German Newsletter
ARRI Film & TV Newsletter 12/2011

Esteemed clients, dear friends of ARRI,

Enclosed please find the most recent edition of the ARRI Film & TV newsletter, this time on the occasion of the theatrical release of 

three new films. In Polnische Ostern, director Jakob Ziemnicki presents a humorous portrayal of the often difficult relationship between Poles and Germans. In Life, Above All, director Oliver Schmitz depicts his native country, modern South Africa, in a multi-layered mother-daughter relationship. Finally, the Murnau Foundation is bringing the restored version of Fritz Lang's classic, Metropolis, to the theatre.

Enjoy the read!

All the best,

Angela Reedwisch and Walter Brus

OPENING IN GERMAN THEATERS ON MAY 12, 2011: Metropolis

Director: Fritz Lang Screenplay: Thea von Harbou DoP: Karl Freund, Günther Rittau Sculptor: Walter Schulze-Mittendorff Production Company: Universum-Film AG Berlin (Ufa) German Distributor: Warner Bros.   ARRI Services: Lab, Sound Mixing, Release Prints

Restored Version

Restoration: Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung in collaboration with Deutsche Kinemathek - Museum für Film und Fernsehen, Berlin - in cooperation with Museo del Cine Pablo C. Ducros Hicken, Buenos Aires (2010) | Digital Restoration: Alpha-Omega Digital | Sound production: Deutschlandradio Kultur, ROC GmbH, ZDF in cooperation with ARTE | Musical Direction, Reconstruction and Dubbing of the Original Soundtrack: Frank Strobel | Cover Version 2010: Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin| A cooperation of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung with ZDF/ARTE | Distributor: Transit Film

The Murnau Foundation has applied itself to saving and preserving a large portion of Germany’s film heritage and making these outstanding cultural and film historical works accessible to the public. The world premiere of the restored version of Metropolis  brings back to the screen the original version of the monumental silent film classic which for decades was considered to be lost. Now the restored version is coming to the theatre, distributed by Warner.

For the restored version the Murnau Foundation and Warner Bros. entrusted ARRI with the production of the release prints, including the scans, exposure, mixing and print production. 

The world premiere of the restored version of Metropolis (Right: Sculptor - Walter Schulze-Mittendorff) © Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung

Sometime in the future. Johann Fredersen is mastermind of Metropolis, a gigantic high-tech city, under whose surface masses of workers lead an archaic slave existence. His son, Freder, is witness to the inhumane working conditions and rebels against his despotic father, discovering a spiritual community in the catacombs of the city: Maria, a young woman, preaches the virtues of love and reconciliation. But Fredersen discovers Maria as well and conjures up a sinister plan. He commissions the scientist Rotwang to develop a robot form of Maria, which he will use to gain influence over the workers. The plan works, but Freder and Maria are able to hinder the catastrophe in the last minute. The mass hysteria turns and directs its rage toward the robot Maria, who is burned at the stake. Freder and Maria form a new brotherly community among the classes - Fredersen offers his hand in reconciliation, true to the motto of the film: "the mediator between the hand and the brain must be the heart".

Source: German Films 

OPENING IN GERMAN THEATERS ON MAY 12, 2011: Life, Above All

Director: Oliver Schmitz Screenplay: Dennis Foon Author: Allan Stratton DoP: Bernhard Jasper Production Company: Dreamer Joint Venture Filmproduktion German Distributor: Senator Filmverleih   ARRI Services: Lab

In stunning imagery, director Oliver Schmitz (Mapantsula; Paris, je t'aime), a native of South Africa, portrays both a heart-wrenching mother–daughter relationship and modern South Africa: lively, diverse, and full of contradictions. Geliebtes Leben was awarded the Prix François Chalais at the  2010 Cannes Film Festival and received seven South African Film and Television Awards in 2011. Oliver Schmitz won prizes for Best Direction and Best Scenario. Life, Above All also made the Oscar® Shortlist 2011 for Best Foreign Film. The imagery of cinematographer Bernhard Jaspar sensitively explores the inner lives of the protagonists and expresses their feelings in visual form.  Life, Above All was produced by Oliver Stoltz / Dreamer Joint Venture Filmproduktion in collaboration with Helge Sasse / Senator Film Produktion, Greig Buckle / Enigma Pictures (South Africa) and Thomas Reisser / Niama-Film. The German distributor is Senator.

ARRI was entrusted with the production of the release prints by Dreamer Joint Venture and Senator. 

Left: Mapaseka Matheba and Khomotso Manyaka on set with Director Oliver Schmitz; Right: Mrs. Tafa (Harriet Manamela), Lillian (Lerato Mvelase) and Chanda (Khomotso Manyaka) © Senator

In the dusty small town of Elandsdoorn, a South african township not far from Johannesburg, life is simple and serene. a prevailing sense of deep pride tightly bonds together the entire community – but beware to those who step out of line … 12-year-old Chanda is a hardworking promising young student with a bright future, but her life changes dramatically when her baby sister unexpectedly dies. Heartbroken, Chanda’s mother, lillian, in turn becomes severely ill. her stepfather drowns himself in alcohol, leaving the young girl to take care of her two smaller siblings. Meanwhile, the formerly friendly neighbors become increasingly distant and gossip spreads. „Auntie” Tafa does what she can to help by getting lillian to leave town, but not even „auntie“ is immune to the cloud of fear fi ltering across Elandsdoorn. Suspecting that the community’s irrational ostracism has to do with her mother’s illness and the death of her baby sister, Chanda demands answers but is met with stubborn silence. Unwilling to bear the weight of secrecy any longer, Chanda sets out to face a deeply engrained, unspoken taboo ...

OPENING IN GERMAN THEATERS ON MAY 12, 2011: Polnische Ostern

Director: Jakob Ziemnicki Screenplay: Katrin Milhahn, Jakob Ziemnicki DoP: Benjamin Dernbecher Editor: Dirk Grau  Production Company: Polyphon German Distributor: Zorro Film     ARRI Services: Lab

Polnische Ostern, directed by Jakob Ziemnicki, is the first feature film debut from the graduate of the Baden-Württenberg Film Academy. In a relaxed, warm and humorous style, the film deals with the occasionally difficult relationship between Germany and Poland. Cinematographer Benjamin Dernbacher’s imagery is impressively calm. Polnische Ostern was produced by Polyphon in collaboration with ZDF (Das kleine Fernsehspiel) and DOK Film and is distributed by Zorro Film.

ARRI was entrusted with the production of the release prints for the trailer and the main film.

Left: Werner Grabosch (Henry Hübchen) with his granddaughter Mathilda (Paraschiva Dragus); Right: ...and with the self-centered grandma Irena (Grazyna Szapolowska) © 2011 Zorro Film

Master baker Werner Grabosch is heartbroken: after the accidental death of his daughter, her Polish husband is given custody of his only grandchild Mathilda. Mathilda is sent to Poland, but Graphsch devises a scheme: he will ingratiate himself with the Polish family during the Easter festivities, collect evidence to document the intolerable conditions there, and thereby ensure that the Poles lose custody of the child. At first everything goes according to plan, but remarkably enough, after a while Grabosch starts to find his surroundings more and more pleasant…