Herr Lehmann (2003)

In October 1989, the part of the West Berlin borough of Kreuzberg called SO 36, had been largely shut off by the Wall from the rest of the city for 28 years. A lethargic sub-culture of ... See full summary »

Director:

Leander Haußmann

Writers:

Sven Regener (novel), Sven Regener (screenplay)

Stars:

Christian Ulmen, Detlev Buck, Katja Danowski

4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christian Ulmen	...	Herr Lehmann
Detlev Buck	...	Karl
Katja Danowski	...	Katrin
Janek Rieke	...	Kristall-Rainer
Annika Kuhl	...	Heidi
Hartmut Lange	...	Erwin
Martin Olbertz	...	Marco
Uwe Dag Berlin	...	Jürgen (as Uwe-Dag Berlin)
Michael Beck	...	Klaus
Michael Gwisdek	...	Der Trinker
Stephan Baumecker	...	Kiffer
Tim Fischer	...	Sylvio
Karsten Speck	...	Die Lederuschi
Margit Bendokat	...	Mutter Lehmann
Johann Adam Oest	...	Vater Lehmann (as Adam Oest)

Storyline

In October 1989, the part of the West Berlin borough of Kreuzberg called SO 36, had been largely shut off by the Wall from the rest of the city for 28 years. A lethargic sub-culture of students, artists, bohemians and barflys had flourished among crumbling buildings. Part of that microcosm is barkeeper Frank, semi-formally called 'Herr Lehmann' by friends and patrons. He hangs out drinking, sports utter disregard for anything beyond SO 36 and lazily pursues an affair with cook Katrin. His lifestyle is gradually disturbed, when his parents show up for a visit, things go awry with Katrin and his best friend Karl starts to act strange. Meanwhile, political turmoil mounts on the other side of the Wall.

---

Plot Keywords:

best friend | artist | fantasy sequence | german reunification | female nudity | 

---

Taglines:

Bis denn, dann...

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site [de]

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

2 October 2003 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Berlin Blues

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

€6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Boje Buck Produktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christian Ulmen had to go to nine casting sessions before landing the role of Lehmann.

---

Goofs

The position of the dog in the whisky scene changes without visible moving of the dog.

---

Crazy Credits

Before the soundtrack, the following can be found: "Alle Tiere im Film arbeiteten ohne Alkohol oder sonstige Drogen und freiwillig mit." [All animals in this film have been working without alcohol or other drugs and on voluntary basis.]

---

Connections

References Sun Alley (1999)

---

Soundtracks

"Across the Universe"
Performed by Laibach

User Reviews

One of the best German movies ever

Of course you can't really compare Herr Lehmann to dramatic history reenactments like Der Untergang.

But Herr Lehman is so full of comedy, but also full of authenticism and a plot not devoid of drama. It's dialogues are outstanding, but then the book the film is based on was exceptional to begin with. And the best thing is, if you like the movie, you will like the books. Sven Regener managed to show his talent in storytelling and humour in both art forms, book and movie. The connections he makes, the way he connects what actually happens to Frank Lehmann's thoughts is the best use of basic rhetoric means I ever saw. He doesn't use the "rhetoric artillery" so to speak, but achieves literary greatness nevertheless.

The acting is on par with the quality of the script though. Even if I didn't expect Christian Ulmen to do any good acting ever, he produced the perfect rendition of the lazy, slightly hedonistic, disoriented Herr Lehmann. Detlev Buck is outstanding as well, as is nearly everybody in the supporting cast.

10/10 for humour, artistic style, acting, all that while staying serious.