Konrad Adenauer: Stunden der Entscheidung is a docudrama about the well-known German politician Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967).
It was shown on German television (Arte and SWR) in 2012 and released on DVD in 2013.
Here is some basic information about it:
** Director: Stefan Schneider
** Writer: Werner Biermann
** Language: German – no English subtitles!
** Run time: 90 minutes
A docudrama is a combination of two different elements:
(1) A dramatized version of events with actors who follow a script
(2) A documentary film which is based on archive footage and interviews with historical experts and relevant persons
In this case, the first element gets ca. 60 per cent of the time, while the second element gets ca. 40 per cent of the time. The two elements are mixed throughout the film.
The following actors are used for re-enactments:
** Joachim Bissmeyer as Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967)
** Carolina Vera as Auguste “Gussie” Adenauer (1895-1948)
** Johannes Zirner as Rudolf Augstein (1923-2002)
** Bernard Ulrich as Franz Josef Strauss (1915-1988)
** Georg B. Lenzen as Hans Globke (1898-1973)
** Ludwig Hansmann as Ludwig Erhard (1897-1977)
The following persons are interviewed for the film:
** Georg Adenauer (1931-2020) – son
** Libet Adenauer (1928-2019) – daughter
** Hannelore Siegel (1929–2020) - secretary
** Hermann Kusterer – interpreter
** Henning Köhler – a historian
** Frank Bösch – a historian
** Peter Merseburger – a historian
Konrad Adenauer was a German politician who played an important role in German history during the 20th century. For more than fifteen years, he was the mayor of Cologne (Köln), but in 1933 he was ousted by the new Nazi government.
In 1945, when the war ended, he was re-instated by the Americans, but soon he was ousted by the British.
He wanted to give orders. But he did not like to take orders from anyone.
In 1949, when West Germany was established as an independent state, he became the first chancellor of this state.
He held this post until 1963. He lived as a retired politician for another four years. He died in 1967.
In this film, the story begins in August 1961, on the morning when East German authorities begin the construction of the Berlin Wall.
On that morning Adenauer comes to work at his office in Bonn, the capital of West Germany. It is an important moment. He has to make a decision.
Many people expect him to fly to West Berlin and make a strong statement about what is going on.
What does he do?
It seems he does not know what to do. He does not fly to West Berlin. He does not say anything about the new wall. He pretends nothing special is happening on that day.
From 1961, the story flips back to 1933 when Adenauer was the mayor of Cologne. Members of the Nazi Party come to catch him, but when they arrive, he has already left the building.
From 1933, the story moves forward, step by step, until we reach 1961 where we started.
From 1961 the story continues to 1963 when he retires and to 1967 when he dies.
What do reviewers say about this film?
On IMDb it has a rating of 63.
On Amazon Germany there are at the moment 31 ratings of this product, including 19 with reviews.
The average rating is four stars, which corresponds to a rating of 80 percent.
In my opinion, the rating on IMDb is too low, while the rating on Amazon is more appropriate.
This film covers his private life and his career as a politician. We see the façade and we see what is going on behind the façade.
This film tries to present a balanced view of the main character – something positive and something negative – but it does not quite succeed in this attempt.
It is a bit too positive. This is not surprising, since most of the persons interviewed are or were close to Adenauer.
Historical experts are also interviewed, but they are not given much time to develop their points of view.
I like this film, and I want to give it a good rating, but I have to remove one star because of this flaw. This is why I think it deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
REFERENCES
Der Kanzler und der General
By Hermann Kusterer
(1995)
Die Adenauer-CDU: Gründung, Aufstieg und Krise einer Erfolgspartei, 1945-1969
By Frank Bösch
(2001)
Adenauer: The Father of the New Germany
By Charles Williams
(2001 = hardcover)
(2003 = paperback)
Rudolf Augstein:
Der Mann, der den Spiegel machte
By Peter Merseburger
(2009)
Adenauer and the CDU: The Rise of the Leader and the Integration of the Party
By Arnold J. Heidenheimer
(2012)
An Impossible Friendship:
David Ben-Gurion and Konrad Adenauer
By Michael Borchard
(2024)
*****
Konrad Adenauer:
Stunden der Entscheidung
Released on DVD in 2013
*****
The well-known German politician
Konrad Adenauer
(1876-1967)
Mayor of Cologne 1917-1933
Chancellor of West Germany 1949-1963
*****
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