GOOD BYE LENNIN!

[ComradeRobertRiley]

I was watching Euro News yesterday and it was talking about European films not Hollywood. They mentioned a film called "GOOD BYE LENNIN!" there was a poster of it in the background as well.

So anyone seen the film?
Is it good?
Does it protray Lennin in bad light?

[Man in the White Shirt]

I have not seen it but I believe it is about a grandma that goes into a coma and when she wakes up her beloved E. Germany has fallen and her family does all sorts of wacky stuff to make her think it was the good old days of pre-1989.

I hear it sparked a big notislic wave to sweep Germany. Maybe they are not so much better off.

It got good reviews, I hear, but I can not find a copy in English here in the States!

[Indysocialist]

My friends were talking about that movie the other day. I think it will be dubbed in English, not 100% though, it's just second hand information.

[commie kg]

I saw it with English subtitles on IFC.

[sanpal]

òåñò

[ComradeRobertRiley]

Thanks for the info, I wanna see it now

[Saint-Just]

I posted this here when the film came out:

I'd never say ‘Goodbye Lenin’. What I am talking about here is the film which recently came out in my country – Great Britain. It is actually a German film and as such I should not imagine it will be widely available in the U.S.

So, who has seen it and what did they think?
If you are not sure about seeing it reading this may be interesting. I will keep my account brief and slightly uninteresting as to give away as little of the plot as possible.

This film is about a family living in the German Democratic Republic (DDR) right before and after the Berlin Wall fell. Before it falls the film gives a small view of what it was like to live in the DDR using a old footage from the country on occasion.

The film concerns the son of a communist mother, who after his mother awakes from a coma after the wall has fallen, trying to not reveal that the wall has fell and that they still live in the DDR that she loved so much.

The film is partly comedy and partly drama. It is undeniably funny but at the same time fairly serious.

Since it is a western film you may imagine it would be very much anti-communist. But in summation I found it to be baring on pro-communist despite a few humerous jabs it made on socialism.

My primary reason for it being pro-communist is that one of the main character’s, the mother, to any western viewer is a pleasant and humane character that many could do some to identify with. This being so, she also has a great passion for socialism and her country, the DDR. It seems to put a common, human face on socialism often made out to be ruthless and oppressive by the western media. In addition to this at some points in the film socialist ideology and the aims of socialism are referred to in a positive way.

It also attacks capitalism, for example, the daughter of the socialist mother who has to drop out of college where she studied economic theory to work at Burger King. Or the DDR teacher who is no longer wanted in the new Germany and turns to alcoholism.

The film also does extremely well to glorify the achievements of the Soviet space program.

Socialism and the DDR seemed to inspire much into these people. Not just the mother who at the start of the film is rehabilited from the tragic loss of her husband within only 8 weeks to become a model socialist citizen. But also the son, who despite being in a protest against the DDR right before the wall fell comes to constantly refer to the DDR as: ‘Our socialist fatherland’ and another line that I won’t give away since it compromises the plot.

Overall I thought it was an excellent film and worth seeing for everyone.

[ComradeRobertRiley]

I am English, born in Colchester, Essex. Live in Cyprus now though

[guevara-marley]

Good bye lenin is a great film!I've seen it for about 3 times. it is about the DDR.a woman was in coma for some time and she shouldn't recognize that the wall (Berlin) was fallen. her son ( i don't know who. i only know that it was a relative) didn't say it to her, because she could get a heart attack..

great film!!

teté

[ComradeRobertRiley]

Thanks man! :-)

[Mano Dayak]

I've seen it in April, when it was in the Swiss cinemas, and I highly recommend it.

[ComradeRobertRiley]

Thanks Elisa! :-)

Can those who have seen me if it talks pro or against lennin?

[mentalbunny]

I saw it the other week. Really it's not about Lenin, it's about the DDR, which is really not the same thing. It's a good film, although a lot of the humour is pretty German (what a lot of people consider to be crap, but I couldn't possibly comment, especially since malte's german ;) :lol: ). I'd watch it if you get the chance, it's definitely worth seeing.

[Comrade Ceausescu]

lol my german teacher gave us all these really crappy german jokes.and she was like "what'd you learn about german homor?" and everyone was like uhhhh,and she was like "yea,it sucks" :lol:

[Mano Dayak]

I wouldn't really call it German humour, the movie is funny anyway- and I'm not German!!!

[ComradeRobertRiley]

Thanks averyone! :D sounds like a must see

[UnionofSovietSocialistRepublics]

yeh, i found and independant cinema n went to watch Commandante (about fidel castro), I noticed G.Lenin had bin runnin their, it sounds really good, i saw it in sum film mag a few months bak as well, and it got a really good review. N e 1 know if i can get a copy online on DVD or VHS? I live in england.
p.s. it is only vailable with subtitles, not dubbed.

[Mano Dayak]

go here (http://www.79qmddr.de) (only in German, but I love it)

[The Children of the Revolution]

I am an Englishman, and proud of it.

I watched the film when I was last in "the land of the sausage" - in German, no subtitles.

It was still funny. I didn't understand it all, (my German is not what it should be) but the film portrayed the DDR in a positive way - or so the audience seemed to think. I too, would love to find an English copy...

[Mano Dayak]

well thats funny...I once watched a Russian movie (shortly after having started learning the language), I didn't understand anything and I stopped watching. Isn't it boring when you don't understand anything?

[mentalbunny]

I saw ocean's eleven in german, that was weird.

[Saint-Just]

I have seen Lord of the Rings, Pulp Fiction, Gladiator, The Hulk and some other films in Chinese, very strange. I think Pulp Fiction must lose a lot in the translation.

Isn't it boring when you don't understand anything?

Yes.

[The Children of the Revolution]

Isn't it boring when you don't understand anything?


Generally, yes - although it depends on the film.

However, I have a basic grasp of German. Plus, it's an easy language to listen to - rather than reading or writing. If it had been in Russian, I wouldn't have bothered!!!

[Mano Dayak]

Originally posted by The Children of the [email protected] 16 2003, 03:05 AM


Isn't it boring when you don't understand anything?


Generally, yes - although it depends on the film.

However, I have a basic grasp of German. Plus, it's an easy language to listen to - rather than reading or writing. If it had been in Russian, I wouldn't have bothered!!!
eh well, I had a basic knowledge in Russian at the time too, but it was still enormously boring because they spoke too quickly.

[Purple]

i know how to say "grandmother" in russian... :D

[Mano Dayak]

Originally posted by (S)[email protected] 18 2003, 11:11 AM
i know how to say "grandmother" in russian... :D
some more words, Saint!!! :ph34r:

[schumi]

me2 ...babushka

anyways..I'm going to see Goodbye Lenin next saturday...
I heard it got a lot of positive reviews so I'll just wait and see if its as good as they say it is... :)

[UnionofSovietSocialistRepublics]

does anyone know if its going to be out on VHS or DVD anytime soon in the UK?

[mentalbunny]

Has anyone seen Sonnenallee? I've seen about half of it, we're finishing it next Friday. It's another german film set in the DDR but a bit earlier than Goodbye Lenin.

[schumi]

Originally posted by El [email protected] 29 2003, 12:23 PM
does anyone know if its going to be out on VHS or DVD anytime soon in the UK?
Dont know about the Uk but I heard that Goodbye Lenin was already on DVD in Germany...so maybe the UK will follow soon...

[''electra'']

I must be the only person here i didn't like the film.Sorry but i don't think it was sth worth to be seen.I was excited when i first heard about it.I thought it would be a film about communism but it was just a boring story.And i also heard it would be a commedy[according to the german critics]but when my friends and i saw it we didn't find anything funny in it,honestly...

[BOZG]

The best bit was at the end when Lenin comes flying around the corner in a helicopter

[germanredrat]

I saw the film (in german, because I am german), and I think it's neither pro- nor against lenin. actually it isn't very political. and i didn't like the film very much, too. but i heard that you only understand the humour in this film when you lived in the DDR (east germany, i don't know the english name of it), or you know a lot about it, because there are many allusions to the life there.

[RED CHARO]

I wish I'd given my mum the same treatment as the mum in 'Goodbye Lennin', maybe she'd bee happier,-
I liked the movie.........

[Saint-Just]

I found it very funny, perhaps you have to live in England or East Germany.

The English name of DDR is GDR (German Democratic Republic).

[Mano Dayak]

Originally posted by [email protected] 10 2004, 05:23 PM
Ibut i heard that you only understand the humour in this film when you lived in the DDR (east germany, i don't know the english name of it), or you know a lot about it, because there are many allusions to the life there.
I know more or less how it was in the DDR because in the 80's, I spent a lot of time in Czech Republic. There it was, of course, similar, and I don't think that the amount of laughter depends on how well you know how it worked in Eastern Europe. Anywayz, I saw that Goodbye Lenin is finally out on VHS and I'll buy it soon because it's one of my fave films.

[Timon of Athens]

I watched "Goodbye Lenin" as well. a truly excellent film. Some may be disappointed that it has very little to do with the politics of the GDR, but a great story. I'd recommend it to anybody.

[Wiesty]

speaking about Lenin
when my mom went to ukraine she stoped in Moscow and went to Red Square
where she went into lenins tomb
She said the lines were over a thousand people long to see the body

[Sabocat]

I saw Goodbye Lenin a couple of weeks ago. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was especially poignant that the daughter was in college while the DDR was still functioning, but as soon as the wall came down and Germany unified, she ended up out of school, pregnant and working long hours at Burger King.

I thought the film did a good job showing that although there were problems, people still enjoyed their lives, and some like the mother strived to contribute to the socialist society, even at the expense of her beloved husband and marriage.

Here in the U.S. at least, we grew up being told that East Germany was a black and white society with a miserable suffering population, and I thought the film did a good job exposing the misconceptions of that society.

I would recommend the film. Definitely worth seeing.

I'd actually like to hear Malte's impression of the film if he's seen it. He would have a much better feel for the accuracy, realities, and moods of the East German population as they were integrated into West German society. My fear is that the movie may have lost something in the English translation.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

I'll buy it whenever it's available at amazon.com.
It sounds awesome.

[Timon of Athens]

Originally posted by [email protected] 9 2004, 04:43 PM
I'll buy it whenever it's available at amazon.com.
It sounds awesome.
Do! It's worth every cent. :D