DVD Movie Review: EMIL UND DIE DETEKTIVE (2001)

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Review: Emil und die Detektive

German Movie Reviews

EMIL UND DIE DETEKTIVE
2001 GERMANY 110 MIN COLOR 35 MM
DIRECTOR: Franziska Buch
SCREENPLAY: Franziska Buch, Erich Kästner
GENRE: Children/Family
AWARDS: Gold Sparrow Gera 2001, Best Film Leeds 2001
GERMAN RELEASE: 22 Feb. 2001
U.S. RELEASE: N/A

Emil und die Detektive (2001)
Emil and the Detectives (2001)

Director/screenwriter Franziska Buch has updated Erich Kästner's classic 1929 tale and set it in 21st century Berlin. As in each of the previous film versions (the first, in 1931, was scripted by Billy Wilder), the story remains essentially the same as Kästner's original. Young Emil Tischbein gets robbed on the train as he travels to the big city for a visit with relatives. In Berlin he enlists the help of a band of young "detectives" to track down the evil Max Grundeis (Jürgen Vogel), the man who relieved him of his money.

Emil
Emil Tischbein and
Pony Hütchen.
Photo: Constantin Film

But in Buch's 2001 update, Emil (Tobias Retzlaff) now lives with his divorced dad, rather than his widowed mom, as in the book and the earlier films. The kids of Berlin now run around with cell phones, listen to hip-hop music, use computers, and enlist copy machines to track down bad guys. Buch's screenplay also throws in heavy doses of "Frauenpower"—with strong feminine roles. Pony Hütchen (Anja Sommavilla) shows Emil who's boss by knocking him flat on his back at their first meeting.

Filmed in the summer of 2000 in Berlin, EMIL UND DIE DETEKTIVE showcases the German capital in much the same way the 1931 version did. People familiar with Berlin will enjoy seeing many Berlin sights in the film. (An interesting contrast: Compare 2001 Berlin with the city 70 years earlier. All three German versions are now on DVD. The 1964 Disney version is not.) Naturally, viewers can enjoy the 2001 version in and of itself, but it's more interesting to have the perspective of history and Kästner's original story.

Emil
Emil and Max Grundeis
on the train to Berlin.
Photo: Constantin Film

EMIL UND DIE DETEKTIVE is a movie that people under the age of 12 or so will like better than most people over that age. It's not a bad film, but as one German reviewer put it, there have been better German movies. Whether the skateboarding, hip-hopping, "cool" big city kids of today are an improvement over the less colorful ragamuffins of the 1930s and '50s is open to debate, but most 21st century kids will prefer this film to the older versions. Teachers will find this a good G-rated film to use in the German classroom, especially in conjunction with some creative techniques for teaching geography, culture, and language. (See links for Web materials below.) The German DVD is a bit weak in extra features, but it does have some commentary by the director and main actors, plus a short "making of" clip.

CAST: Tobias Retzlaff (Emil), Anja Sommavilla (Pony Hütchen), Kai Wiesinger (father, Knut Tischbein), Jürgen Vogel (bad guy, Max Grundeis), Maria Schrader (Pastorin Hummel), David Klock (Gustav Hummel), Tim Hansen (Krumbiegel).

Earlier Film Versions: Germany, 1931, 1954; UK, 1935; Disney, 1964. The Austrian-born Billy Wilder (later a director in Hollywood) wrote the script for the 1931 German film. The 1964 Disney movie was filmed in Germany and featured the Austrian-born Walter Slezak, Bryan Russell (as Emil), Roger Mobley, Heinz Schubert (as Max), and Cindy Cassell (as Pony). Most critics consider Disney's Emil and the Detectives (directed by Peter Tewksbury) inferior to any of the German versions, which may explain why it can't be found on video or DVD.

DVDs und das BUCH ZUM FILM
The DVDs listed below are Region 2/PAL (Germany, Europe) and will not play on a normal American DVD player.

DVD: Emil und die Detektive

BUY this DVD from Amazon.de (Region 2)

BUY the DVD of the 1931 & 1954 films (Region 2)

BUY the BOOK from Amazon.de

See Web links for the film below.

ON LOCATION in BERLIN
I happened to be in Berlin during the filming of EMIL in summer 2000. Below are a couple of photos of location shooting in front of the Hotel Adlon near the Brandenburg Gate. Click on either photo for a larger view.

Filming with the Brandenburg
Gate in the background.
Larger view
Photo: Hyde Flippo

Krumbiegel (Tim Hansen).
Larger view
Photo: Hyde Flippo

LINKS for TEACHERS and STUDENTS

WEB > Emil und die Detektive (2001, official site no longer active)
WEB > ZLB: Emil und die Detektive (Best of the Net!)
WEB > Diskussionsfragen: Emil und die Detektive (for the book, Donna Van Handle)
WEB > Vokabelliste: Emil und die Detektive (for the book, Donna Van Handle)
WEB > Billy Wilder - The German-Hollywood Connection (Wilder wrote the script for the 1931 film)