The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum [Criterion Collection]
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum marks the directorial debut for actress Margarethe von Trotta, who co-directed the film with her then-husband Volker Schlöndorff. At a costume party, Katharina Blum (Angela Winkler) meets Ludwig Goetten (Jürgen Prochnow ) and spends the night with him. The next morning, he's gone and the police bust into her apartment looking for him with the belief that he is a dangerous terrorist. She is taken into police custody and interrogated by Kommissar Beizmenne (Mario Adorf), who questions her about her every action. Meanwhile, sleazy reporter Werner Toetges (Dieter Laser) makes her story into a scandal in the papers by writing sensational stories about her personal life and portraying her as a criminal in photos. He exaggerates the testimonies of her ex-husband, neighbors, and even her elderly mother who is dying of cancer in an intensive care hospital. With the fear-induced public thinking she is a Communist and terrorist sympathizer, Katharina receives hate mail and personal threats until she is finally driven over the edge. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
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Product Details
| UPC: | 037429173428 |
|---|---|
| Release Date: | February 25, 2003 |
| Format: | DVD |
| MPAA Rating: | PG |
| Screen: | Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV |
| Sound: | Dolby Digital Mono |
| Language: | German |
| Subtitles: | English |
| Disc Aspect Ratio: | 1.78:1 |
| Genre: | Drama |
Review
Based on the novel of the same name by Nobel prize-winning author Heinrich Böll, the political drama The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum has often been praised for its social relevancy in the decades following its original release. Not only is it an effective depiction of yellow journalism in the works, but its also an honest portrayal of the paranoid political climate of West Germany during the 1970s. Quick to deny basic democratic liberties in the interest of national security, the government labels Ludwig (Jürgen Prochnow) a terrorist when he's really just a crafty thief who left the army. Katherina's personal story is presented factually without unnecessary romanticizing, and her brief affair with Ludwig is only glimpsed at from afar. The bulk of the story concerns her transformation from dowdy housekeeper to reactionary dissident, capably handled by Angela Winkler's calm demeanor and stoic presence. At first, she barely flinches when the cops bust into her apartment, but she gradually begins to develop a resistance after bearing the constant threats, lies, and interrogation. Though heavy handed at times, The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum is a straightforward, unsentimental portrait of an innocent person's struggle against victimization by the press. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie GuideCredits
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Mario Adorf | Actor — Beizmenne |
| Heinz Bennent | Actor — Dr. Blorna |
| Dieter Laser | Actor — Werner Toetgess |
| Jürgen Prochnow | Actor — Ludwig Goetten |
| Angela Winkler | Actor — Katharina Blum |
| Hannelore Hoger | Actor — Trude Blorna |
| Rolf Becker | Actor — Hach |
| Werner Eichhorn | Actor — Konrad Beiters |
| Walter Gontermann | Actor |
| Regine Lutz | Actor — Else Woltersheim |
| Karl Heinz Vosgerau | Actor — Alois Straubleder |
| Harald Kuhlmann | Actor — Moeding |
| Volker Schlöndorff | Director |
| Margarethe von Trotta | Director |
| Volker Schlöndorff | Screenwriter |
| Margarethe von Trotta | Screenwriter |
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