Germany just before the Wall that was to physically divide East and West for nearly 3 decades. Thousands are fleeing the East German system to the West. Particularly young people who feel oppressed and stifled by the Communist way of life are tempted to start over in the West. - The young cinema idol Hardy Kruger plays the East German dreamer who first helps a girl escape to the West, then falls in love with and marries her. His ultimate dream is to buy the run down bar where he had secretly been moonlighting for some time. Although his employer is ready to retire and sympathetic to the young couple, this lofty dream seems difficult enough to realize, if not unreachable. - There are several memorable scenes in this beautiful piece of Historical Cinema, but the repeated marriage proposal stands out. Kruger recalls repeatedly what his grandfather used to tell him: The Devil always craps on the biggest pile. That may be true, but so is this saying: The best things in life are free. - This film is a romantic look back at a time in German History where a nation emerged from the rubble of WWII, but hard work for modest gains in comfort and status would stretch for many years. The Wirtschaftswunder didn't come over-night, and neither did middle class comforts. These are definitely the struggling years, but for young couples who had each other, they were still the best years of their lives.
Review of Zwei unter Millionen
Zwei unter Millionen
(1961)
Search for happiness in the Western Sector of a Divided Germany
1 March 2017