Tannbach: The Fate of a Village is the English title of a German historical drama in three parts which premiered on German television (ZDF) in 2015.
The German title is Tannbach: Schicksal eines Dorfes. The story takes place in Tannbach - a fictional village in Germany, which is located on the border of the American and the Soviet zones - and the time frame is 1945-1952.
Here is some basic information about the first season of this historical drama:
** Directed by Alexander Dierbach
** Written by Gabriela Sperl, Gabriela Zerhau, Martin Pristl, Josephin
Thayenthal, and Robert Thayenthal
** Musical score by Fabian Roemer
As stated above, there are three episodes:
# 1. “The morning after the war” – 90 minutes
# 2. “Expropriation” – 97 minutes
# 3. “My country, your country” – 105 minutes
When World War Two comes to an end in Europe in May 1945, Germany is divided into four zones, three western zones, and a Soviet zone.
At first, Tannbach is in the US zone, and the village is occupied by US forces, but soon it is discovered that Tannbach is in fact in the Soviet zone, so the US forces move out and Soviet forces move in.
After a while, a US officer points out that the line between the US and the Soviet zones follows the river, which runs through the middle of the village. This means the western part of the village ends up in the US zone, while the eastern part of the village ends up in the Soviet zone.
In 1949, when the three western zones are turned into West Germany and the Soviet zone is turned into East Germany, the western part of the village is in West Germany, while the eastern part of the village is in East Germany.
In Tannbach, the transition from war to peace is more difficult and more confusing than in other parts of Germany, because the dividing line runs right through the middle of the village.
Families and friends are torn apart as new political systems are put into place.
Some people try to hide their past, if they were members of the Nazi party or perhaps members of the SS.
Some people try to accept the new situation and work closely with the new authorities (whoever they are), while others refuse to give in.
The cast includes the following:
** Henriette Confurius as Anna von Striesow
** Heiner Lauterbach as Georg von Striesow
** Jonas Nay as Friedrich Erler
** Ludwig Trepte as Lothar Erler
** Nadja Uhl as Liesbeth Erler
** Martina Gedeck as Hilde Vockler
** Alexander Held as Franz Schober
** Florian Bruckner as Heinrich Schober
** Ronald Zehrfeld as Konrad Werner
** Maria-Victoria Dragus as Theresa Prantl
Tannbach: The fate of a Village is not a documentary film. It is a historical drama, that is a fictional story that is placed in a historical context.
But the story of the fictional village is based on the story of a real village, Mödlareuth, which was divided between the US and the Soviet zones.
Tannbach is the name of the river that runs through the village. The moviemakers took the name of the river and used it for the fictional village.
During the Cold War, Mödlareuth became known as Little Berlin, because it was divided into two zones, just as Berlin was divided into East and West Berlin.
What do reviewers say about this historical drama?
On IMDb it has a rating of 75 per cent, which corresponds to almost four stars on Amazon. I understand the positive reviews. The script is well-written and the actors play their roles quite well.
I also understand why the average rating does not go all the way to the top,
because this drama has a flaw: the characters are more stereotypes than real
people and what they do is often very predictable.
Soviet soldiers are barbarians:
When two Soviet soldiers enter a kitchen where a German family is having dinner, we know they are going to steal some of the food that is on the table (and walk away laughing).
When a small group of Soviet soldiers enters a house and finds a picture of Hitler, we know something bad is going to happen, and it does: they murder the whole family (except a new born baby).
By contrast, US soldiers are good. They are friendly
and gentle. They do not shout like the Russians; they talk.
We have a “good” Nazi and a “bad” Nazi. We also have a “good” Communist and a “bad” Communist.
When we have stereotypes such as these, there are not many surprises. Even though the drama is quite good and quite captivating, it cannot be described as great.
In my opinion, the rating on IMDb is quite appropriate. I think it deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
If you are interested in the history of the modern world - in particular the beginning of the Cold War between East and West - this drama is definitely something for you.
PS # 1. This is a German production. The soundtrack is German. If you understand German, this drama may be something for you.
PS # 2. Tannbach: Die Dokumentation is a short German documentary film which is a companion to the historical drama. The historical drama is compared with historical reality.
In this film we learn about the model for Tannbach, the village of Mödlareuth.
PS # 3. The following German review is available online:
** Oliver Armknecht
** Review of Tannbach
** Filmrezensionen
** 17 January 2015
PS # 4. The story about the fictional village continues in Tannbach II, a historical drama in three parts which premiered in 2018. The second season covers the years 1960-1968.
*****
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