermann Kant
Hermann Kant is a German writer born in Hamburg noted for his writings during the time of East Germany. He won the Heinrich Mann Prize in 1967.-References:...
, which was based on Kant's own experience as a prisoner of war in Poland. The film tells the story of a German prisoner of war at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
who is wrongly accused of being a war criminal. The film was controversial upon release as Polish commentators criticized that the film showed the Polish army wrongly accusing someone of war crimes. Nevertheless the film was successful and won several awards and was the East German official submission to the 56th Academy Awards
56th Academy Awards
The 56th Academy Awards were presented April 9, 1984 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Johnny Carson.The Best Supporting Actress winner this year was unique...
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...
.
Plot
In October 1945 the 19-year-old German prisoner of war, Mark Niebuhr (Sylvester Groth) arrives together with other prisoners at a train station in Warsaw. A Polish woman waiting for her train at the station believes that he is the SSSchutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
officer who murdered her daughter during a raid in Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
. He is removed from the other prisoners and incarcerated in a single prison cell. Again and again he is interrogated by a Polish officer who is asking him to write down his life story and to tell his real name. The young former soldier asserts that he is Mark Niebuhr and maintains his innocence, not knowing why he has been detained and does not understanding why he is being questioned.
After four months of solitary confinement he is transferred to a new prison cell he is sharing with Polish criminals. As a German he is subject to their hatred and is regularly harassed. He is also assigned the most dangerous works, having to remove stones from bombed houses in Warsaw. During one of his assignment he saves a child, but breaks his arm. He is transferred to a hospital where he learns that he is charged with murder.
After his hospital stay he is transferred to a new prison, where he has to share a cell with German prisoners of war. The German prisoners maintain strict military order according to their former ranks. They are led by General Eisensteck (Fred Düren) and Major Lundenbroich (Klaus Piontek) who still cling to fascist ideals. Little by little Niebuhr gets to know his fellow prisoners. Although everyone is maintaining his innocence, Niebuhr slowly realizes that they are murderers and war criminals. He begins to distance himself from his fellow prisoners and realizes his guilt as an ordinary German soldier. While his cell mates are one by one executed, the Polish authorities ultimately believe Niebuhr and release him.
Cast
- Sylvester GrothSylvester GrothSylvester Groth is a German film actor and tenor.He is best known to English-language audiences for appearing in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, in which he portrayed Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels....
as Mark Niebuhr - Fred Düren as General Eisensteck
- Matthias Günther as Hauptsturmführer
- Klaus Piontek as Major Lundenbroich
- Alexander van Heteren as Jan Beveren
- Hans-Uwe Bauer as Obergefreiter Fenske
- Horst Hiemer as gas man
- Günter Junghans as Gestapo inspector Rodloff
- Gustaw Lutkiewicz as Szybko
- Krzysztof Chamiec as Chef
- Andrzej Pieczynski as Second Lieutenant
- Roman WilhelmiRoman WilhelmiRoman Wilhelmi was a Polish theatre and film actor, notable for his roles in two of the most popular Polish television series of the 1980s....
as Ohnehals - Horst GieseHorst GieseHorst Fritz Otto Giese was an East German actor.-Biography:In 1945, Giese made his debut on stage at his native Neuruppin, then in the Soviet occupation zone. Later he appeared on television. His first role in a movie was at the 1954 Alarm in the Circus...
as third German POW
Production and distribution
The Turning Point premiered on 20 January 1984 and was widely released in East Germany on the day after. The film was widely praised by the East German press, with Neues DeutschlandNeues Deutschland
Neues Deutschland is a national German daily newspaper. It was the official party newspaper of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany , which governed the German Democratic Republic , and as such served as one of the party's most important organs...
declaring the film "a testament to the friendship between the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
and East Germany". The Polish reaction was very negative and the depiction of the Polish army wrongly accusing a German of war crimes was perceived as anti-Polish. Both the Polish actors in the film and Polish representatives boycotted the premiere of the film. The controversy also resulted in a withdrawal of the film from the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
, where it was originally planned to be screened and was expected to successfully compete for the awards. Despite the controversy the film became the top grossing film of 1983 in East Germany and was released in West Germany
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....
to mixed reviews in spring 1984.
Awards and honors
Chemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
in 1984 the film won awards in the categories Best Director (Frank Beyer), Best Script (Wolfgang Koohlaase), Best Editing (Rita Hiller), Best Production Design (Alfred Hirschmeier) and Best Young Actor (Sylvester Groth).
Internationally, The Turning Point was screened at the 40th Venice International Film Festival in 1983. The film was also chosen as East Germany's official submission to the 56th Academy Awards
56th Academy Awards
The 56th Academy Awards were presented April 9, 1984 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Johnny Carson.The Best Supporting Actress winner this year was unique...
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.
External links
- The Turning Point at Filmportal.de
- The Turning Point at the DEFA-StiftungDeutsche Film-AktiengesellschaftDeutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft, better known as DEFA, was the public-owned film studio in East Germany throughout that country's history.-History:...