Jokehnen – a mini-series in three parts – is a German historical drama about East Prussia in the years before and during World War II.
It was shown on German television (ZDF) in 1987 and released on DVD in 2014.
Here is some basic information about it:
** Directed by Michael Lähn
** Screenplay written by Claus Hubalek
** Based on a book by Arno Surminski
** Musical score composed by Hans Posegga
** Narrated by Hans Daniel
** Language: German – no English subtitles!
** Run time: 90 + 84 + 94 minutes = 268 minutes
The cast includes the following:
The first group
** Armin Mueller-Stahl (born 1930) as Karl Steputat – mayor – tailor
** Ursela Monn (born 1950) as Martha Steputat – Karl’s wife
** Christian Mueller-Stahl, Gregor Reisch, and Jona Mues as Hermann Steputat – Karl and Martha’s son
** Günter Lütke (1928-2019) as Heinrich – Karl’s assistant
** Wanja Mues and Robin Hummer as Peter Aschmoneit – Hermann’s best friend
** Beate Finckh (born 1960) as Ilse Aschmoneit – Peter’s mother
** Else Quecke (1907-2004) as Oma Aschmoneit – Peter’s blind grandmother
** Michael Grimm (born 1944) as Franz – Hermann’s uncle
The second group
** Franz-Josef Steffens (1923-2006) as the Major (Felix)
** Monica Bleibtreu (1944-2009) as the Major’s wife (Louise)
** Benjamin Völz (born 1960) as Joachim – son of Felix and Louise
** Herbert Steinmetz (1908-1986) as Karlchen – the Major’s servant
** Dietmar Mues (1945-2011) as Inspector Blonski
** Martin Rosenstiel (born 1923) as Samuel Mathern – a Jewish tradesman
** Henryk Nolewajka (1953-2011) as Alex – a Polish prisoner of war
** Jörg Pleva as Jäger (1942-2013) – a German soldier
[Christian Mueller-Stahl, one of the three boys who play Hermann, is the real son of Armin Mueller-Stahl, who plays Hermann’s father.
Jona and Wanja Mues are the real sons of Dietmar Mues, who plays Inspector Blonski.
Herbert Steinmetz, who plays Karlchen, died in 1986 while the movie was being filmed. This was his last movie.]
Arno Surminski – the author of the book on which this drama is based – is a famous German writer.
Surminski was born in East Prussia in 1934. In 1939, when World War II began, he was 5. In 1945, when the war ended, he was 11.
In 1945, when Soviet forces captured East Prussia, his parents were deported to Siberia, while he himself was expelled to the west, into what would later become West Germany.
After finishing school, he was an apprentice at a lawyer 1950-1953.
He lived in Canada for three years (1957-1960), but returned to Germany. He worked for an insurance company for ten years (1962-1972).
Since 1972 he has devoted himself to writing. Jokehnen, his first book, was published in 1974. While the story is fictional, it is inspired by his own childhood in East Prussia (1934-1945).
Jokehnen is the name of a fictional village in East Prussia. The main character is Hermann Steputat, who was born in this village on 2 August 1934, the day on which the old German politician Paul von Hindenburg died.
The story begins in 1934 and ends in 1945. Most events in this drama are seen from Hermann’s perspective.
We witness his childhood before the war, during the war, and during the first few months after the end of the war.
Hermann is played by three different actors, in order to mark three different ages.
Hermann’s best friend Peter is played by two different actors, in order to mark two different ages.
But the adult characters do not change. Each character is played by the same actor throughout, because the time frame is only eleven years.
As stated above, there are three episodes:
** Part 1 covers the years 1934-1941
** Part 2 covers the years 1941-1945
** Part 3 covers the year 1945
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 Hermann and the people around him, you will have to watch the drama (or read the book) all the way to the end.
What do reviewers say about this drama?
On IMDb it has a rating of 81 per cent.
On Amazon Germany there are at the moment 151 ratings of this product, including 51 with reviews.
The average rating is 4.7 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 94 percent.
If you ask me, the first rating is too low, while the second rating is more appropriate.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
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 very emotional.
# 3. While fictional, the story is placed in a historical context, which seems to be realistic, because it is inspired by Arno Suminski’s childhood in this part of the world.
Jokehnen was filmed in 1986 and shown on German television (ZDF) in 1987. By now it is more than thirty years old. Some old movies are so good that they can stand the test of time. This drama is one of them.
The quality of the pictures is acceptable, although not as sharp as we have become used to with modern-day movies and television.
Jokehnen is a period piece, inspired by a true story. If you like this kind of movie, this drama about Hermann Steputat and the people around him is definitely something for you.
It is highly recommended,
PS. Arno Surminski’s book from 1974 was reprinted by Ullstein Taschenbuch Verlag in 2003.
REFERENCES
# 1. Books
A Childhood under Hitler and Stalin:
Memoirs of a Certified Jew
by Michael Wieck
(2003)
Ruined by the Reich: Memoir of an East Prussian Family, 1916-1945
by Christel Weiss Brandenburg and Dan Laing
(2003)
The Death of East Prussia: War and Revenge in Germany’s Easternmost Province
by Peter B. Clark
(2013)
Farewell to East Prussia: A German Boy’s Experiences before and during World War II
by Erhard Schulz (author) and Ortrun Schulz (editor)
(2019)
Das alte Ostpreussen: Fotografien des Königsberger Denkmalamtes von 1880 bis 1943
by Arno Surminski
(2023)
# 2. Film and video
Die Flucht
(2007)
Hitler’s East Prussia
(2008)
Kant – Das Experiment der Freiheit
(2024)
*****
Jokehnen
A historical novel
by Arno Surminski
(First published in 1974)
(Reprinted in 2003)
*****
The famous German author
Arno Surminski
(born 1934)
*****
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