The Second Awakening of Christa Klages (1978)

Three people rob a bank to help a day care center that's in debt. Wolf is captured, Werner identified, police suspect Christa is the third. She and Werner ask Hans, a clergyman, to launder ... See full summary »

Director:

Margarethe von Trotta

Writers:

Margarethe von Trotta, Luisa Francia

Stars:

Tina Engel, Silvia Reize, Katharina Thalbach

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tina Engel	...	Christa Klages
Silvia Reize	...	Ingrid Häkele (as Sylvia Reize)
Katharina Thalbach	...	Lena Seidlhofer
Marius Müller-Westernhagen	...	Werner Wiedemann
Peter Schneider	...	Hans Grawe
Ulrich von Dobschütz	...	Heinz, Ingrids Ehemann (as Ulrich v. Dobschütz)
Erika Wackernagel	...	Mutter von Hans
Friedrich Kaiser	...	Wolfgang
Achim Krausz	...	Bankdirector
Fritz Ley	...	Alter Mann aus Riga
Gertrud Thomele	...	Mutter von Christa
Rosa Sämmer	...	Hausmeisterin
Margit Czenki	...	Reingard, Kindergärtnerin (as Margit Czenky)
Peter Koj	...	Erich, Bruder von Hans
Hildegard Linden	...	Frau im Zug

Storyline

Three people rob a bank to help a day care center that's in debt. Wolf is captured, Werner identified, police suspect Christa is the third. She and Werner ask Hans, a clergyman, to launder the money and give it to the kindergarten. He refuses. They try Ingrid, Christa's friend, who tries to help, but the school rejects the money. When tragedy strikes Werner, Hans helps Christa bolt to a collective in Portugal. Ingrid visits her; their relationship makes the collective nervous, so she returns to Germany and ceases living in hiding. The police are still looking for her and so is a witness to the robbery, Lena, a bank clerk. Lena's interest brings Christa's second awakening.

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Plot Keywords:

police | f rated | new german cinema | stockholm syndrome | arrest | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

14 April 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Second Awakening of Christa Klages

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bioskop Film,Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Die Neugier immer weiter treiben (1995)

User Reviews

yay

Just how worth it is committing a crime for short term gain? Done with the best intentions, Christa Klages eventually finds that short term gains lead to devastating long term losses. A crime is still a crime regardless of pure intentions, as usually an attempt to unvictimize certain people in this way finds others being victimized. Christa and her associates are complex characters, that despite the pure honest goodness they exhibit, they still somehow had it in them to commit a powerful robbery. The camera-work is subtle but the interesting locations and angles from which the film is shot are stunning and vibrant.

At the end, we're not quite sure what to think. She's let off for her crimes but we will never know if she has ever truly learned her lesson or understands the complications that arises from a crime such as this. My first von Trotta and probably the first of many.