Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (2000)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Tom Tykwer

Writer:

Tom Tykwer (writer)

Release Date:

12 October 2000 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Irgendwo da draußen wartet die Liebe

Plot:

Young nurse Sissi lives a secluded life, seemingly entirely devoted to her patients at Birkenhof asylum...

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Fate | Bank Vault | Loss | Self Sacrifice

Awards:

5 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Franka Potente	...	Simone 'Sissi' Schmidt
Benno Fürmann	...	Bodo Riemer
Joachim Król	...	Walter Riemer
Lars Rudolph	...	Steini
Melchior Beslon	...	Otto
Ludger Pistor	...	Werner Dürr
Christa Fast	...	Sigrun Molke
Susanne Bredehöft	...	Zewil
Gottfried Breitfuss	...	Paul
Steffen Scheumann	...	Bruno (as Steffen Schult)
Rolf Dennemann	...	Dieter
Ali Nejat-Nouei	...	Ali
Sybille J. Schedwill	...	Schwester Maria Blum (as Sybille Jacqueline Schedwill)
Peter Ender	...	Dr. Thomas Kupfer
Friederike Frerichs	...	Schwester Corinna

Also Known As:

The Princess & the Warrior (UK) (USA) (promotional title)
Der Krieger & die Kaiserin (Germany) (alternative spelling)
Der Krieger + die Kaiserin (Germany) (DVD title)
The Princess + the Warrior (International: English title)
The Princess and the Warrior (USA)
The Warrior and the Empress (International: English title) (literal title)

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing images, language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Argentina:16 | Canada:14A (video rating) | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Cornwall, England, UK

Company:

X-Filme Creative Pool

Trivia:

The literal translation of the German title is "The Warrior and the Empress". The name of the main female character, "Sissi", refers to the nickname of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary (1837-1898). There are several movies and television shows about the Empress Elisabeth, some with "Sissi' in the title.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bodo is being interviewed by the doctor in the psychiatric ward, the doctor pours a glass of mineral water for Bodo, and sets the bottle down on the desk, with the label at an angle to the camera view. In the next shot, the bottle is turned so that the label is nearly directly facing the camera view. (The water happens to be Apollinaris mineral water, which is sourced from a spring in Bad Neuenahr, Germany.)

Quotes:

Simone 'Sissi' Schmidt: I wish I could have told the man his sweat smelled tasty. I guess he'd been sucking on a peppermint drop.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Holiday (2006)

Soundtrack:

I'm Sorry

Stop Lola Stop

For me, a brilliant movie. There is so much of it, and any holes were not apparent at first viewing. But if it is not universally acclaimed, no-one is at fault. There's much magic in the hands of this director-writer. The casting is perfect; original in looks and body language, Furmann and Potente grace a modern fairy tale that says, well, something about fate, leaving the past behind, finding what you want right under your nose etc. All the old true clichés. This time, told with exquisite pace (slow), and beauty. A couple of shatteringly good scenes, well thought out, plotted and executed, all rounded out with a black humour and tender touch that keeps it CLEAR of pretension. The ending leaves a poignant, puzzled smile and an appetite for more German cinema. If you don't like this you must be a Van Damme fan.