Berlin 36 (2009)

Berlin 36 is a historical drama which premiered in 2009. As the title indicates, the main topic is the Olympic Games that were held in the German capital Berlin in the summer of 1936.

The German government wants to exclude Jews from all German Olympic teams. But the US Olympic Committee threatens to boycott the games, if this policy is implemented. Hard pressed, the Germans give in. They do not want an American boycott.

The drama focuses on one Olympic discipline: the women’s high jump. The German and Jewish athlete Gretel Bergmann, who has moved to the UK, is brought back to Germany to join the German team. This is done to show the US Government that Jews are indeed allowed to participate in the Olympic Games.

However, the German government is afraid she will win because she is the best. And this must not happen, because she is Jewish. Therefore she is excluded from the team just before the games begin. And at this point in time it is too late for the American Committee to stage a boycott.

Here is some basic information about this drama:

** Director: Kaspar Heidelbach

** Idea: Erich Friedler

** Screenplay: Lothar Kurzawa

** Language: German

** Released on DVD (with English subtitles) in 2017

** Run time: 100 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Karoline Herfurht as Gretel Bergmann – athlete

** Sebastian Urzendowsky as Maria Ketteler – athlete

** Julie Engelbrecht as Elizabeth “Lily” Vogt – athlete

** Klara Manzel as Thea Walden – athlete

** Axel Prahl as Hans Waldmann – coach

** Thomas Thieme as Hans von Tschammer und Osten (1887-1943) – German minister of sport

** August Zirner as Edwin Bergmann – Gretel’s father

** Maria Happel as Paula Bergmann – Gretel’s mother

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 in this review.

Some names are real, while others have been changed, perhaps for legal reasons. Here are some examples:

** Gretel Bergmann is the real name of the German and Jewish athlete who is excluded from the German team just before the games begin. She was born in 1914 and lived to be more than a hundred years old. She died in 2017. At the end of the drama, there is a brief clip with her (recorded in 2009).

** Marie Ketteler is a fictional name. The real name of this athlete is Dora Ratjen. The German government hopes she will win the discipline when Gretel is excluded. But Dora has a big secret. She is not a young woman. She is a young man. She was born in 1918 and died in 2008.

** Elizabeth “Lily” Vogt is a fictional name. The real name of this athlete is Elfriede Kaun (born 1914; died 2008).

What do reviewers say about this historical drama? Here are the results of three review aggregators:

43 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)

49 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)

45 per cent = Meta

63 per cent = IMDb

On Amazon UK there are at the moment more than twenty reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.3 stars.

The first three ratings are not impressive. They correspond to something like two or three stars on Amazon. The average rating on Amazon UK is much better: more than four stars.

If you ask me, the third rating (IMDb) is quite appropriate; the first two (Rotten Tomatoes and Meta) are too low, while the average rating on Amazon UK is too high. Why?

The drama is based on a true story, and some elements are absolutely true. But others have been changed, probably in order to make the story more dramatic. Here is the most important case:

In the drama, the German authorities know the true gender of Dora when they add her to the Olympic team. But they do not care. The do it to make sure that Germany will win the gold medal in this discipline. In the drama, Gretel discovers the true gender of Dora shortly before the Olympic Games begin. She is shocked, but does not reveal the secret to anyone.

According to an investigation conducted by the German magazine Der Spiegel, both these timelines are false:

** The German government did not learn the true gender of Dora until 1938, i.e. two years after the Olympic Games were held in Berlin.

** Gretel did not learn the true gender of Dora until the 1960s when she happened to read an article about gender-related problems in sports.

These serious flaws cannot be ignored. The movie-makers insist that the movie is based on a true story, but at the same time they have changed the true story in highly significant ways. You cannot have it both ways. If you insist it is a true story, you must follow the true story. If you add a lot of fiction, it is no longer a true story.

This is why I think the average rating on Amazon UK is too high. I do not want to be as harsh as Rotten Tomatoes and Meta. I will follow the rating of IMDb and offer a rating of three stars.

PS # 1. If you look at original photos of Dora Ratjen, you will see that Sebastian Urzendowsky was well-chosen for this role. The resemblance between the actor and the real historical person is amazing!

PS # 2. The investigation conducted by the German magazine Der Spiegel is available online (in English): Stefan berg, “How Dora the man competed in the women’s high jump,” Spiegel Online, 15 September 2009.

*****

 

 

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Dora Ratjen (1918-2008)

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