Das Adlon: Eine Familiensaga (a mini-series in three parts) is a historical drama based on a true story which premiered on German television (ZDF) in 2013.
The topic is the history of the family that founded and ran the Adlon – a famous five-star hotel in Berlin - for almost a century (1904-1997).
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** English title: The Adlon: A Family Saga
** Executive producer: Oliver Berben
** Director: Uli Edel
** Writers: Uli Edel and Rodica Döhnert
** Language: German
** Released on DVD in 2013
** Run time: 3 x ca. 93 minutes
** Total run time: ca. four hours and 40 minutes
This is a huge production with a large number of actors. The man in charge of the project is 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. 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. Four years later, on 1949, the three western zones became West Germany, while the Soviet zone became East Germany.
Berlin, the old capital, was divided into four sectors, three western and one for the USSR. The three western zones became West Berlin, while the Soviet zone became East Berlin, from 1949, the capital of East Germany.
Das Adlon was (and still is) located next to the famous gate, Brandenburger Tor. When the lines between east and west were drawn, the hotel ended up in East Berlin. It was close to the line between east and west, but it was in the east.
During the time of East Germany, Das Adlon became 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.
As stated above, there are three episodes.
Here is a brief overview of the chronology:
# 1. 1904-1918
# 2. 1918-1933
# 3. 1933-1997
While the historical drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a combination of fact and fiction.
In the drama 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 drama 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 and the dialogue is in German. Unfortunately, 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, this drama could be something for you.
Regarding 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 certain way, this drama covers not only the history of a famous hotel, but also 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 drama, 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.
What do reviewers say about this historical drama? On IMDb, it has a rating of 74 per cent, which corresponds to a rating of almost four stars on Amazon.
On the German version of Amazon there are at the moment more than 500 ratings of this product. The average rating is 4.7 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 94 percent.
In my opinion, the former rating is too low, while the latter rating is more appropriate.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
REFERENCES
Das Sacher
This is a historical drama in two parts
(2016)
Das Weisse Haus am Rhein
This is a historical drama in two parts
(2022)
Legendäre Hotels, Geschichte, Glanz und Gloria
This is a documentary film which premiered on German television (ZDF) in December 2023.
This film covers the history of five famous hotels: Das Adlon in Berlin, Das Sacher in Vienna, Beau Rivage in Geneva, The Ritz in Paris, and the Dreesen Hotel am Rhein in Bad Godesberg near Bonn. Run time: 44 minutes.
*****
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