Themes: Life Under Occupation, Women During Wartime
Main Cast: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Elisabeth Trissenaar, Kathe Jaenicke, Hans Beerhenke, Isa Haller
Release Year: 1985
Country: WG
Run Time: 102 minutes
Plot
This West German film was first released in 1985 under the title Bittere Ernte. Armin-Mueller Stahl plays a Polish farmer living under the wartime Nazi occupation. Stahl isn't too offended at the prospect of answering to the Germans; in fact, he has profited by confiscating the property of his neighbor, a wealthy Jew. His conscience doesn't disturb him until a starving Jewish woman (Elisabeth Trissenaar) stumbles onto his property. At first Stahl shelters her, but his baser instincts surface; she is in no position to refuse when he ultimately rapes her. She even comes to fall in love with Stahl--and kills herself when another woman moves in with him. Stahl survives the war with health and wealth intact, only mildly disturbed by the misery he has caused. This Oscar-nominated film was to have been lensed in director Agnieszka Holland's native Poland; upon the imposition of martial law, production was switched to Sweden. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Margit Carstensen - Eugenia; Wojciech Pszoniak - Cybolowski; Gerd Baltus - Cleric; Anita Hofer - Pauline; Kurt Raab - Maslanko; Günter Berger - Walden; Wolf Donner - Dan; Tilly Lauenstein
Credit
Hanne-Lore Wessel - Costume Designer, Agnieszka Holland - Director, Barbara Kunze - Editor, Jorg Strassburger - Composer (Music Score), Werner Schwenke - Production Designer, Josef Ort-Snep - Cinematographer, Arthur Brauner - Producer, Werner Schwenke - Set Designer, Paul Hengge - Screenwriter, Agnieszka Holland - Screenwriter
