Die Deutschen und die Polen: Geschichte einer Nachbarschaft is a documentary film in four parts which premiered on German television (ZDF) in 2016.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** English title: The Germans and the Poles:
The History of a Neighbourship
** Written, produced and directed by Andrzej Klamt, Zofia Kunert, and Gordian Maugg
** Narrated by Nick Benjamin
** Historical consultants: Dr Peter Oliver Loew and Professor Krzysztof Ruchniewicz
** Language: German – no English subtitles!
** Released on DVD in 2016
** Run time: 4 x 45 minutes = 180 minutes
As stated above, there are four episodes.
Here are the headlines in English:
# 1. Peace and War:
Neighbours during 1,000 Years
# 2. Enemies and Friends:
From the Partitions to the European Union
# 3. Connected by Fate:
Germans, Poles, and Jews
# 4. Breslau//Wroclaw:
1,000 Years in the Centre of Europe
Episodes # 1 and 2 follow a chronological line: old history in # 1 and recent history in # 2.
Episode # 3 takes another approach. This episode is about three ethnic groups - Germans, Poles, and Jews – and the focus is mostly on the 20th century.
Episode # 4 takes a geographical approach. This time the focus is on one city: Breslau is the German name; Wroclaw is the Polish name.
It was in German territory for many years, but now it is in Polish territory. This episode covers the history of the town during 1,000 years.
Each episode has the same structure:
(A) We have the talking heads, mostly historians. Some are German, while others are Polish.
(B) Between the talking heads we have old footage and new footage. The latter is always in colour.
(C) Finally, there are some reconstructions. Some historical moments have been re-created with modern actors.
The narrator speaks when we have the old footage or the new footage; and sometimes when we have a reconstruction.
The combination of the different elements makes a good variation.
The cinematography is excellent. When we have new footage, the colours are bright and the pictures are sharp. The filmmakers have done a lot of work in order to find all the right locations in Germany and in Poland.
If you are interested in European history – in particular the history of Germany and Poland – this product is definitely something for you.
How many stars can it get? In my opinion, the film itself deserves five stars, but the DVD deserves only four stars. Why? Because there are no subtitles, neither in German nor in English.
Some of the talking heads speak German, but others speak Polish. When a Polish witness appears, the original sound is muted and the statement is read in German by an actor. In other words: the statements of the Polish witnesses are dubbed into German.
This is wrong. I want to hear the Polish witness speaking in his or her own language. The statement should be covered by German subtitles. But this is not what we have here.
This is a common problem with German television: the only language spoken is German.
When German television shows a foreign movie or a foreign television show, it is dubbed into German.
James Bond (agent 007) speaks German when he appears in Germany!
When German television shows a foreign documentary film, it is dubbed into German.
This is wrong.
For two reasons:
(1) Dubbing is much more expensive than adding subtitles.
(2) The viewers hear only their own language. They never hear anything else. This is a common problem in large countries.
In smaller countries - such as Denmark, Norway and Sweden - subtitles are used all the time.
Nobody complains, because viewers are used to hearing a foreign language. And they are often better at foreign languages than people who live in a large country where only one language is used in movies and on television.
The DVD should have optional German subtitles for those who are deaf or hard of hearing and it should have optional English subtitles for export to the rest of the world.
Listening to a foreign language while reading subtitles in a language you understand is a great way to improve your knowledge of this foreign language.
This product is good, but not great, because there is a flaw: there are no subtitles. This product deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
PS. This is the companion book to the film:
Die Deutschen und die Polen:
Geschichte einer Nachbarschaft
Edited by Dieter Bingen, Hans-Jürgen Bömelburg, Andrzej Klamt, and Peter Oliver Loew
(Theiss, 2016)
*****
Die Deutschen und die Polen:
Geschichte einer Nachbarschaft
A documentary film in four parts which
premiered on German television (ZDF)
in 2016
*****
Die Deutschen und die Polen:
Geschichte einer Nachbarschaft
This is the companion book to the film
Published by Theiss in 2016
*****
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