Tannbach

WW II brought misery to all the countries involved - particularly for the common people who lost a lot, irrespective of being part of a "winning" or a "losing" nation. The battles were over, Nazi structures dismantled - but people in many parts of Europe could not find the solution they had hoped. A culprit here was the Soviet Union, its Stalinism hoping to evolve their world revolution idea on the ashes of dismantled states and emerging hopes.

Tannbach gives a realistic picture of the era and events not too much depicted so far. Well, as the time frame is apparently too long for a miniseries, the course of events is not always smooth, and some motives may remain vague or incomprehensible to outsiders. Still, the characters are good, dynamic, so are the performances, particularly the female ones; and the changes in moods and attitudes are tackled in realistic manner. I really wanted to see what would happen next, and there were more interesting angles than clichés.

True, I am unable to know how all this is perceived by those remembering similar events or Germans today or those living outside Europe, so I can comprehend if this series does not bespeak very wide audiences. It is definitely not a story for "clear minds" and ignorant people.

PS Season 2 is a bit arid, and death of an interesting main character did not amend this either... But still, a good series, and realistic. The ending scenes hinted that Season 3 might come.

Very often we think of WWII in terms of the horrors, be it an atomic bomb, or a concentration camp. This series brings us to the continuation of the ''end'', and how, in a sense, continues to this day. It's a village version of the seperation of Berlin. As such, you get much closer to the small village feel, and as a result, to the people. The acting is first rate - no stupid one-liners or unecessary expressions. . Lauterbach is excellent as the distant and guilt-ridden aristocrat/father. Uhl is first rate as a stoic mother with survival instincts that will surprise you. The others are just as fanatastic. I have rarely seen such a touching series that portrays so effectively the two sides of the same and one coin. A sad and touching testimony of a moment in history of a great and proud nation, and a very human one at that.

This seemingly low budget TV series would appear to the German version of "A French Village". Both take place after the end of WW2, and both depict the lives of people and places impacted by the downfall of Germany. The main difference between the two series is that the German version is just 3 episodes long (thankfully) while the French version went on forever, dragged out until viewers could no longer remember (or care) who the characters were or what they did during the war. The acting in the German series is pretty terrible, and because so much had to be included in the short time, the editing is very choppy, leading to a storyline that is difficult to follow. Events occur without adequate explanation, which leaves viewers scratching their heads due to a lack of continuity and character development. Most of the characters are stereotyped, with dialog that is pretty mundane and scripted. There is the usual fight between capitalism and communism, and that pretty much sums up the series. It's a forgettable series that one might not include on a list of films to watch....unless there's absolutely nothing else to do!

Now I may have led a singularly sheltered life, being born in 1952, I have seen my share of war films, and lately post-war films. I like something that tells a story, I do not like 'block buster' or big bang movies, so this series, which is as riveting as Un Village Francais in its own way, was telling the story of a small town which wakes up the morning after WWII is ended and has to deal with the repercussions. First the Americans claim them, then the Russians, then they are divided down the centre. It's fascinating, appalling and brilliant at the same time. It's realistic in that the good guys don't necessarily do the right thing all the time, and the bad guys don't necessarily get their come-uppance. In some ways it's horrific, and the horror of the post war situation contrasts strongly with the beautiful peaceful scenery of the untouched countryside and farm buildings. If you are interested in history, then this is worth a watch, purely from a different perspective - it's easy to forget that ordinary people were on all sides of the conflict and suffered., loved and lost.

The first series was shown in the UK back in 2017 and I really enjoyed it both for the history and the personal tragedies that unfold. The interesting stories are with the conflicts between the characters and their changing fortunes and their priorities with the sides they choose to take as their village is divided.

There is some lighthearted moments but mostly this is a tale of the harsh reality of a nation that lost its' way and power and how the people have to come to terms with this and their villages' division under the super powers.

I was excited to learn of a second series but it was unavailable in the UK so I went to the extreme of buying a subtitled DVD version from New Zealand. It was well worth it. The second series does feel unfinished and it could do with a third, however, I expect there is not much more you could do but tackle the eventual reunification and that has been told in other German series in recent years like the excellent Deutschland 83/86/89.