The Edelweiss Pirates (2004)
"Edelweisspiraten" (original title)

Cologne-Ehrenfeld, November 1944. They're young, wild and rebellious, like young people anywhere and in any time. But working-class boys Karl and his younger brother Peter are Edelweiss ... See full summary »

Director:

Niko von Glasow

Writers:

Kiki von Glasow (screenplay), Niko von Glasow

Stars:

Ivan Stebunov, Bela B. Felsenheimer, Jochen Nickel

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ivan Stebunov	...	Karl Ripke
Bela B. Felsenheimer	...	Hans Steinbrück
Jochen Nickel	...	Josef Hoegen
Anna Thalbach	...	Cilly Serve
Jan Decleir	...	Ferdinand Kütter
Simon Taal	...	Peter Ripke
Jean Jülich	...	Alter Karl
Florian Wilken	...	Franz 'Bubbes' Rheinberger
Dominik Bromma	...	Günther Schwarz
Johannes Schaller	...	Barthel Schink
Pavel Metyanin	...	Adolf 'Dölfes' Schütz
Volker Röhlich	...	Roland Lorent
Svetlana Gaytan	...	Maria (as Svetlana Gajtan)
Wolfgang Michael	...	Peter Hüppeler
Susanne Bredehöft	...	Fürsorgerin

Storyline

Cologne-Ehrenfeld, November 1944. They're young, wild and rebellious, like young people anywhere and in any time. But working-class boys Karl and his younger brother Peter are Edelweiss Pirates. They oppose the Nazis, and are pursued by the Gestapo. With the escaped concentration camp prisoner Hans Steinbrück they plan acts of sabotage, until the Gestapo take them on with their full might. When they're arrested, Karl is torn between his will to survive, his feelings of responsibility, his love for his brother and his loyalty to the Edelweiss Pirates.

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Plot Keywords:

nazi | german resistance | melodrama | independent film

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Taglines:

A true story of courage and human dignity.

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Germany Switzerland Netherlands Luxembourg

Language:

German English

Release Date:

10 November 2005 (Germany)

Also Known As:

The Edelweiss Pirates

Filming Locations:

St. Petersburg, Russia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Palladio Film, Beauftragter der Bundesregierung für Angelegenheiten der Kultur und der Medien (BKM), Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min 111 min (original) 95 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Refreshing to see new history uncovered

Wartime propaganda in North America painted all Germans as evil but it seems that finally enough time has passed since the end of the war that films can explore more subtle story lines. Not all Germans were Nazis and the stories of those Germans who just tried to survive and even some who went beyond and protested the war through their dress and activities are not well known. This film does an admirable job of showing daily life amidst the ruins of Cologne in the closing months of WWII. Short of food and hope, gangs of anti Hitler-youth who call themselves 'Eidelweiss Pirates' listen to French underground jazz music and fill their days with mild acts of protest against the state. Eventually these teenage kids are drawn into the underground through personal circumstance to do their part to terminate the war in any way they can, perhaps foolishly and without forethought but with as much belief in their cause as their Hitler Youth counterparts. Truly a groundbreaking piece of film and a story that needs to be told. The film does suffer from being a bit slow moving, especially at the beginning, and the final scene is overwrought, but these are minor complaints.