Wedding in Bärenhof (digital quality)

"Masterful" would be an understatement!

“Magnificent. From the fullness of life. Here three actors stand in front of the camera who are involved in a relationship drama. Hermann Sudermann wrote the original. There is the Baron (Heinrich George), a lovable, solid and warm-hearted bachelor. Then, his neighbor from Krakow (Paul Wegener), a choleric, argumentative furor who likes to ruin things with everyone and then repentantly asks for peace. Finally, his daughter Roswitha (Ilse Werner), tender, young, emotional. The three come into conflict. The "stache guy" from Krakow speaks in broad East Prussian, fawns over his neighbor, practically "smells" the match that his Rosi might have with the Baron, who is 30 years older than her. A real East Prussian eccentric. Then comes the actor George's big moment. The pre wedding party with Rosi (who withdraws wonderfully gently from his kiss). He drinks because he can't get any closer to her. They sit together and don't know what to talk about. "This will be a good marriage; they are comfortable being silent" says the father-in-law. Then he starts a speech that ends in a furious frenzy of false notes - he is not too old for his young wife! In his exuberance he rips open the front of his dress coat to show his vitality and to show everyone that he is not "fat chested". Then she says to him: "You've got carried away." He says ruefully: "Yes, I guess I have." And out of the corner of his eye he sees the young lieutenant, to whom his bride is sending such longing glances. An acting feast. George can not only rant wildly, but also whisper, and in a whisper, he admits to himself: she loves someone else. He still remains partly in the dark, but every modulation in his voice in this monologue betrays his tragedy. He rises above himself and renounces. It is played with such bravura that not a single eye remains dry. Criticism? Escapism into the Biedermeier era, an idyll that was never like that - all bullshit in the face of such an achievement!”

Critic Falk Schwarz