Zwei unter Millionen

Germany just before the Wall that was to physically divide East and West for nearly 3 decades. Thousands are fleeing the East German system to the West. Particularly young people who feel oppressed and stifled by the Communist way of life are tempted to start over in the West. - The young cinema idol Hardy Kruger plays the East German dreamer who first helps a girl escape to the West, then falls in love with and marries her. His ultimate dream is to buy the run down bar where he had secretly been moonlighting for some time. Although his employer is ready to retire and sympathetic to the young couple, this lofty dream seems difficult enough to realize, if not unreachable. - There are several memorable scenes in this beautiful piece of Historical Cinema, but the repeated marriage proposal stands out. Kruger recalls repeatedly what his grandfather used to tell him: The Devil always craps on the biggest pile. That may be true, but so is this saying: The best things in life are free. - This film is a romantic look back at a time in German History where a nation emerged from the rubble of WWII, but hard work for modest gains in comfort and status would stretch for many years. The Wirtschaftswunder didn't come over-night, and neither did middle class comforts. These are definitely the struggling years, but for young couples who had each other, they were still the best years of their lives.

A touch of the New Vague: Berlin shortly before the construction of the Wall with Loni von Friedl and GOLDEN GLOBE nominee Hardy Krüger

In the very worth seeing ARTE documentary "The Hardy Krüger Story", Hardy Krüger talks about this wonderful film, which was shot in the early summer before the Wall was built on August 13, 1961. With this film, the actor, who has now become a world-famous star, wanted to create a cinematic monument to his hometown of Berlin. Unfortunately that failed! When the film, produced by UFA Film Hansa, premiered in Hanover on October 12, 1961, the Berlin Wall had already been a bitter reality for two months. In other respects too, the production was not a lucky star. The fabulous director and GOLDEN GLOBE winner Victor Vicas (Weg ohne Umkehr, 1954) fell ill and had to be replaced by assistant director Wieland Liebske. The result is nevertheless a fine and touching Berlin film, which - following in the footsteps of the French Nouvelle Vague and also the Italian Neorealismo - offers a quasi-documentary look at Berlin, divided into sectors, before the Wall was built. An everyday love story is shown sketchily and poetically and looks at living conditions that are not entirely easy with sober seriousness. Simply fabulous how a German film with realism instead of a dream factory combines the painful topic of divided Berlin with the reality of small people's lives.

The smart East Berliner Karl (Hardy Krüger) helps young Christine (Loni von Friedl), who has just come from Rostock to the GDR capital, to get to the western part of Berlin. In addition to his actual job in the East, he also works in a pub in Kreuzberg. Of course for hard D-Marks! Karl dreams of taking over the pub from his boss (Joseph Offenbach) and his wife (Ilse Fürstenberg). Karl falls in love with Christine, who experiences her first disappointments in the West. Getting married soon. And then there is actually a chance that Karl could use his savings to take over the pub, if not...

Walter Giller (1927-2011) plays another role as Paulchen, Karl's best friend. He and his wife Nadja Tiller were one of the real dream couples in German film in those years. Great images from Kreuzberg and the Kurfürstendamm and the Gedächtniskirche / Memorial Church make this film, shot in black and white, a pleasure. Even if the construction of the wall ruined the success at the box office (Billy Wilder's "One, Two, Three" had a similar fate), the artistic value did not go undiscovered. The enchanting Loni von Friedl (born in 1943 / married to EUROPEAN FILM AWARD nominee Götz George from 1966-1976) deservedly received the Filmband in Gold /GERMAN FILM PRIZE. The film also screened at the Mar del Plata Film Festival in Argentina. In English the film is known as "Two Among Millions".

A beautiful film with a touching, unspectacular love story that you should definitely see!