GOETHE, J.W.: Werther (Film, 2008)
Composer: Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von
Werther
Grott, David
Konarske, Stefan
Herzsprung, Hannah
Roth, Fritz
Hildebrandt, Aaron
Schrott, Harald
Television Director: Janson, Uwe
Albert:
Grott, David
Lotte:
Herzsprung, Hannah
Tom:
Schrott, Harald
Uncle Bernd:
Roth, Fritz
Werther:
Konarske, Stefan
Wilhelm:
Hildebrandt, Aaron
Year of Production: 2008
Playing Time: 01:27:05
Catalogue Number: THE10110
UPC: 4280000101105
Goethe's epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther may safely be described as one of the key works of literature in German. It stands for the feeling of life in a time of departure and, as it were, for a movement that attracted many young intellectuals and which was later called the time of the Sturm und Drang.
Characteristic of the works of this epoch is the contemplation of man in his own destiny, which is characterised by pain and passion in a social order in which class distinctions and arbitrariness of the aristocracy hinder the free development of the individual. However, the criticism of the political situation is only one - important - side aspect of the 'storm and stress'. The focus is on the negotiation of the emotional confusion and misguidance to which man is capable in his individual being. The main thrust of this powerful movement is dedicated to the emotional furore, which at the same time already has deep romantic traits. What happens when man in his longing for love unleashes his pursuit, allows himself more than to think freely, to feel free? The emotional exploration of the world from the perspective of people who have returned to focus unleashes the mind and leads to a revolution in the veins.
Strictly speaking, Uwe Janson's Werther is not even a theatrical film, as it is based on motifs from the novel. But again and again the Werther was also edited for the theater. For even more than the key work of the Sturm und Drang we discover in it the congenial, timeless contemplation of love, the yearning and the painful experience of unexpressed feelings between the sexes. And such a juicy, eternal story does not let the theatre or the film lie idle.
As always in his theatrical films Uwe Janson succeeds in conquering new territory through the careful and profound actor's work. He effortlessly discovers today's aspects of the subject matter and, as if it were a matter of course, helps his audience re-conquer the film's lost dreamland.
Wolfgang Bergmann
