Das Weisse Haus am Rhein is a historical drama in two parts which premiered on German television (ARD) in October 2022.
It is the history of a famous four-star hotel which has been owned and run by the same family (the Dreesen family) for more than 125 years. It is located on the western bank of the river Rhine in Bad Godesberg, a district of Bonn, in the western part of Germany.
While most of this historical drama is filmed on location, it does not cover the whole history of the hotel from the beginning in 1894 until the present day.
It covers only two decades, which is less than half of the long history:
** Part 1 covers the years 1918-1926
** Part 2 covers the years 1926-1938
Here is some basic information about this historical drama:
** English title: The White House by the Rhine
** Director: Thorsten M. Schmidt
** Writer: Dirk Kämper
** Language: German
** Subtitles: German
** Available on the ARD website
** Part 1 = 89 minutes
** Part 2 = 91 minutes
** Total run time = 180 minutes
The cast (which can be divided into two categories) includes the following:
Category # 1 = The Dreesen family
** The Grandmother (first generation):
Adelheid Dreesen (played by Nicoline Heesters)
** The son (second generation):
Fritz Dreesen (played by Benjamin Sadler)
** The son’s wife:
Maria Dreesen (played by Katharina Schüttler)
**The grandson (third generation):
Emil Dreesen (played by Jonathan Berlin)
** The granddaughter (third generation):
Ulla Dreesen (played by Pauline Rénevier)
Category # 2 = other characters
** Elsa Wahlen (hotel maid)
played by Henriette Confurius
** Robert Harthaler (Emil’s friend)
played by Jesse Albert
** Rudolf Kossiczek (Emil’s enemy)
played by Hendrik Heutmann
** Charlie Chaplin (actor)
played by Stephen Multari
** Adolf Hitler (politician)
played by Max Gertsch
Rheinhotel Dreesen – known as the White House by the Rhine - is famous for two reasons;
# 1. It has a great location with great views of the local landscape
# 2. It has been frequented by many famous or well-known people
Famous is not always the same as well-known. Charlie Chaplin is famous, while Adolf Hitler is well-known.
Some of the famous or well-known people came for the
restaurant, while others came to stay in the hotel for a few days or to attend a
business conference, a special meeting or a family celebration.
The White House by the Rhine has a fascinating history, but the historical drama about the hotel is disappointing. It is not as good as it could and should have been. What is wrong? There are several flaws.
The first and obvious flaw has already been mentioned: the time frame is too short. The drama covers only two decades, which is less than half of the long history.
But this is only the first flaw. There are other flaws as well. Let me explain:
The story which unfolds in part 1 and part 2 is a combination of fact and fiction.
** Some characters are real historical persons.
** Some events really happened.
But not everything is true.
Some characters and some events are fictional. They are the product of a vivid imagination.
While some parts of the drama take place in and around the hotel, a large part of the story has nothing to do with the hotel. A large part of the story is about Emil and something which happened at the front in the trenches during the war.
The hotel is often pushed into the background. It is only used as a setting; it becomes a place where a fictional story is played out.
I do not understand why the filmmakers decided to create a drama where the famous hotel is reduced to play a secondary role, while the main focus is on a fictional story, which is about something that happened at the front in the trenches during the war.
Part 1 begins at the end of 1918 when the war is over. How do we know this? Because we are told by an on-screen message.
Part 1 ends in 1926. This time there is no on-screen message to tell us how far we have moved from 1918. But I can figure it out, because I know the history of the hotel and the well-known guests.
The final scene of part 1 shows the moment when a certain guest (Adolf Hitler) arrives at the hotel. His first visit to the hotel was in 1926.
Hitler liked this hotel. He liked it so much that he visited around 60 times and often stayed for a long time:
** The first round = 1926-1928
** The second round = 1934-1938
Charlie Chaplin and Adolf Hitler both visited this hotel. This is true. But they did not stay at the same time. And they were not placed in rooms next to each other.
The historical drama is reporting a persistent rumour when it pretends that Hitler and Chaplin visited the hotel at the same time:
** Hitler standing in front of a mirror preparing to make a public speech
** Chaplin inventing a sketch which he later
used in a movie: the bread roll ballet, a famous scene in The Gold Rush which premiered in 1925
But the rumour is false.
How do we know this?
Because Chaplin visited in 1921, while Hitler’s first visit was in 1926.
What do reviewers say about this historical drama?
On IMDb it has a rating of 70 percent, which corresponds to 3.5 stars on Amazon.
One critic review is listed on the website:
Oliver Armknecht
Das Weisse Haus am Rhein
2 October 2022
The rating offered here is 7 of 10 = 70 percent
In other words: the same rating as IMDb
If you wish to learn more about the White House by the Rhine, there is an easy solution: you can watch the documentary film about the hotel.
Rheinhotel Dreesen is a companion to the historical drama which was aired on ARD at the same time.
The documentary covers the whole story from the beginning in 1894 until the present day.
The documentary covers the whole story in great detail and this is done in less than 30 minutes!
The documentary mentions a problem which is never mentioned in the historical drama: flooding!
Sometimes the water in the Rhine can rise so much that it flows over the banks of the river and into the basement of the hotel. This was a big problem during the 1920s.
What is my conclusion?
The story of the White House by the Rhine is interesting and deserves to be told. But this historical drama is not quite successful.
The fictional story is too dominating. This is a shame, because the true story is very interesting in itself.
In my opinion, the rating on IMDb is quite appropriate. This drama is not great. It is not even good. It is average. I think it deserves a rating of three stars (60 percent).
REFERENCES
Das Adlon (2013)
A historical drama about a famous hotel in Berlin. The history of this hotel is told in three episodes. The history of this five-star hotel in Berlin is, in many ways, the history of Germany during the twentieth century.
This historical drama is highly recommended
Das Sacher (2016)
A historical drama about a famous hotel in Vienna (the capital of Austria). The history of this hotel is told in two episodes.
Unfortunately, it is not really the history of the hotel. It is an account of two couples who meet each other in this hotel. Most scenes take place in other locations.
This historical drama is actually not bad, but the title is quite misleading. It is not really a history of the famous hotel in Vienna.
*****
Das Weisse Haus am Rhein
A historical novel by Helene Winter
(Paperback 2021)
*****
Das Weisse Haus am Rhein
Rheinhotel Dreesen
Bad Godesberg
Germany
*****
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