Brecht (2019)

Brecht – a miniseries in two parts – is a historical and biographical drama which premiered on German television (ARD) in 2019. The main character is the famous German playwright and poet Eugen Berthold Brecht who is known professionally as Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956). Here is some basic information about this drama:

** Writer and director: Heinrich Breloer

** Narrator: unknown

** Language: German

** Subtitles: German – no English subtitles!

** Run time: 2 x 90 minutes = 180 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Tom Schilling as the younger Berthold Brecht (covering the years 1917-1933)

** Burghart Klaussner as the older Berthold Brecht (covering the years 1949-1956)

** Mala Emde as Paula Banholzer (1901-1989) – aka Bi – she is Brecht’s first girlfriend – they have a son Frank (1919-1943)

** Friederike Becht as Marianne Zoff (1893-1984) – an Austrian actress – she is Brecht’s second girlfriend and his first wife (they are married 1922-1927) – they have a daughter Hanne (1923-2009)

** Manuel Zschunke as Arnolt Bronnen (1895-1959) – a friend

** Franz Hartvig as the younger Caspar Neher (1897-1962) – a friend

** Ernst Stotzner as the older Caspar Neher

** Adele Neuhauser as the younger Helene Weigel (1900-1971) – aka Helli – a German actress – she is Brecht’s second wife (they are married 1930-1956) – they have two children

** Lou Strenger as the older Helene Weigel

** Leonie Benesh as the younger Elisabeth Hauptmann (1897-1973) – aka Bess – she is Brecht’s secretary and translator

** Jaroslava Laufenova as the older Elisabeth Hauptmann

** Oscar Olivo as Kurt Weil (1900-1950) – a musician and composer

** Trine Dyrholm as Ruth Berlau (1906-1974) – a Danish friend (they meet while Brecht is in exile in Denmark; later she follows him to Germany; this role is played by a Danish actress)

** Laura de Boer as Isot Kilian (1924-1986)

** Franz Dinda as Egon Monk (1927-2007)

** Vincent Redetzki as Martin Pohl (1930-2007)

While this drama 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 here. But the basic story is true.

Since this drama 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.

I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone, but I have to mention a few details in order to explain my rating.

This drama is a combination of three elements:

# 1. Ca 80 per cent = a docudrama (in colour).

# 2. Ca 10 per cent = old clips and photos (in black-and-white).

# 3. Ca 10 per cent = interviews with people who knew Brecht or who worked with him (some are in black-and-white, while others are in colour).

The combination of the three elements is interesting. I like it, but I can see that some reviewers do not like it. They feel the flow of the regular docudrama is interrupted and disturbed by the second and the third elements.

As stated above, the drama is divided into in two parts:

** Part one covers the time 1917-1933

** Part two covers the time 1949-1956

In part one the role of the younger Brecht is played by Tom Schilling. In part two the role of the older Brecht is played by Burghart Klaussner.

What about the time 1933-1949? Where is Brecht during these years? He is in exile in several locations. Here are the places (in chronological order): Prague, Zurich, Paris, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the US, and finally Switzerland. Apart from two brief flashbacks to events in the US (in part two), the years of exile are not covered in the drama.

As stated above, this drama is about the life and work of Brecht. We see him as a playwright and as the director of some of his plays. We also see his private life. In fact, most of the drama is devoted to this aspect of his life. It seems Brecht has an intimate relationship with almost every woman that he meets. What is neglected here is his views on politics. Almost no time is devoted to explaining what Brecht thinks about this topic.

What do reviewers say about this drama? On IMDb it has a rating of 69 per cent, which corresponds to 3.5 stars on Amazon. On the German version of Amazon there are at the moment thirteen reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.4 stars.

If you ask me, both these average ratings are too high. Why? Because the Brecht that we see in this drama is not good enough. We know he was talented as a playwright and as a poet, but he does not seem very talented here. He is not charming. Often he is not likeable. In fact, it is hard to understand why so many women wanted to throw themselves at this man.

Tom Schilling’s version of the younger Brecht is selfish, but not too bad. Burghart Klaussner’s version of the older Brecht is a bully and a tyrant who yells at everyone around him. But most of them put up with him. He almost never hears the word “No!”

However, the most important flaw is the lack of politics. Brecht was a very political person. His plays and his poems often have a political message.

In 1949, when many Germans are moving from East Germany to West Germany, Brecht decides to move in the opposite direction: he moves from Switzerland to East Berlin. Why? We need an explanation. But it never comes. What does he think about politics? Sadly, there is almost no answer in this drama. It is a shame. A missed opportunity.

This drama is not great; it is not even good; it is just average. And therefore it cannot get more than three stars.

*****

 

 Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956)

*****