Der Wunschbaum (2004)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Der Wunschbaum is a historical drama (in three parts) which premiered on German television (ARD) in 2004.

 

In this drama, we follow a German family during more than twenty-five years: 1899-1925.

 

Here is some basic information about this drama:

 

** English title: The Wishing Tree

** Director: Dietmar Klein

** Screenplay written by Oliver Dickmann and Henriette Pieper

** Based on a book by Sandra Paretti

** Musical score composed by Robert Schulte Hemming and Jens Langbein

** Language: German – no English subtitles!

** Released on DVD in 2004

** Number of discs: 2

** Number of episodes: 3

** Run time: 88 + 90 + 88 minutes = 266 minutes

 

The cast includes the following:

 

** Alexandra Maria Lara as Camilla Senger (born Hofmann)

** Michael Degan as Fritz Hofmann – Camilla’s father

** Rita Russek as Emmy Hofmann – Camilla’s mother

** Meret Becker as Lou Hofmann – Camilla’s sister

** Monica Bleibtreu (1944-2009) as Lenka – Camilla’s aunt

** Peter Lohmeyer as Carl Senger – Camilla’s husband

** Gedeon Burkhard as Steve Kammer – A German-American businessman

 

Irmgard Schneeberger (1935-1994) was a German author who used the (Italian) pen name Sandra Paretti.

 

Her book Der Wunschbaum was published in 1975. 

 

It was re-issued in 2004.

 

I do not want to spoil the viewing for anyone. This is why I am not going to say much about what happens in this drama. I will merely tell you how the story begins.

 

As stated above, there are three episodes:

 

** Episode # 1 covers the years 1899-1900

** Episode # 2 covers the years 1901-1914

** Episode # 3 covers the years 1918-1925

 

The leading character is Camilla who is 17 years old in 1899, when the story begins. She lives in a big house with her father and mother, who own a factory that produces soap and detergent.

 

Outside the house there is a huge tree, or rather two or three trees that form a common block. According to the legend, this tree has magical powers.

 

If you wish for something and touch the tree, your wish will become true. This tree appears from time to time as the story unfolds and it plays an important symbolic role in Camilla’s life.

 

Everything seems to be going well for Camilla and her family, but beneath the surface there are some serious problems: Camilla’s father Fritz is a gambler. He has gambled away the family fortune!

 

The family is forced to sell the house and give up the factory. Camilla and her father move to Warnemünde where her aunt Lenka has a summer house.

 

Camilla is not happy about this, but she has a dream: she hopes to return to the big house one day. She also hopes that she can buy back the factory one day.

 

While she does not know how this can happen, she hopes the magical powers of the wishing tree may help her. But if the tree cannot help her, she will have to do something to take her destiny into her own hands.

 

This is how the story begins and this is where my presentation ends.

 

If you want to know what happens to Camilla and the people around her, you will have to watch the drama (or read the book) all the way to the end.

 

What do reviewers say about it?

 

On IMDb it has a rating of 68 percent

 

On Amazon Germany there are at the moment 81 ratings of this product, 25 with reviews.

 

The average rating is 4.6 stars which corresponds to a rating of 92 percent.

 

If you ask me, the rating on IMDb is too low, while the rating on Amazon is more appropriate.

 

Why do I say this?

 

I have four reasons:

 

# 1. The script is well-written

# 2. the actors play their roles well

# 3. The story is captivating, dramatic and emotional

# 4. While the story is fictional, it is placed in a historical context, which seems to be realistic

 

Several scenes are set in Berlin and they seem to be filmed on location. Some of the Berlin scenes are set in Das Adlon, the legendary five-star hotel that is located next to the famous landmark Brandenburger Tor.

 

The Wishing Tree is a historical drama. If you like this kind of movie, this drama about Camilla and the people around her is definitely something for you.

 

It is highly recommended.

 

PS # 1. On disc 1 we have part 1 and part 2. On disc 2 we have part 3. 

 

Sadly, there are no bonus features: no information about the author Sandra Paretti; no information about how the drama was made.

 

PS # 2. The product is marked as region 2 (Europe). Both discs run without any problems on my European laptop when I use a program called VLC Media Player.

 

*****

Der Wunschbaum

A historical novel

by Sandra Peretti

(1975) 

(2004)

 

*****