Ku’damm 59 is a three-part historical drama which premiered on German television (ZDF) in 2018.
The story is set in Berlin in the 1950s. It is a sequel to Ku’damm 56, which premiered on German television (ZDF) in 2016.
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** Director: Sven Bohse
** Created and written by Annette Hess
** Language: German
** Subtitles: German – no English subtitles!
** Run time: 90 + 93 + 95 minutes = 278 minutes
The cast includes the following:
The first group
** Claudia Michelsen as Caterina Schöllack (mother)
** Maria Erich as Helga Schöllack (daughter)
** Emilia Schüle as Eva Schöllack (daughter)
** Sonja Gerhardt as Monika Schöllack (daughter)
The second group
** Sabin Tambrea as Joachim Franck (an author)
** Trysten Pütter as Freddie Donath (a musician)
** Heino Ferch as Professor Jürgen Fassbender (a doctor of medicine) (Eva’s husband)
The third group
** August Wittgenstein as Wolfgang von Boost (a lawyer) (Helga’s husband)
** Ulrich Noethen as Kurt Maier (a movie director)
** Laura de Boer as Ninette Rabe (Joachim’s assistant)
Ku’damm 59 is a historical drama. It is a fictional story placed in a historical context.
In this case, the historical context is Berlin in the 1950s. Apart from a brief opening scene set in 1958, the story is set in 1959. Hence the title of the drama.
In 1959, there is no Berlin Wall. Since 1945, the city has been divided into four zones: three in the west and one in the east, but it is relatively easy for all citizens to cross the line in both directions.
Ku’damm - short for Kurfürstendamm – is the nickname of a famous street in West Berlin.
Caterina’s dancing school “Galant” is located on number 56 of this street.
I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. I am not going to say much about what happens in this drama.
If you want to know what happens to Caterina, her three daughters and the people around them, you will have to watch the drama all the way to the end.
At first, it looks like a historical drama about a dancing school in Berlin in the 1950s. And it is. But it is more than that. Much more.
Many other topics are covered here. It is a period piece about life in Berlin in the 1950s, with special focus on the members of the Schöllack family.
There is a lot of music in this drama, because Monika and Freddie are dancers, and Monika is a singer.
They love rock & roll.
Dancing and singing is a way for them to express themselves, although the older generation is horrified and shocked.
There are some amazing scenes where Monika and her friend Freddie are dancing to the explosive music of the new era.
What do reviewers say about this drama?
On IMDb it has a rating of 77 percent.
On Amazon Germany there are more than 1,000 ratings of this product, including more than 180 with reviews.
The average rating is 4.8 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 96 percent.
In my opinion, the former rating is too low, while the latter rating is more appropriate.
Why?
I have three reasons:
# 1. The script is well-written and the actors play their roles well.
# 2. The story is captivating, dramatic, and often highly emotional.
# 3. While fictional, the story is placed in a historical context which is (maybe not completely, but to a large extent) realistic.
Ku’damm 59 is a great sequel to Ku’damm 56.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
PS # 1. For background information, see my review of Ku’damm 56.
PS # 2. A third instalment Ku’damm 63 premiered on German television (ZDF) in 2021.
PS # 3. Annette Hess (born 1967) is the creator of the German television series Weissensee.
** Season 1 = 2010
** Season 2 = 2013
** Season 3 = 2015
** Season 4 = 2018
*****
Ku'damm 63
A three-part historical drama
which premiered on ZDF
in 2021
*****
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