Ku'damm 56

A series which intends to cover a period of history and do it through a family and then pack it with enough adventures and emotional turmoil should give anyone the shivers. However 'Ku damm 56' manages through skillful writing and production to navigate a dramatic way despite the plotting tricks of a mini-series.

It takes a little acceptance - suspension of disbelief - by the viewer, but it's not a compromise and the story is told well, even if a bit incredible at times.

The wider themes are set as a feminist tale at the dawn of the women's movement. However yoking Muddy Waters' song of defiance, 'Mannish Boy' with lyrics changed to a female singer is perhaps stretching viewer willingness, even if it works well enough in the place its used.

Although the daughters are the center of the story the presence which makes it work is the mother, a sort of Mother Courage. She is enduring, indomitable and implacable, and loyal to traditional values.

Michelsen plays her expertly with a range of regret, disapproval, contempt, and anger as she expresses her almost constant disappointment with modern life and her errant daughter, in particular.

Her character works well with the backstory to the Nazi period, an era which still casts its shadow over the lives of the characters, and a wider shift in the tempo of change exemplified in the rock music.

So, German women can sing the Blues; though another song might be more appropriate.

Ku'damm 56 is fun to watch. This is a great achievement by the actors and the set designers. The series is a bit loaded too much with historical input, almost like something made by a history teacher (and I say this as a history teacher). Sometimes the characters and situations are too much "an example for this" and an "example for that". It is still really interesting how much the 50s were a completely different age even though you can see cars, television and Rock 'n' Roll. The actresses of the three daughters are very good as are the mother and Heino Ferch's sinister doctor. So while this is no Downton Abbey or Boardwalk Empire in terms of quality, it is well worth watching.

Great characters, unpredictable storyline. Was very engaging.

Everything about this production right to the very last scene is wonderful. One of the very best,

My Review Kú damm 56 My Rating 8:10 Streaming on SBS on Demand

Ku'damm 56 is a German television trilogy about the 50s youth generation in the period between the end of World War II and the German Wirtschaftswunder. It tells the story of a conservative mother and her three daughters of marriageable age. The setting is the family-owned dance school. The trilogy deals with prudish morality, the first sexual experiences of the young women, and the desire for values, underscored by the association with Nazi Germany of the mother and many of her contemporaries.

I'm so glad Friends recommended this 3 part series from Germany and I'm looking forward to watching Series 2 set in 1959. And Series 3 set in 1963.

I don't know the cast at all but they're all excellent especially Sonia Gerhardt who plays Monica Shollak and Claudia Michelsen who plays Monica's mother and the best evil mother since Cate Blanchett in Cinderella.

Poor Monica lived in the shadow of her two sisters Maria and Emilia until she finds her passion rock and roll dancing.

The series Kù damm gets its title from where it takes place on Kurfürstendamm one of the most famous avenues in Berlin. The street takes its name from the former Kurfürsten of Brandenburg. The broad, long boulevard can be considered the Champs-Élysées of Berlin and is lined with shops, houses, hotels and restaurants.

The sets indoor and out are so authentic to the era the street scenes post war buildings and vehicles are meticulous .

The great costumes and music help create the nostalgia of the series which deserves all the critical praise each series has received.

Heike Hempel, editor-in-chief of ZDF, stated: "With Ku'damm 56 we continue our tradition of narrating history in a contemporary way. [...] Ku'damm 56 shows women on their path to self-determined sexuality and equal rights."

I highly recommend the Kú damm Trilogy.