Margarete Steiff (1847-1909)

Margarete Steiff is a German historical movie that is based on a true story: the life and career of Margarethe Steiff (1847-1909). It was shown on German television in 2005 and released on DVD in 2006 (and 2016). Here is some basic information about it:

*** Director: Xaver Schwartzenberger
*** Writers: Susanne Beck and Thomas Eifler
*** Soundtrack: German – no English subtitles!
*** Run time: 88 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Heike Makatsch as Margarete “Grete” Steiff

** Felix Eitner as Fritz Steiff (1850-1900) – her brother

** Hary Prinz as Julius – a travelling salesman from Salzburg

** Donald Arthur as Mr Hollow – an American businessman

** Harald Krassnitzer as Dr August Hermann Werner (1808-1882)

** Annika Luksch as Margarete (10 years old)

** Niklas Ehrensperger as Fritz (7 years old)

** Suzanne von Borsody as the mother (Maria)

** Herbert Knaup as the father (Friedrich)

Since this movie is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. Therefore I feel free to mention some of them here.

While this movie is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown in the movie, but the basic story-line is true.

Margarete Steiff was born in Giengen in 1947. She had two older sisters and a younger brother (Fritz). When she was 18 months old, she became ill with polio, which was at the time a devastating disease. She survived, but both her legs were paralyzed. She could not walk. She had to use a wheelchair. In addition, the use of her right arm was limited. However, her left arm was intact and her brain was working very well. Moreover, she was a very optimistic person.

Her parents thought she was never going to get a good life because of her handicap. But she proved them wrong. She became a seamstress, who founded her own company. At first she produced clothes, but later she turned to stuffed toy animals (such as elephants and teddy bears).

Her brother Fritz married and had six sons. Five of them entered the family business. Even today, this company is still active. Margarete Steiff became a legend. Her products were sold all over Germany and exported to many countries around the world. In her hometown Giengen there is a museum dedicated to the memory of her life and the company that she founded.

In this movie, we follow Margarete’s life and career. However, this is not a complete biography. The movie is divided into three parts, with each part focusing on a significant moment in her life. Here is a brief summary:

** Part 1: Margarete is 10 years old. We are in 1857
** Part 2: Margarete is 18 years old. We are in 1865
** Part 3: Margarete is 56 years old. We are in 1903

What do reviewers say about this movie? On IMDb it has a rating of 70 per cent, which corresponds to 3.5 stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this average rating is too low.

On the German version of Amazon there are 40 reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.8 stars. If you ask me, this average rating is too high. Why?

This is a wonderful movie. It has a positive, life-affirming message: even though she had a serious handicap, Margarete was able to make a good life for herself, to play an important role in her community and to make a significant contribution to society. But the movie is not perfect. It has a major flaw: it is too short. The story is too compressed.

Part 1 runs for only ca. 15 minutes. Part 3 runs for only ca. 15 minutes as well. Both parts are much too short. Part 2 runs for ca. 60 minutes. Only this part of the movie has the time to cover this moment in Margarete’s life in a reasonable way.

The movie-makers should have allowed all three parts of the movie to run for 60 minutes. If they had done this, the movie would have been twice as long as it is now, and it would have been much better, because it would have been a comprehensive biography.

As you can see, there is a problem with the structure of the movie. I would have loved to learn more about Margarete’s life when she was a child. I would also have loved to learn more about the way in which her company developed from 1880 to 1903.

The first part of the movie is too rushed. We are just getting started, and then it is all over. The same is true for the last part of the movie. The jump from 1865 to 1903 is brutal. Too much is left out, too much is missing in this way.

In addition, the movie also has a minor flaw: in part 3 we see Margarete and her brother Fritz in the new company building which has a long ramp leading up to the first floor. This scene never happened. Because Fritz died in 1900, and the new building is from 1903.

I like this movie and I want to give it a good rating, but I have to remove one star because of the flaws I have mentioned here. Therefore I think it deserves a rating of four stars.

PS # 1. Heike Makatsch (born 1971) has appeared in several television movies, including the historical drama Dr Hope: Eine Frau gibt nicht auf (2009).

PS # 2. Margarete Steiff: Die Biografie by Gabriele Katz was published by Osburg Verlag in 2011. It is a detailed biography with more than 300 pages.

*****

 

Margarete Steiff (1847-1909)

*****