The Adlon: A Family Saga (2013)

The Adlon: A Family Saga is the English title of a German mini-series that is based on a true story: the story of the family that founded and ran the Adlon Hotel in Berlin for almost a century (1904-1997). The German title is Das Adlon: Eine Familiensaga. It was shown on German television (ZDF) and released on DVD in 2013. Here is some basic information about it:

** Executive producer: Oliver Berben

** Directed by Uli Edel

** Written by Uli Edel and Rodica Döhnert

** Number of episodes: 3 – each episode runs for ca. 1 hour and 33 minutes

** Total running time: ca. four hours and 40 minutes

It was a huge production with a large number of actors. The man in charge of the project was Oliver Berben, the son of Iris Berben, who is one of the most famous German actors.

The time frame is almost a century, from 1904 to 1997. The hotel was founded in 1904 and officially opened in 1907. The purpose was to be the best hotel in Germany and one of the best hotels in the world. For a while it really was. In 1997 it re-opened with a double name: Das Adlon Kempinski Hotel. Today it is still the Adlon Hotel, but now it is a member of the Kempinski chain.

In 1945, when World War II ended, Germany was divided into four zones, three western and one for the USSR. The three western zones later became West Germany, while the Soviet zone later became East Germany.

Berlin, the old capital, was also divided into four zones, three western and one for the USSR. The three western zones became West Berlin, while the Soviet zone became East Berlin, the capital of East Germany.

Das Adlon was (and still is) located next to the famous gate, Brandenburger Tor. When the lines were drawn, the hotel ended up in East Berlin. It was very close to the line between east and west, but it was in the east.

During the time of East Germany, Das Adlon was only a shadow of its former self, until it was finally closed down. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the unification of the two German states in 1990, the old building was demolished and a new building was constructed on the same spot. The new hotel opened for business in 1997.

There are three episodes in the mini-series. Here is a brief overview:

# 1. 1904-1918

# 2. 1918-1933

# 3. 1933-1997

While the mini-series is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a combination of fact and fiction. In the mini-series we follow the lives of two families: the Adlon family and the Schadt family. The former is real, while the latter is fictional. The Schadt family was invented for dramatic purposes. In the mini-series the lives of the two families and the life of the hotel are closely connected with each other.

1904 is not only the year in which the hotel is founded, it is also the year in which (the fictional character) Sonja Schadt is born. She lives and works at the hotel for many years until she leaves Germany and settles in the US. In 1997, when the hotel re-opens, she returns to the old place. While waiting for her family to arrive, she tells the story of her life and the story of the hotel to one of the young porters. At that time she is 93 years old; she is almost as old as the century.

A word of warning: this is a German production, so the soundtrack is in German, and there are no English subtitles. If you do not understand German, this product is not for you.

However, if you do understand German, and if you are interested in the history of the modern world, then this mini-series could be something for you. As for the language, I will say this: the German that is spoken here is clear and easy to understand. There are no strange dialects and no strange accents.

In a way, this mini-series is not only the history of a hotel, it is the history of a country, the history of Germany in the 20th century, seen from the perspective of a five-star hotel in the capital. In this story, we get to see some of the best and some of the worst aspects of German history. The script is well-written and the actors play their roles very well.

On IMDb, Das Adlon has a rating of 74 per cent, which corresponds to almost four stars on Amazon. I understand the positive reviews. I cannot understand the negative reviews. If you ask me, 74 per cent is not enough. This mini-series is an excellent drama. And therefore I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

*****