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"There are angels over the streets of Berlin," quotes the movie poster,but these are like no angels you've ever seen. Bundled in dark overcoats, they watch over the city with ears open to the heartbeat of the human soul, listening to the internal musings and yearnings of earthbound humans like existential detectives. In these delicate, astounding scenes we float through the thoughts of dozens Berlin citizens, from the weary and worn to the hopeful and young, as the angels record the magic moments for some heavenly record. But when Damiel (the empathic and sensitive Bruno Ganz) falls in love with an angel of another sort, the lonely trapeze artist Marion (willowy, sad-eyed Solveig Dommartin), he gives up the contemplation and observation of life to experience it himself.

Wim Wenders's most purely romantic film is like poetry on celluloid, a celebration of the transient and fragile moments of being human: the warmth of a cup of coffee on a cold day, the embrace of a friend, the touch of a lover, the rapture of love. Opening with an angel's-eye view of Berlin in silvery black and white (delicately captured by the great cinematographer Henri Alekan, who photographed Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast 40 years earlier), it transforms into a gauzy color world when Damiel "crosses over" by sheer will. Peter Falk plays himself as a fallen angel with a special sensitivity for celestial visitors ("I can't see you, but I know you're there," he proclaims), and Otto Sander, whose smiling eyes brighten a face etched by eons of waiting and watching, is Damiel's partner. Wenders made a sequel in 1993, Faraway, So Close, and Hollywood remade the film as City of Angels with Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (73)

An Awesome, Mind-Blowing Film!
Wim Wender's best film is a glorious cinematic experience, a film that dazzles the eye, challenges your mind and touches your heart. In other words, a rarity. No other film that I can think of (save perhaps Woody Allen's Manhattan)better captures the spirit and feel of city than this one's portrait of Berlin does. The film follows two angels who roam around Berlin listening to the thoughts of people and observing, only observing. Except for young children who can sense thier presence, the angels remain invisible to everyone and cannot intervene in earthly matters. When one of the angels (Bruno Ganz) sees a trapeze artist(Solveig Dommartain) in a small circus he becomes entranced and eventually falls in love with her. So much that he yearns to give up the eternal life and become mortal to be with her. Oh, but there's so much more to this film than this sketchy summary. This is also a film about a city, the once divided Berlin and its past. Its about loneliness and alienation, about what it means to be human and so much more. This is just a wonderful film, the best movie released in the 1980's. I've seen this countless times and I never tire of watching it. There are moments in this film that will always stay with me: Ganz's angel perched on the shoulder of a statue, the angels congregating in the Berlin Library, the angels comforting a suicide victim, the brief flashes of color as Ganz becomes more and more human, Peter Falk, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, and so much more. This needs to be released on DVD now. A GREAT film.

Poetry In Motion Picture Fairy tale Dream a Rant
This is a beautiful film by Wunderkind directer Wim Wenders... The leading Angel in this film is nothing short of the face of Kindess. And the beautiful cinematography blended with the poetic narrations make this flowing story one of the most beautiful glimpses into film magic you will ever witness. The story almost feels like Hans Christian Anderson's the Little Mermaid only with Angels instead of Fish-Tail Folk. The American Remake of this film is an excellent movie to watch side by side so one can see the difference betwen what film should be and what Hollywood does to poetry... it makes it commerce. Witness the addition of hundreds of Angels instead of two - add flowing trenchcoats, sunglasses , and set it in Los Angeles instead of Berlin... also make your leading lady a Doctor instead of a Circus Carnie(must be politically correct) I have nothing against the strong performances of Meg Ryan and Nicholas Cage... but come on Hollywood - you aint got nothin on Wim Wenders - You'll probably read reviews of WINGS OF DESIRE that mention this Magic Phrase from the ...Critics' box 'o magnetic words... Well it's an "art" film ... and what may I ask is film but anything else? Film is an artform - but Witness City of Angels in comparison to Wings of Desire - We are HOLLYWOOD we have come to turn your German Uber Art into ...COMMERCE - yes that is the true meaning of an ART FILM a film that is true to the beatuty of the media... but alas couldn't possible be understood by the average American spoon-fed Consumer...amen to the Holy Roman Empire - take us Out if you can...and that's all I have to say aboot that.

EXISTENTIALISM MEETS EMOTIONS IN THIS GORGEOUS ROMANCE
What an absolutely haunting delight. With its introspective pacing, which some may find slower than their cinematic taste allows, the film takes its own sweet time setting things up but it is one of the most mind-boggling romantic tropes you will see in cinema.

In the end it's not just about requited loves and hopes, it also carries a heady undercurrent of other notions: displacement and the natural yearning for emotional connections that transcends humans; the unification of a divided Germany and of a divided race; and, probably above all, about the universality of cinema and its ability to allow people to live multiple lives (from multiple cultures) at the movies.

When I first saw this, I thought the film's fatal flaw was its anti-climactic conclusion. Now I realise that it may be the best part of my favourite film of all time.

One caution to buyers about the DVD. Many bits of the film are in German, but my DVD had no subtitles. All the gorgeous imagery (in noir-ish black and white) was thus somewhat frittered away.

But it surely did make me want to see what Berlin must really be like. If you like your movies laid-back and reflective, this comes highly recommended from me.

The ultimate art film
One of the most touching films created by Wim Wenders, Wings of Desire follows two angels, one of whom decides that his love of a woman is worth more than his heavenly life watching over the recently reunified Berlin. Wenders takes you from the black-and-white world of the angels to the multi-colored world of the inhabitants of earth and challenges you to think about life and love and the important things in life. Touching cameo by Peter Falk. A moving film.

The Sky Over Berlin.
It's ironic that so soon after Wenders shot this film in Berlin (a film about seperation and the search for unity), the wall would come tumbling down. The only entities who can transcend the wall in this movie are the angels, who are nothing but pure consciousness. The original German title for this film translates as 'The Sky Over Berlin' and I certainly think it is more apt than the English one that was chosen. For it is only the sky above their city that unites Berliners each side of the wall. The angels imprisonment in the spiritual world is undoubtedly in my mind, a metaphor for the political set-up in Berlin at that time. Whether it be West Berliners imprisoned on all sides by the communist East or the East Berliners imprsioned from the decadent freedoms of West Berlin.

The angels themselves were banished to Berlin in 1945 for questioning God's intentions. As a city at the apex of 2 world wars and a cold war, there is probably no better choice in choosing it as a symbol of our century. Wenders use of documentary footage from the end of the 2nd world war is frightening in its portrayal of a city's damaged past. A past of confusion and despair that still marks the city's people through their ongoing frustrated desires.

In order to retain some sense of his original 'poetic' vision, Wenders refused to finalize a shooting script before he started filming. As a result he relied on a mostly spontaneous film shoot as well as a lot of improvising from his actors. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Not as good as "Wings of Desire", but still has charm
"Faraway, So Close" is a sequel to a perfect movie so perfect that perhaps should have been left untainted by a sequel, however, it still captures the magical feel of "Wings of Desire", but this time with a pop-thriller feel.

It cruises along the border of body and mind, and follows the two intellectual angels that have been tackled with the dillema of reality versus eternity.

The film is lengthy and at times moves slow, but offers many interesting and thoughtfull moments, and it generally provokes many thoughts long after the movie's end. A must for Wenders fans. Since a sequel has already been made to WoD, perhaps master director Wenders can cook yet another chapter in the story, but one that captures the essence of Wings of Desire.

An excellent sequel
This is much lighter and easier to follow than its progenitor, "Wings of Desire".

This movie follows Cassiel's desire to be human. While Tariel may have hade a more ideal life (family, child, job, simple pleasures), Cassiel's story is one more of what happens when humans screw up, make bad choices, or live in denial.

Can't forget Peter Falk. He reprises the best role I have ever seen him in. Also, William Defoe the Fallen Angel is something to be remembered.

A truly wonderful companion movie and also wonderful on its own. I wholly recomment buying it today.

Void of meaning; boring enough to put you to sleep
Starts out great, then descends into a horrifying hell of boredom and ambiguity and mixed up wastelands of celluloid. There was no point to this movie and it literally put me out; yep, it put me to sleep. I thought the beginning looked promising but then it turned into one of the most enigmatic wastes of time I have ever watched.

faraway
airheaded new age schtick. feel-good gobbledygook mixing philosophy, social consciousness, art cinema fetishes, international stars, history, noir, and whatnot. it tries to teach, illume, entertain, humor, and inspire. it also tries to be very hip. it just made me wanna puke.

The Berlin Ground.
The success of 'Wings Of Desire' must have prompted Wenders to come up with a sequel. It certainly makes a greater effort at garnishing a wider audience, with the addition of Natassja Kinski, Willem Dafoe & Horst Buchholz to the previous cast. The script also has the novelty of being in 4 different languages.

In 'Wings Of Desire' Bruno Ganz's transformation from angel to human could be seen as a desire by Berliners each side of the wall to overcome their imprisonment from each other. In 'Faraway, So Close', the moral confusion that Otto Sander witnesses when he crashes down from above, mirrors the uneasy turmoil of the new united Berlin. Like an East Berliner untutored in the ways of the West, he stumbles about in an unsophisticated way until his new freedoms begin to overwhelm him and he finds his only refuge in a bottle. Despite all this, he tries to find meaning and do good, but finds that in the new Germany, the only options open to an ex-angel (or an ex-communist) is the criminal underworld.

Although the film starts to lose its way in the final farcical half hour, there are some impressive performances here, especially Horst Buchholz (last seen in 'The Magnificent Seven').

Wenders last great film, his talent has since floundered in making movies with the likes of Mel Gibson. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

History Made Complex!
The reviewers below are to be thanked for helping to give other viewers (or potential viewers) of this film an idea of its historical context. Many in today's audience, particularly on this side of the ocean, may well need more context than the film itself provides. Rosa Luxemburg was still something of a leftist icon in the Germany of the 80s (and less of one in the US of the 60s)...and writer/director Margarethe von Trotta presumes a certain political and historical awareness on the part of the audience. Young, leftist-oriented Germans of the mid-80s (when this film was made) probably had such awareness: I have to wonder though if, more than a decade after the fall of European Communism, knowledge of and sympathy towards such a movement and its progenitors isn't rapidly fading.

But as others have suggested, this film is not a tract. It is less about Rosa Luxemburg the thinker and revolutionary, than it is about Rosa Luxemburg, the human being, and on that level, it works very well indeed. Unlike the reviewer below, I don't have the impression that too much time is devoted to the love story component. Indeed, the scenes with male lovers are fleeting and a little vague; her warm, sisterly friendships with women colleagues are more clearly and effectively portrayed.

I do agree, however, that as in English language film biographies, the characters' political positions tend to expressed, head-line style, in a hurried, sketchy manner. Pay close attention whenever a group of people sit down to dinner or over coffee or a glass of wine; that's when the political banter is about to begin, and you can scarcely follow without a program.

That shouldn't be such a worry, however. Trotta is actually very good at capturing the overall intensity of these internal political debates among revolutinaries, while at the same conveying a sense of the personalities involved. Not always an easy task when a film is as much about the great sweep of history as it is the individuals who drive it (or attempt to).

And speaking of the human element, much of the credit for this nuanced portrait of Rosa Luxemburg is due to Barbara Sukowa's glowing performance. It's a pity that we don't see more of her on this side of the pond. The last film I saw her in was Agniezska Hollander's THIRD MIRACLE--and that was all in flashback with little or no dialog! She deserves better.

The entire cast is actually quite good. Trotta is a skilled director and a thoughtful screenwriter. The cinematography is also impressive in a very unobtrusive way. ROSA LUXEMBURG does seem a bit ponderous and slowly paced at times, although given the solemn subject matter, it's actually hard to call that tendency an artistic failing. Well worth seeing: they don't make many like this any more. Pity.

Love on the Left
The Social Democratic party was originally founded as the political arm of German Marxism. Extremely successful in mobilizing support in the working class, it was almost from the first torn by a question it never successfully resolved. Was the purpose of the party to advance the cause of the working class through legal, democratic means, or was it simply to represent those interests as best it could until capitalism collapsed from its contradictions and gave way to socialism?

This debate continued more or less up until the defining moment for European socialism, the outbreak of World War I, and it is this context that ROSA LUXEMBURG dramatizes. The right-wing of the party, which believed in legal means, like their counterparts across Europe sided with their national governments and voted in favor of war. These right wing socialists were also entrusted with leading the German state after the Armistice. They are the ancestors of the modern Social Democratic party now leading Germany.

Left-wing social democrats, like Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, opposed the war and were imprisoned for their beliefs. At the end of the war, Luxemburg and Liebknecht jointly opposed the new Republic with the left-wing Sparticist group, which evolved into the German Communist party. Although highly critical of the right-wing social democratic government, Luxemburg, (who incidentally was Polish), was equally wary of left wing extremism. She frequently criticized the tactics and policies of Leninism and the Bolsheviks, for example. It is unclear what path her politics might have taken if she and Liebknecht had not been martyred by members of the notorious Freikorps. (A group of unemployed, footloose soldiers and thugs, many of whom eventually drifted into National Socialism.)

The film does a reasonably good job of encapsulating Luxemburg's complex theories. All the political ideas are pretty much reduced to Headlines spoken by Big Names (Luxemburg, Karl Kautsky, August Bebel, Carl Bernstein, et. al.), but the film does give you a sense of the range of opinion represented on the left at the time. Thus your opinion of ROSA LXUEMBRUG is less likely to stand or fall on your sympathy with the politics than with whether or not you believe a biography of a major political figure is enriched or cheapened by a heavy attention to her love affairs. Personally, I would prefer more politics, but the affairs are a price worth paying for a decently serious big budget film about a controversial figure.

Aside from a needlessly convoluted time structure, the filmmaking is smooth, quietly restrained throughout. Statuesque, blonde Barbara Sukowa is completely compelling as the short, dark-haried (Jewish) Luxemburg. The film isn't above a little melodrama: the opponents to social democracy for example are at best prigs, at worst sadistic brutes, but there's a lot of sophisticated filmmaking too, especially in the chillingly precise concluding sequences. I hope New Yorker decides to release it on DVD; I'll buy another copy.

good
Movie focuses on Rosa's personal life with her lovers, the German Social Democrat party struggles before/during/after WWI, Rosa's experiences in her many different prison cells, and finally, the Sparticist attempt to take over Berlin.

I don't know much about Rosa's politics, but I want to point out that being a Social Democrat does not make one a Democratic Socialist. They are two different things (not totally different). So when Leonard Maltin says that Rosa was a democratic socialist, I don't know if he's confusing DS's with SD's. It may be that Rosa was a DS within the SD of Germany. She did consider herself left of the SD's, which is what DS's do too.

anyway, good movie, lotsa marxism and drama :) ... Read more

Description

Filled with topflight performances and unforgettable music, this entertaining and critically acclaimed story was cheered by audiences everywhere! When Harry, a struggling but highly imaginative funnyman, forms a singing group with an unusual group of friends, "The Harmonists" go on to become an overnight sensation in prewar Germany. But as their wave of success inevitably collides with the nation's changing political tide, the group's members are forced to face unprecedented challenges that will try their wills and test their loyalty!An award winner at several prestigious film festivals -- THE HARMONISTS is another outstanding motion picture you don't want to miss! ... Read more

Reviews (14)

A Fantastic Film on Many Levels
The Harmonists is a movie about the real life singing group which rose to fame during World War II. The group was torn apart by the Nazis and ended their brilliant career abruptly.

The movie does a great job of showing how the six men had very different personalities from each other but blended together to create incredible music. There was love and bitterness, friendship and joy. The group focusses on singing for their audience, but in the meantime the Nazi power grows.

There are three Jewish men in the group, and each one looks at his faith differently. There are also Jewish women involved with the men, and each situation causes friction and difficulty. The group gets more and more pressure to abandon its Jewish members.

The group does visit New York, where all but one member want to stay. Because of that one member, though, the group returns to Germany. Shortly after, they are banned from singing and the three Jewish members leave Germany permanently.

The actual group, the Comedian Harmonists, are still considered to be one of the greatest groups in Europe and their records are treasured. If you haven't heard of this group before, be sure to watch the DVD! The musical performances are a real treat and the story is quite moving.

The View from Germany
This is an excellent movie, a knockout in several ways. It tells the true story of a popular German singing group in the 30's called the Comedian Harmonists. Unfortunately the group had several Jewish members and not even their huge popularity could save them from official sanctions as Hitler's thugs came to power. Not only is The Harmonists musically and historically impressive, it's also interesting because it's the first German production I have ever seen that deals with pre-WWII Nazi bigotry. It's got some aspects of Cabaret in that respect, but this is a real story and all the more gripping for it. The acting is first rate, the writing is superb. I watched it a second time immediately.

Great music threaded into the story line.
The time and place is Germany as Hitler is coming to power. The story centers on the genesis of the Comedian Harmonists, a group of five singers and the piano player who accompanies them. We can't be sure how much of the story has much truth value, but we do know that the Harmonists were a real group and their music was much appreciated, and remains so even today. They are called "comedian" because of their lighthearted and humorous approach to the music they sing.

The founder of the group is a jew, Harry Frommermann. He is a talented singer/arranger and his vision is to bring together an exceptional group of men to sing "jazzed up" and highly stylized versions of popular songs. Harry is a perfectionist and the first third of the film shows him first cajoling and then badgering his singers to develop a musically unique and visually entertaining style. He succeeds beyond even his ambitious dreams. Soon the Comedian Harmonists are a feature act in demand not only in Germany, but internationally.

Unfortunatley for the Harmonists, Hitler comes to power in 1933, just as the group is headed for true stardom. Jews in Germany are beginning to feel the impact of the racial hatred that will end in the holocaust. Of the six members of the Harmonists, three are jews and as the story progresses, first restrictions and then cancellations of their concerts prevent the group from finding an audience in Germany for their work. They head to New York and find success there. Harry would like to remain in America, but the rest of the band still believes there is a chance for some success in Germany, so they head home again.

The Harmonists' error in judgment is typical of the mistake of many jews in Germany who thought they only needed to patiently wait for reason to return to their country. At the end of the film we see the Harmonists on stage in Munich performing to an audience that knows that something very special is being lost to them. The Harmonists disband and the jewish members escape to freedom. The group left in Germany tries to reconstitute the band, as does the group that leaves, but they do not experience the success of the original members.

If it were not for the music, which is truly first-rate, this story would be interesting, but not worth four stars. Because the music is so much a part of the film, those viewers who enjoy vocal singing at its very best are sure to enjoy this unusual film.

Harmony, Religion, Fame, Fortune & Prostitues
The true story of one of the greatest singing groups ever to hit the scene during the World Depression Era is effective in showing Berlin during emminent Nazi take-over, but seems to focus mainly on the issue of religion. Other than debating who's Jewish and who isn't, there is a preoccupation with the services of prostitutes, and marrying the same once successful.

The group member with the initial idea to "do something" is shown eating bird seed, implying he can not even afford groceries. Once gathered, the ensemble reheares for months without pay, for the sheer chance at eventual success. Of course they do make it big; too big for the liking of certain political party sympathisers.

For fans of the original music (including the FDR Presidential Campaign song "Happy Days Are Here Again") this film delivers. Many of the legendary tunes are worked into the plot. The "naughty" suggestions in "Veronika, der Lenz ist da" are accepted by even respectable upper class theater guests, paving the way for recording contracts and world stardom of the newly discovered "Comedian Harmonists".

This German/Austrian co-production filmed in German has high production values. The setting reminds of "Cabaret", however the story (although based on true events) is rather thin. The overuse of some of the above mentioned situations becomes unnecessary and boring. As a viewer with a background extremely partial to this story I looked for detail and could see several obvious embellishments for the sake of drama. There must have been more than wine, women and song to tell about. The final minutes somewhat redeem the earlier shortcomings, delivering a tear-jerking love story along with sad good-byes amidst still-cheering audiences.****

Brilliant, gripping, and based on a true story!
I was unaware that this was based on a true story until the very end of the film, when photographs of the original Comedian Harmonists were shown. The story line is so gripping, it almost seems too contrived to be true. And, given the immense talent and popularity of the group (in its heydey), I was surprised that I had never heard of them. The story is about a group of six musicians, three of whom are Jewish, who rise to fame in Germany in 1930s. Tension grows within the group as the Nazis become increasingly powerful in Germany. After the group performs aboard the USS Saratoga in New York harbor, there is some question about whether they will return to Nazi Germany or stay in the US. The group plays its final concert to a sold-out crowd shortly after the New York trip. The movie will leave you wanting to know much more about its members, particularly Mr. Frommerman, and its music. As an added bonus, the five-part harmonies are FANTASTIC. This is one of the most gripping shows I've seen in several months, it came as a complete surprise. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Recent German History In a Nutshell
Margarethe von Trotta first came to my attention as one of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's circle. She was no mere hanger-on, however, and has developed an impressive body of directorial work over the years, all of which are well worth seeing. But of all her work THE PROMISE (DAS VERSPRECHEN) is of particular interest to the English speaking world, I believe, since it so effectively presents the post-war historical reality of the divided German nation in personal terms.

It is, on the one hand, the tale of two star-crossed lovers, separated by the Wall and thwarted at every every attempt at their own personal reunification by subsequent historical events. They even manage to have a child between them who becomes something of a pawn in his own right of the East-West game. By the time the Wall comes down in 1989, the possibility of a true reunification presents itself, but the ending is ambiguous. Can the two long-separated lovers ever truly reunite? Can the two states?

Margarethe von Trotta directs her cast with great sensitivity. Merit Becker shines (as she does later in THE HARMONISTS) here in the role of the young Sophie, who escapes as a teenager from East Berlin. Corinna Harfouch (who plays the more mature Sophie) is excellent as well--and actually resembles Becker remarkably. The younger and older versions of the leading male character Konrad (Anian Zollner and August Zirner) are equally remarkable, although not quite as close a physical match as the female leads (having the same initials may count for something though).

Fans of German cinema--and Fassbinder in particular--will certainly recognize some of the other faces in this stellar cast (Hark Bohm and Eva Mattes). The entire cast is effective and is well served by an intelligent script and able direction. An important film.

A lovely movie
This film is thoroughly enjoyable. It is very sweet, romantic, and historically accurate. This movie and French Kiss are my two favorites to watch over and over.

Worthy movie to view.
The Promise is a pretty good movie that tells the story of two lovers seperated by The Berlin Wall. It's quite interesting and all the people involved in this film do well in their roles. I especially think that the music of The Promise is quite emotional and fitting. The soundtrack no doubt adds something to this movie in my opinion. Give this a watch.

A German "Gone with the Wind", or "How the Cold War Ended"
THE PROMISE, by one of Germany's most prominent directors, Margarethe von Trotha, is an exceptional drama which tells the story of a love divided, a country, and city physically and politically divided for almost three decades,the end of this separation, and what happened in between. Starring some of Germany's brightest stars, current and past, from both sides of the wall, THE PROMISE (Das Versprechen) is a must for any history buff or any fan of epic historical dramas. Ms. von Trotha is to be congratulated for being the only major German filmmaker to tackle the highly controversial topic of German reunification, offering a very balanced, fair view. The different decades and locales are superbly reproduced, and the constant action and colorful visuals, very well captured on this VHS version, make this video highly watchable, even by those most adverse to subtitles. Don't miss it!

QUITE COMPELLING BUT AT TIMES BORING
THIS FILM HIGHLIGHTS THE EFFECTS OF 'THE WALL' THAT DIVIDED GERMANY FOR 28 OR SO YEARS BRILLIANTLY BUT AT TIMES THE FILM CAN BECOME QUITE BORING AND PREDICTABLE. GREAT FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO WATCH A MOVIE DEPICTING GERMANYS RECENT HISTORY AND ITS AFFECT ON THE CITIZENS ETC. A LOVE STORY MORE THAN ANYTHING BUT NEVERTHELESS A GREAT FILM FOR IMAGERY ETC. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This Oscar-winning adaptation of Günter Grass's novel is an absurdist fantasy about a little German boy (David Bennent) who wills himself at the age of three not to grow up in protest of the Nazi regime. Made unnecessarily notorious in recent years due to overzealous censors in some parts of the United States, the film is more startling and surreal than obscene. Bennent is very good, and while the 1979 film doesn't meet the high standards of the best work from the then-renaissance of German film, it has a special place in the hearts of many who saw it upon its release. Directed by Volker Schlöndorff (The Handmaid's Tale).--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Amazing!
I saw this movie back in 1983. I was only 9 years old but the movie to this day left an indelible impression on me. It was sad, yet humorous. Some parts make you go a little bug-eyed but that's all part of the surrealism of this movie. The young actor who played Oskar was amazing. Obviously you could tell he was just a child but I could actually see him as an adult as the movie goes on. I'm not in the habit of seeing foreign language films. In fact, I can honestly say that I've seen only a handful of them. This was my first German language film and I can safely say it was my favorite. Buy this video. You will not regret it. Its that amazing.

When do we get the Tin Drum part 2 ?
I was attracted to this film (DVD version) having read the book. Inevitable the movie cannot accurately portray every aspect of the book and particularly this book with it's masses of minor detail and it's continuous stream of consciousness.
It does have it's moments though and the movie is as true to the book as a movie can be. Thankfully, unlike Hollywood the German moviemakers don't add syrrupy touches or a happy ending. I particularly liked the scene where Oscar's drumming hilariously disrupts the Nazi party rally. The scene begins with a miniature Nuremberg rally and culminates with the assembled storm troopers waltzing the blue Danube !
My only criticism of the overall thrust of the movie is that the rise of the Nazis and their early persecutions against the Jews are portrayed rather mildly. There is hardly any tension or any feeling of menace. Was this the intention given that the narrators and principal characters were all Germans (alongwith the moviemakers themselves) ?
My major disappointment was with the ending. We are left with a short narrative bemoaning the fate of the Kasubians "too German for the Poles, not German enough for the Germans", and then nothing. For a non-German audience details like this need some explanation. The Kasubians spoke a German dialect and were the descendents of early German settlers and Germanised Poles. In 1939 there were app 250,000 Kasubian speakers in the Danzig / East Prussia region. Grass mentions the "changing of names" by neighbours in Dog Years (no 3 in the Danzig trilogy). These people were literally making themselves become more German in the certain expectation of a Nazi victory. After the defeat the Germans of Danzig alongwith the Kasubians were forced westwards to make room for Polish newcomers.
We do not see any of Oscars's post war adventures, for me this was the best part of the book. A Tin Drum sequel is required (and at least another two and a half hours !).

One of the supreme jewels from the german cinema!
Bitter metaphor abou Oskar a three years old who decides by himself not to grow anymore just when the Nazis take the power in Germany . He beats in his drum and cries in a fierce loud crashing the windows every time he's in an anger mood. Gunter Grass literally broke the walls about the dark shadows about Germany's literature . That thought was in the mind of too many people after finnishing the WW2.
Therefore this novel reveals not only a deep conviction about the role of the artist in the world but it became a big slap in the face to many people .
The artistic movement after the WW2 in Germany was born with the guilty's syndrom . Think in music , literature and cinema world .
Karl Heinz Stockhausen, Heinrich Böll , Fassbinder , Alexander Kluge and Wolker Schlöndorff among other important voices and artists had to carry that weight on his shoulders and his mind .
However the art reacted in a brave way and gave important statements about their spiritual wounds.
This film deserved widely the Academy Award as best foreign film , being the first german movie that got it . Besides this work won the Palm'd or prize in Cannes Festival 1979 .
Add to this long list of triumphs, the splendid acting of the twelve years old actor David Bennent and countless reflections all along the film .
Simply mesmerizing!

Fantastic acting
is about all I can say in favor of this film. David Bennent, the child star, in particular gave a magnificent performance. Unfortunately, the film itself left a bad taste in my mouth.

To those reviewers who keep claiming that Oskar deliberately chose to stop growing in protest to Hitler and his Nazis, what film were YOU watching? It seems to me that people are grasping at straws to come up with the idea that Oskar was staging some sort of heroic, idealistic protest, when he did nothing of the sort. He was a sociopath. More than once during the movie, I kept thinking of Children of the Corn, or Chucky. Oskar was a creepy, sinister character, and it amazes me how people will persist in ignoring the facts and convincing themselves that he was a bright, innocent hero, just because he was a small child with big eyes.

The film had its charms and I can truthfully say that I was fascinated by it, but in the end I can't say I've gained anything from it but disturbing images and nausea. Just when you think you can't be phased by anything anymore, considering all the violence and sex in the media these days, you come across a movie like this. It seems like the director's gone out of his way to come up with things so disgusting, your mind would never have been able to imagine it on its own. And to add insult to injury, I still can't begin to fathom a meaning behind it all. If I'm going to be shown such things, I'd at least like them to have a point; in the Tin Drum, a lot of the more disgusting scenes seemed purely gratuitous.

I have a hard time believing this movie won an Academy Award. Either the competition was truly horrible, or it's come to the point where bizarre and grotesque = high art. I realize that some people think art should be subtle and cryptic, but at the same time, slapping an artsy label on something doesn't make it acceptable.

Brilliant Cinematic Experience!
Oscar Matzerath has prenatal memories as he can recollect how his grandmother and grandfather met and how his mother was born. When Oscar is born in 1924 in the free city of Danzig, based on the Treaty of Versailles (1919), the only thing that prevented him from crawling back into the safety of the uterus was hearing the promise of a tin drum on his third birthday. When Oscar's third birthday arrived he discovered adult pretense and lack of responsibility. Oscar refuses to embrace this hypocrisy as he stages an accident that prevents him from growing up. Stuck in the body of a three-year-old Oscar observes the world continue to grow mad to which he raises his objections by glass-cracking screams and frenetic drumming. Tin Drum cleverly depicts notions and ideas through allegorical visualizations such as the the drum, dead horse heads with eel and Oscar's mother overeating on fish. Many of the visual representations in the mise-en-scene are simply brilliant as they enhance the aesthetics as well as augment the intuitive thinking of the audience. However, it is the story itself that is captivating as it offers a philosophical view of mankind and history through Oscar's eyes and his constant drumming for attention when something was about to go wrong. Schlöndorff directs a brilliant film that elevates the audience's worldly awareness and forces the audience to ponder actions in regards to family, society, and the world. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

This one bites...
This movie is one of the funniest I've seen. I loved how it pokes fun at those American tough-lonely-cop-in-the-big city tv shows. Now,eveytime I see the opening credits for NYPD Blue, I just couldn't help but laugh out loud. Many people had problems with the German script, but I thought it was one of its many appeals. I mean movies such as Chocolat and Enemy at the Gates are set in countries where english is not their native language and yet we didn't seem to mind about their "suspicious" english scripts.
The killer condom in the film is a metaphor for AIDS. Underneath the gore and campiness, there is a strong message in the film about tolerance and understanding. Detective Mackeroni's "uplifting" speech in the climatic scene sums it all up.
Overall, this movie is not for the faint hearted. But if the title "Killer Condom" struck you immediately then you will thoroughly enjoy this film like I did. A definite cult classic.

(Almost) A Cult Classic
What shocked me about Killer Condom was that it exceeded its low-budget expectations with a surprisingly intelligent and touching love story. So the effects weren't up to much? Pa! The central romance between hard-boiled detective Udo Samel and pretty-boy rent boy Marc Richter was genuinely affecting; the dialogue was spot-on and Martin Walz's direction (and Samel's performance in particular) were beautifully judged.

Typical Demonic Prophylactic Anti-Religion Comedy Genre Film
I just don't know where to start in reviewing this movie. I bought it not as a fan of Troma, but because I like seeing movies with bizarre new monsters. I have seen killer mutant turkey men ("Blood Feast"), gassy killer sheep ("Godmonster of Indian Flats"), and every kind of dinosaur, lizard, or reptile known to man. I have even seen killer puppets ("Attack of the Puppet People"), and killer mushrooms ("Matango, The Fungus of Terror".) So I felt pretty prepared for a killer condom, but discovered I was not.

The film was shot on location in New York by a bunch of Germans, and all dialogue is done in German, therefore you have to read subtitles. I don't mind the subtitles that much, but sometimes they blend in with light colored backgrounds and are tough to decipher. I guess dubbing wouldn't have hurt it any. The lead role is played by a German Police Detective ('Inspector Macaroni'), who is ostensibly from Sicily. If that isn't enough to make your head spin, he and he alone can fend off the killer condoms, in a wild and somewhat disgusting (go figure) plot that involves a transvestite singer named 'Bob', a crazy Chinese scientist who craves "red jelly", and, unfortunately, a religious fanatic. Some have seen the story as allegorical, but mostly it's really too shallow to be anything other than silly and disgusting.

The film starts off strongly, but is quite long and begins to be repetitive after about the first twenty minutes. I am not easily offended, but do take exception to the portrayal of religion towards the end of the film. The movie pretends to be permissive, but comes across at some points as simply denigrating religion. It was an unnecessary plot device that adds nothing to the plot, yet manages to offend or at least annoy. The portrayal of a US Presidential candidate as a corrupt philanderer would have offended as well, but it was made by Europeans during the Clinton administration, so I can see their point.

That's it for the bad; now for the good. The film IS a strikingly original production, and far outside the norms for Troma. The production values are better than average, with a few cheesy sets, but largely good locations. The characterizations are generally spot on and funny, as are the names of characters. The dialogue is consistently amusing (when they aren't on an anti-religion rant), and the latex killers are very entertaining to watch, even if not genuinely scary (watch especially for the autopsy scene.) The DVD has a lot of extras including a preview reel, a virtual tour of the Troma studios (which is generally pretty entertaining), and a special Public Service Announcement featuring Sgt. Kabukiman.

Three stars for originality, generally amusing plot points, and laughter inducing special effects.

Warped even for Troma
Western civilization, during its long tenure, has produced some of the most memorable monuments in human history. Stunning works of art, vast architectural triumphs, wondrous musical compositions of exquisite texture, and literary endeavors that capture the very essence of what it means to live have all flowed out of the great minds of the West. One look around these days makes one wonder if those eras of miraculous creation are long gone. Britney Spears, MTV, sitcoms, and Troma films--these are hardly icons of communal vigor. Only when a culture thrashes in its final death throes does something like Troma appear on the scene. This studio, run by the gregarious Lloyd Kaufman and his toady Michael Hertz, market straight to video trash cinema that should rightly end up in a waste compactor. Try as I might, I continue to find a Troma film occupying space in my DVD player. I admit I enjoy zero budget stuff hacked out by directors who couldn't take a decent picture of the side of a barn, but some of the stuff I've seen from this company causes me to grind my teeth. "Why not just quit watching this junk" is what you're probably asking. Good question. Well, I watch it so others won't watch it, so I can warn uninformed viewers about the possible risks associated with Troma films. In short, I fall on the grenade so you won't have to.

Seriously, Troma has on occasion turned out a couple of mildly entertaining films. "The Toxic Avenger," for example, is a minor classic of sorts. Sadly, Kaufman and company followed it up with dozens of brain meltingly bad movies. "Killer Condom" is one of these train wrecks, although it is a better train wreck than most films made or distributed by Troma. It's the story about a New York City detective named Luigi Mackeroni and his attempts to crack several seemingly unrelated cases. Several people have died horribly disfiguring deaths in NYC sleaze pits, usually in the company of decidedly unwholesome people. Mackeroni knows the town like the back of his hand, and it isn't too long before he is pounding the streets scraping up clues. Along the way he meets the love of his life, a former one night stand now working as a drag queen, a conservative politician running for office on a pro-family platform, and some creepy doctor in charge of safe sex clinic type organization. Mackeroni keeps his cool through it all, relentlessly tracking down the killer(s) so the streets will become safe for all citizens again. When the detective finally learns what is really behind the spate of killings, he is shocked; it is nothing less than a massive conspiracy involving biologically engineered condoms to do away with certain "undesirable" elements of society!

By the way, Mackeroni is a German speaking Sicilian whose resemblence to Bob Hoskins is frightening to say the least. And he's gay. Yep, the potential for comedy is all over this movie like flies on you know what. Throw in garish lighting in nearly every scene, endless lines of over sexualized dialogue, toothy condoms that growl and fly through the air, set pieces so filthy that you will want to throw up immediately before you spend the next ten hours taking a shower, and you have all the elements that form "Killer Condom." There are also plenty of gay bars, disco music, red bandannas artfully placed, and a grand finale involving a spirited speech about tolerance. Card carrying members of the religious right or the Grand Old Party probably will want to skip this one, but if you approach it in the right frame of mind and with the realization that "Killer Condom" is a clever satire of several American film genres, you might just enjoy yourself. Maybe.

A couple of names familiar to knowledgeable horror fans grace this production's crew roster. Famed artist of the bizarre H.G. Giger did some of the design work for the murderous condoms with the assistance of none other than Jorg Buttgereit. Buttgereit's contributions to the extreme gore genre include "Nekromantik," "Der Todesking," and the sickening "Schramm." I was a bit taken aback that he worked on this film, since "Killer Condom" is neither an arty shock film nor a gore epic, but to each his own, I guess. In front of the camera, actor Udo Samel shines as the gruff, understated cop Luigi Mackeroni. He's amusing without really trying, and his serious take on such a bizarre character pays off in spades. I also got a kick out of Babette, a character who you must see to believe. Regrettably, the movie as a whole doesn't work as well as it could due to an overlong runtime, some confusing situations towards the end of the picture, and a few gags that run on too long. Despite these minor flaws, "Killer Condom" is warped enough to provide a few laughs for admirers of the cinematic macabre. A theatrical run for this picture would probably result in rioting in the streets!

As usual, Troma stocks the DVD edition of this movie with a boatload of extras. Behind the scenes stills, a commentary with Buttgereit and director Martin Walz, a Troma intelligence test, some interviews with people associated with the film, and a bunch of other junk familiar to any regular Tromaites provide hours of additional "enjoyment." "Killer Condom" isn't a great film, not by any standard of measurement, but it's a film you just can't avoid watching to its horrific conclusion. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cover your crotch in sympathy! What more could you want from schlock cinema?

If Used Properly, Highly Effective Against Pregnancy
Martin Walz really dropped the ball on the movie Killer Condom. He's been active in the independant prophylactic comedy industry for several years, but Killer Condom: The Rubber that Rubs You Out is extremely disappointing, especially in comparison to other films in the genre.

Though the film boasts amazing actors such as Udo Samel and Leonard Lansink, it fails to gain an appreciation among viewers familiar with the prophylactic comedy genre such as myself. The movie started off with a bang; fight scenes left and right and mindboggling special effects. However, after the first few scenes, a feeling of disappointment and repetition was overwhelming this movie.

Though the Killer Condom and Frau Doctor Riffleson were both exquisitely scripted characters, they failed to grasp the emotional connection that is required in films of this caliber. If you're looking for a movie including some good action entertainment with a relatively simple and easy-to-follow plotline, this movie is probably right up your alley. ... Read more

Reviews (73)

An Awesome, Mind-Blowing Film!
Wim Wender's best film is a glorious cinematic experience, a film that dazzles the eye, challenges your mind and touches your heart. In other words, a rarity. No other film that I can think of (save perhaps Woody Allen's Manhattan)better captures the spirit and feel of city than this one's portrait of Berlin does. The film follows two angels who roam around Berlin listening to the thoughts of people and observing, only observing. Except for young children who can sense thier presence, the angels remain invisible to everyone and cannot intervene in earthly matters. When one of the angels (Bruno Ganz) sees a trapeze artist(Solveig Dommartain) in a small circus he becomes entranced and eventually falls in love with her. So much that he yearns to give up the eternal life and become mortal to be with her. Oh, but there's so much more to this film than this sketchy summary. This is also a film about a city, the once divided Berlin and its past. Its about loneliness and alienation, about what it means to be human and so much more. This is just a wonderful film, the best movie released in the 1980's. I've seen this countless times and I never tire of watching it. There are moments in this film that will always stay with me: Ganz's angel perched on the shoulder of a statue, the angels congregating in the Berlin Library, the angels comforting a suicide victim, the brief flashes of color as Ganz becomes more and more human, Peter Falk, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, and so much more. This needs to be released on DVD now. A GREAT film.

Poetry In Motion Picture Fairy tale Dream a Rant
This is a beautiful film by Wunderkind directer Wim Wenders... The leading Angel in this film is nothing short of the face of Kindess. And the beautiful cinematography blended with the poetic narrations make this flowing story one of the most beautiful glimpses into film magic you will ever witness. The story almost feels like Hans Christian Anderson's the Little Mermaid only with Angels instead of Fish-Tail Folk. The American Remake of this film is an excellent movie to watch side by side so one can see the difference betwen what film should be and what Hollywood does to poetry... it makes it commerce. Witness the addition of hundreds of Angels instead of two - add flowing trenchcoats, sunglasses , and set it in Los Angeles instead of Berlin... also make your leading lady a Doctor instead of a Circus Carnie(must be politically correct) I have nothing against the strong performances of Meg Ryan and Nicholas Cage... but come on Hollywood - you aint got nothin on Wim Wenders - You'll probably read reviews of WINGS OF DESIRE that mention this Magic Phrase from the ...Critics' box 'o magnetic words... Well it's an "art" film ... and what may I ask is film but anything else? Film is an artform - but Witness City of Angels in comparison to Wings of Desire - We are HOLLYWOOD we have come to turn your German Uber Art into ...COMMERCE - yes that is the true meaning of an ART FILM a film that is true to the beatuty of the media... but alas couldn't possible be understood by the average American spoon-fed Consumer...amen to the Holy Roman Empire - take us Out if you can...and that's all I have to say aboot that.

EXISTENTIALISM MEETS EMOTIONS IN THIS GORGEOUS ROMANCE
What an absolutely haunting delight. With its introspective pacing, which some may find slower than their cinematic taste allows, the film takes its own sweet time setting things up but it is one of the most mind-boggling romantic tropes you will see in cinema.

In the end it's not just about requited loves and hopes, it also carries a heady undercurrent of other notions: displacement and the natural yearning for emotional connections that transcends humans; the unification of a divided Germany and of a divided race; and, probably above all, about the universality of cinema and its ability to allow people to live multiple lives (from multiple cultures) at the movies.

When I first saw this, I thought the film's fatal flaw was its anti-climactic conclusion. Now I realise that it may be the best part of my favourite film of all time.

One caution to buyers about the DVD. Many bits of the film are in German, but my DVD had no subtitles. All the gorgeous imagery (in noir-ish black and white) was thus somewhat frittered away.

But it surely did make me want to see what Berlin must really be like. If you like your movies laid-back and reflective, this comes highly recommended from me.

The ultimate art film
One of the most touching films created by Wim Wenders, Wings of Desire follows two angels, one of whom decides that his love of a woman is worth more than his heavenly life watching over the recently reunified Berlin. Wenders takes you from the black-and-white world of the angels to the multi-colored world of the inhabitants of earth and challenges you to think about life and love and the important things in life. Touching cameo by Peter Falk. A moving film.

The Sky Over Berlin.
It's ironic that so soon after Wenders shot this film in Berlin (a film about seperation and the search for unity), the wall would come tumbling down. The only entities who can transcend the wall in this movie are the angels, who are nothing but pure consciousness. The original German title for this film translates as 'The Sky Over Berlin' and I certainly think it is more apt than the English one that was chosen. For it is only the sky above their city that unites Berliners each side of the wall. The angels imprisonment in the spiritual world is undoubtedly in my mind, a metaphor for the political set-up in Berlin at that time. Whether it be West Berliners imprisoned on all sides by the communist East or the East Berliners imprsioned from the decadent freedoms of West Berlin.

The angels themselves were banished to Berlin in 1945 for questioning God's intentions. As a city at the apex of 2 world wars and a cold war, there is probably no better choice in choosing it as a symbol of our century. Wenders use of documentary footage from the end of the 2nd world war is frightening in its portrayal of a city's damaged past. A past of confusion and despair that still marks the city's people through their ongoing frustrated desires.

In order to retain some sense of his original 'poetic' vision, Wenders refused to finalize a shooting script before he started filming. As a result he relied on a mostly spontaneous film shoot as well as a lot of improvising from his actors. ... Read more

Amazon.com

After Eric Rohmer completed his "Six Moral Tales," and before launching into the "Comedies and Proverbs," he tackled two projects very different from anything else in his career. In the first of these, The Marquise of O, based on the novel by Heinrich von Kleist, Rohmer leaves the young intellectuals of Paris for Italy during the Napoleonic wars. During the Russian invasion, the beautiful young marquise (Edith Clever) is saved from certain assault by a handsome and dashing count (Bruno Ganz). She spends the night guarded by her chivalrous savior, who returns months later to rather insistently court her. Only when he leaves does she discover that she is, unaccountably, pregnant. Rohmer's style is both more lush (shot in rich colors by Néstor Almendros) and lessintimate than his previous romantic comedies, directed in painterly compositions at a removed distance. Unlike the self-obsessed young adults of his modern films, the count and the marquise act out of moral duty and social responsibility, and their actions reverberate through family and community. Yet this is still a Rohmer film, filled with carefully tooled dialogue (spoken in German) and informed by irony. The story of innocence and corruption, and the shades that lie within even the best of men, ends on a note of delicate forgiveness and understanding. Rohmer followed this with an even more unexpected stylistic experiment, the beautiful and beguiling Perceval. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Gorgeous cinematography!
Eric Rohmer's 1976 take on Heinrich Von Kleist's story "The Marquise of O" is a movie right up my alley. While I'm not necessarily a fanatic about foreign films, I do love watching period piece pictures. Rohmer's picture may well be the best period film I have ever seen, and that includes Kubrick's masterful "Barry Lyndon." What surprised me even more after watching this film was finding out it is one of the few period pieces Rohmer has made in his long career. I read up on the man in the process, discovering that most of his other films are considerably different from this one. Rohmer is actually French, born Jean-Marie Maurice Scherer in Lorraine, France in 1920. After a short career as a novelist and film critic, he moved into the world of filmmaking in 1955. Critics associate Rohmer with the French New Wave school of filmmaking, placing him squarely alongside more recognizable names like Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. The director ran into a few snags in his early career, toiling in obscurity for quite awhile as he continued to write about film until his first hit in 1969, "Ma nuit chez Maud." Rohmer's pictures deal with "arty" themes, moral quandaries such as infidelity and clashing value systems. Some of his French stuff sounds quite above my head, so I'm glad I saw this German language piece based on a story I am at least familiar with.

"The Marquise of O," set during the Napoleonic turmoils of nineteenth century Europe, focuses on the misfortunes of lovely young lady known as the Marquise (Edith Clever). Her father is a colonel who must surrender the town he is defending to the Russians. One of these Russian soldiers, a noble officer referred to as the Count (Bruno Ganz), saves the Marquise from a band of rapacious Slavic soldiers. Later, when he takes the barely conscious woman to her family's house, he revisits her in the middle of the night in a scene with deeply suspicious overtones. Fast forward a bit, when the Count comes to visit the Marquise and her parents. He proposes a marriage between himself and the young lady, much to the shock of everyone involved. The Marquise tries to put him off for a bit, but the Count is undeterred. He presses for a commitment, which apparently is a big no-no in the early nineteenth century as evidenced by the increasing sourness of the father and mother, but eventually settles in to wait. A complication arises when the Count learns he must head back to Russia to fill a post, an assignment he incredibly considers disobeying in order to stay near the Marquise. Her parents are appalled-what sort of man would spurn a direct order from the leader of his country? It soon becomes obvious why the Count tried to put off his trip.

The Marquise begins to feel unwell. As time progresses, she fears she may be pregnant, something the implications of which will be disastrous for her and her family. She's not married and doesn't have any overt suitors other than the Count, so aside from a miraculous virgin birth, someone's been up to no good. When her parents find out about what happened, the unfolding hysterics are quite something to watch. Nineteenth century Europe is a place and time when an unwed mother might as well commit suicide rather than birth a child. The pregnancy places the family's honor in grave jeopardy, which the Colonel will not allow. He disowns his child, banishing her from the house to a distant country estate. The Marquise's mother is torn, at first expressing outrage at her daughter's state and then softening later. A risky plan to reconcile the family involves placing an advertisement in the local newspaper seeking the father of the child. Even I groaned aloud at such an audacious endeavor. The locals do too, finding great amusement in the fact that a highborn woman doesn't know who fathered her child. And who did? We have a good idea, but must wait for it to play out at the end of the film.

I loved this film. The movie is all about how a strict sense of honor, fused with repressive ideas about how a woman should conduct herself, play out in a small family. While we may laugh over how concerned the characters are about the situation, and Rohmer certainly laughs as well, that doesn't make for a less interesting film experience. If "The Marquise of O" were nothing more than a quaint little picture about moral conundrums two hundred years ago, it would not merit attention. What sets the film apart is the sumptuous cinematography and compelling atmosphere. I don't know a whit about painted art, but it is obvious Rohmer set out to create a world resembling a painting. I shouldn't say ONE static painting, as the movie looks like one huge moving painting. The colors, atmosphere, and background are simply amazing to look at. Each frame of the film looks as though Rohmer carefully pulled it off a canvas. It's not as obvious as "Barry Lyndon," where Kubrick had his actors strike poses, but "The Marquise of O" looks like it should be hanging in the Louvre.

I suspect Rohmer's movie is the sort of project true thespians pray for everyday of their careers. No one takes a backseat to effects as even the war scenes are small and centered on the characters. What you do get instead are lengthy scenes of dialogue and tons of close-ups. If you dislike talky pictures, you'll need to skip "The Marquise of O." If you love conflict and moral predicaments, acting and meaningful dialogue, Rohmer's film should serve you well.

"I regret to see your passion has robbed you of your senses"
"The Marquise of O" is one of Eric Rohmer's historical films. This story takes place during the Franco-Prussian War. One night as the Russians attack, the Marquise, a young widow with two children, is assaulted by a band of Russian soldiers. Fortunately, she is rescued by a young Russian Count. Several months later, it becomes apparent that the Marquise is pregnant, and no one believes her protests that she hasn't touched a man since her husband died.

When the film begins, we are supposed to believe we are watching a scene from the Franco-Prussian War. The war really boils down to a few puffs of smoke and some of the plaster coming off of the ceiling. Rohmer just doesn't portray these sorts of BIG scenes well--I suspect budget--or the lack thereof--may be at the bottom of this. Anyway, the BIG scenes just don't work. They don't seem authentic at all. Then when the Count saves the Marquise from a fate that is apparently worse than death, it is a bit corny. But those are the bad bits. Get over that, and watch the rest of this film.

The very best things about this film are the philosophical questions raised by the dilemma of the pregnant Marquise and her pesky, persistent suitor--the Count. How does one accept a knight in shining armour who has fallen from his pedestal? Are the actions of the Count motivated by guilt? How does one align the fate of the Marquise's would-be-attackers with the behaviour of the Count? Is forgiveness possible? Also, the class attitudes were quite fascinating. When the Marquise discovers and accepts her pregnancy, the lower classes exhibit a sort of sly, knowing joy in her dilemma. Both the Dr and the midwife have seem these sorts of situations many times before, and they are all too familiar with the denials the frantic Marquise makes to her unbelieving family. The sudden, unwelcome familiarity--of both the Dr and the midwife--evident in their tone shifts when speaking to the Marquise--indicates that she is about to experience a decline in society.

I really enjoyed all the characters in the film very much. The Marquise's father was splendid--especially when he raised his pistol. The Marquise's mother swoons, hardens, and gets mushy at times, but then she decides to take the more practical approach and get to the bottom of the scandal--even if this necessitates some deception on her part. I found it amusing that the Count's persistence when courting the Marquise flummoxed everyone as his behaviour was beyond the socially accepted norms.

Eric Rohmer films are noted for their dialogue and the philosophical debates the characters have with one another as they wrestle with relevant issues. These debates are missing from this film--indeed Rohmer's historical films--are to me--not his best work. Nonetheless, that said, I did enjoy the film immensely--displacedhuman.

true to the Kleist--in spirit and text
Kleist's writing interests me because of the frailties and strengths of his characters. Is it possible to save a woman from rape, rape her yourself, seek to hide what you've done and to make ammends, and in the end still be something like a decent person? Maybe. Do good people do bad things? Yes. Is not a certain willingness to forgive weakness necessary between humans? Certainly.
Rohmer captures the feeling Kleist's story beautifully. He is careful to show the strengths of the women, they aren't passive and dominated within a patriarchal society--important in a film wherein the leading man commits rape, and the leading woman eventually forgives him.

Precious
If it is possible to be ostentatiously chaste, Eric Rohmer's THE MARQUISE OF O... is an example of it. Sometimes witty, always stunningly beautiful, the film is so self-consciously muted in style, so obviously different from the blare of standard Hollywood, it can't help calling attention to itself. It is thus not quite as modest as the style would suggest. Even understatement, pursued doggedly enough, can become a form of showing off. Besides, there is plenty to testify to Rohmer's ambitions.

Based on Heinrich Kleist's novella of the same name, MARQUISE is a perfect example of "literary cinema," with all the baggage such a label implies. None of Rohmer's films are meant for a mass audience. They announce their refinement with their limited situations, articulate characters and toney references. Here, after Kleist's novella, the primary proofs of cultural worth are painterly: set in the Napoleonic era, the film's visual style is obviously modeled after Neo-classical and early Romantic painters. With a heavy reliance on the skills of master cinematographer Nestor Almendros, Rohmer uses Kleist to create a cozy, Biedermeier world of diaphanous Empire gowns, heavy velvet draperies and formalized domestic routine.

In itself, there is nothing wrong with this. Certainly Rohmer's work is preferable to, and much more interesting than, such similarly respectable literary adaptations as the bloated, otiose and cinematically dreary Merchant/Ivory productions. No matter how precious or theatrical the film may get, you never doubt that you're in the presence of a real filmmaker. Rohmer has *chosen* to reduce the experience to essentials, he's refined and polished the experience to a high gloss, so there's nary a gesture, inflection, camera movement or lighting set up that hasn't been thought out in terms of the overall design.

Which no doubt structures how most people reaction to it. If you can respond to such highly mediated and controlled experiences, you will probably enjoy the film, not just for the delicious ironies of Kleist's story, but for the elegant skill with which it has been mounted. If you find such refinement insufferably mannered, pretentious and more than a bit self-preening, you'd best stay away. For myself, this is only one of three Rohmer films that I have seen. I found the other two almost unbearably arch. With the help of Kleist and Almendros, however, Rohmer makes MARQUISE into a delightful, visually exquisite comedy of manners.

A Top Ten Film Fairy Tale For Me
I better warn you that not everyone agrees with me on this film. Some people find it too understated and slow. However, it is more accurate to say that it is a fairy tale delivered in a very painterly manner. Since I am an artist, this enhances the film for me rather than acting as a negative. The visual style reminds me most strongly of a Vermeer painting. If you can get into the dry nature of it, the film is LOL funny in many parts. This was my first Bruno Ganz, the male lead, film and I thought he was wonderful. Most of writer-director Eric Rohmer's films remind us of Woody Allen's work, if he were French, with that accompanying cynical eye on relationships. This film is not like that except for the basic set up. Set back a few centuries, the young noblewoman believes that Ganz has saved her from rape one night during a war. Yet several months later she finds she is pregnant despite her savior's noble act that night. This film is also a happy-ever-after film, unlike most of Rohmer's other work. I can't say that this film really resembles Cocteau's "Beauty and The Beast" but if you enjoyed that fairy tale, you may well also enjoy this fairy tale. I love both of them although they are told and filmed quite differently. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

This one bites...
This movie is one of the funniest I've seen. I loved how it pokes fun at those American tough-lonely-cop-in-the-big city tv shows. Now,eveytime I see the opening credits for NYPD Blue, I just couldn't help but laugh out loud. Many people had problems with the German script, but I thought it was one of its many appeals. I mean movies such as Chocolat and Enemy at the Gates are set in countries where english is not their native language and yet we didn't seem to mind about their "suspicious" english scripts.
The killer condom in the film is a metaphor for AIDS. Underneath the gore and campiness, there is a strong message in the film about tolerance and understanding. Detective Mackeroni's "uplifting" speech in the climatic scene sums it all up.
Overall, this movie is not for the faint hearted. But if the title "Killer Condom" struck you immediately then you will thoroughly enjoy this film like I did. A definite cult classic.

(Almost) A Cult Classic
What shocked me about Killer Condom was that it exceeded its low-budget expectations with a surprisingly intelligent and touching love story. So the effects weren't up to much? Pa! The central romance between hard-boiled detective Udo Samel and pretty-boy rent boy Marc Richter was genuinely affecting; the dialogue was spot-on and Martin Walz's direction (and Samel's performance in particular) were beautifully judged.

Typical Demonic Prophylactic Anti-Religion Comedy Genre Film
I just don't know where to start in reviewing this movie. I bought it not as a fan of Troma, but because I like seeing movies with bizarre new monsters. I have seen killer mutant turkey men ("Blood Feast"), gassy killer sheep ("Godmonster of Indian Flats"), and every kind of dinosaur, lizard, or reptile known to man. I have even seen killer puppets ("Attack of the Puppet People"), and killer mushrooms ("Matango, The Fungus of Terror".) So I felt pretty prepared for a killer condom, but discovered I was not.

The film was shot on location in New York by a bunch of Germans, and all dialogue is done in German, therefore you have to read subtitles. I don't mind the subtitles that much, but sometimes they blend in with light colored backgrounds and are tough to decipher. I guess dubbing wouldn't have hurt it any. The lead role is played by a German Police Detective ('Inspector Macaroni'), who is ostensibly from Sicily. If that isn't enough to make your head spin, he and he alone can fend off the killer condoms, in a wild and somewhat disgusting (go figure) plot that involves a transvestite singer named 'Bob', a crazy Chinese scientist who craves "red jelly", and, unfortunately, a religious fanatic. Some have seen the story as allegorical, but mostly it's really too shallow to be anything other than silly and disgusting.

The film starts off strongly, but is quite long and begins to be repetitive after about the first twenty minutes. I am not easily offended, but do take exception to the portrayal of religion towards the end of the film. The movie pretends to be permissive, but comes across at some points as simply denigrating religion. It was an unnecessary plot device that adds nothing to the plot, yet manages to offend or at least annoy. The portrayal of a US Presidential candidate as a corrupt philanderer would have offended as well, but it was made by Europeans during the Clinton administration, so I can see their point.

That's it for the bad; now for the good. The film IS a strikingly original production, and far outside the norms for Troma. The production values are better than average, with a few cheesy sets, but largely good locations. The characterizations are generally spot on and funny, as are the names of characters. The dialogue is consistently amusing (when they aren't on an anti-religion rant), and the latex killers are very entertaining to watch, even if not genuinely scary (watch especially for the autopsy scene.) The DVD has a lot of extras including a preview reel, a virtual tour of the Troma studios (which is generally pretty entertaining), and a special Public Service Announcement featuring Sgt. Kabukiman.

Three stars for originality, generally amusing plot points, and laughter inducing special effects.

Warped even for Troma
Western civilization, during its long tenure, has produced some of the most memorable monuments in human history. Stunning works of art, vast architectural triumphs, wondrous musical compositions of exquisite texture, and literary endeavors that capture the very essence of what it means to live have all flowed out of the great minds of the West. One look around these days makes one wonder if those eras of miraculous creation are long gone. Britney Spears, MTV, sitcoms, and Troma films--these are hardly icons of communal vigor. Only when a culture thrashes in its final death throes does something like Troma appear on the scene. This studio, run by the gregarious Lloyd Kaufman and his toady Michael Hertz, market straight to video trash cinema that should rightly end up in a waste compactor. Try as I might, I continue to find a Troma film occupying space in my DVD player. I admit I enjoy zero budget stuff hacked out by directors who couldn't take a decent picture of the side of a barn, but some of the stuff I've seen from this company causes me to grind my teeth. "Why not just quit watching this junk" is what you're probably asking. Good question. Well, I watch it so others won't watch it, so I can warn uninformed viewers about the possible risks associated with Troma films. In short, I fall on the grenade so you won't have to.

Seriously, Troma has on occasion turned out a couple of mildly entertaining films. "The Toxic Avenger," for example, is a minor classic of sorts. Sadly, Kaufman and company followed it up with dozens of brain meltingly bad movies. "Killer Condom" is one of these train wrecks, although it is a better train wreck than most films made or distributed by Troma. It's the story about a New York City detective named Luigi Mackeroni and his attempts to crack several seemingly unrelated cases. Several people have died horribly disfiguring deaths in NYC sleaze pits, usually in the company of decidedly unwholesome people. Mackeroni knows the town like the back of his hand, and it isn't too long before he is pounding the streets scraping up clues. Along the way he meets the love of his life, a former one night stand now working as a drag queen, a conservative politician running for office on a pro-family platform, and some creepy doctor in charge of safe sex clinic type organization. Mackeroni keeps his cool through it all, relentlessly tracking down the killer(s) so the streets will become safe for all citizens again. When the detective finally learns what is really behind the spate of killings, he is shocked; it is nothing less than a massive conspiracy involving biologically engineered condoms to do away with certain "undesirable" elements of society!

By the way, Mackeroni is a German speaking Sicilian whose resemblence to Bob Hoskins is frightening to say the least. And he's gay. Yep, the potential for comedy is all over this movie like flies on you know what. Throw in garish lighting in nearly every scene, endless lines of over sexualized dialogue, toothy condoms that growl and fly through the air, set pieces so filthy that you will want to throw up immediately before you spend the next ten hours taking a shower, and you have all the elements that form "Killer Condom." There are also plenty of gay bars, disco music, red bandannas artfully placed, and a grand finale involving a spirited speech about tolerance. Card carrying members of the religious right or the Grand Old Party probably will want to skip this one, but if you approach it in the right frame of mind and with the realization that "Killer Condom" is a clever satire of several American film genres, you might just enjoy yourself. Maybe.

A couple of names familiar to knowledgeable horror fans grace this production's crew roster. Famed artist of the bizarre H.G. Giger did some of the design work for the murderous condoms with the assistance of none other than Jorg Buttgereit. Buttgereit's contributions to the extreme gore genre include "Nekromantik," "Der Todesking," and the sickening "Schramm." I was a bit taken aback that he worked on this film, since "Killer Condom" is neither an arty shock film nor a gore epic, but to each his own, I guess. In front of the camera, actor Udo Samel shines as the gruff, understated cop Luigi Mackeroni. He's amusing without really trying, and his serious take on such a bizarre character pays off in spades. I also got a kick out of Babette, a character who you must see to believe. Regrettably, the movie as a whole doesn't work as well as it could due to an overlong runtime, some confusing situations towards the end of the picture, and a few gags that run on too long. Despite these minor flaws, "Killer Condom" is warped enough to provide a few laughs for admirers of the cinematic macabre. A theatrical run for this picture would probably result in rioting in the streets!

As usual, Troma stocks the DVD edition of this movie with a boatload of extras. Behind the scenes stills, a commentary with Buttgereit and director Martin Walz, a Troma intelligence test, some interviews with people associated with the film, and a bunch of other junk familiar to any regular Tromaites provide hours of additional "enjoyment." "Killer Condom" isn't a great film, not by any standard of measurement, but it's a film you just can't avoid watching to its horrific conclusion. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cover your crotch in sympathy! What more could you want from schlock cinema?

If Used Properly, Highly Effective Against Pregnancy
Martin Walz really dropped the ball on the movie Killer Condom. He's been active in the independant prophylactic comedy industry for several years, but Killer Condom: The Rubber that Rubs You Out is extremely disappointing, especially in comparison to other films in the genre.

Though the film boasts amazing actors such as Udo Samel and Leonard Lansink, it fails to gain an appreciation among viewers familiar with the prophylactic comedy genre such as myself. The movie started off with a bang; fight scenes left and right and mindboggling special effects. However, after the first few scenes, a feeling of disappointment and repetition was overwhelming this movie.

Though the Killer Condom and Frau Doctor Riffleson were both exquisitely scripted characters, they failed to grasp the emotional connection that is required in films of this caliber. If you're looking for a movie including some good action entertainment with a relatively simple and easy-to-follow plotline, this movie is probably right up your alley. ... Read more