Angry Harvest (1985)
"Bittere Ernte" (original title)

In the winter of 1942-43, a Jewish family leaps from a train going through Silesia. They are separated in the woods, and Leon, a local peasant who's now a farmer of some wealth, discovers ... See full summary »

Director:

Agnieszka Holland

Writers:

Hermann H. Field (novel), Stanislaw Mierzenski (novel),

Stars:

Armin Mueller-Stahl, Elisabeth Trissenaar, Wojciech Pszoniak

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Leon Wolny
Elisabeth Trissenaar	...	Rosa Eckart
Wojciech Pszoniak	...	Cybulkowski
Gerd Baltus	...	Geistlicher
Anita Höfer	...	Pauline
Hans Beerhenke	...	Kaspar
Käte Jaenicke	...	Anna
Isa Haller	...	Magda / Zosia
Margit Carstensen	...	Eugenia
Kurt Raab	...	Maslanka
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Klaus Abramowsky	...	Herr Rubin
Wolf Donner	...	Walden
Malgorzata Gebel	...	Frau Rubin
Heidi Joschko	...	Alte Frau
Tilly Lauenstein	...	Frau Kaminska

Storyline

In the winter of 1942-43, a Jewish family leaps from a train going through Silesia. They are separated in the woods, and Leon, a local peasant who's now a farmer of some wealth, discovers the woman, Rosa, and hides her in his cellar. Leon's a middle-aged Catholic bachelor, tormented by his sexual drive. He doesn't tell Rosa he's seen signs her husband is alive, and he begs her to love him. Rosa offers herself to Leon if he'll help a local Jew in hiding who needs money. Leon pays, and love between Rosa and him does develop, but then Leon's peasant subservience and his limited empathy lead to tragedy. At the war's end, a ray of sunshine comes from an unexpected place.

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Plot Keywords:

love | hiding | woods | jew | cellar | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

March 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Angry Harvest

Company Credits

Production Co:

Admiral, Central Cinema Company Film (CCC), Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

User Reviews

strong but uneven drama

The ambiguous morals of a poor farmer in occupied Poland lead to despair after he shelters an attractive Jewish refugee in his cellar during World War II. The initial act of kindness quickly degenerates into a masochistic tug-of-war: the farmer's infatuation soon gives way to sexual obsession, and the captive runaway is forced to accept his twisted affection to avoid being exposed. The script is strong, the performances are excellent (in particular Armin Müller-Stahl as the repressed Catholic peasant); but the total effect is curiously uneven, as if a powerful drama, handled with perhaps too much detachment, got lost somewhere in translation.