Heimat - Eine Chronik in elf Teilen 

The village of Schabbach experiences the shifting fortunes of Germany from 1919 to 1982.

Stars:

Marita Breuer, Rüdiger Weigang, Kurt Wagner

5 wins.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Marita Breuer	...	Maria 11 episodes, 1984
Rüdiger Weigang	...	Eduard 10 episodes, 1984
Kurt Wagner	...	Glasisch / ... 10 episodes, 1984
Gertrud Bredel	...	Katharina 9 episodes, 1984
Karin Rasenack	...	Lucie 8 episodes, 1984
Willi Burger	...	Mathias 8 episodes, 1984
Johannes Lobewein	...	Wiegand / ... 8 episodes, 1984
Johannes Metzdorf	...	Pieritz 7 episodes, 1984
Hans-Jürgen Schatz	...	Wilfried / ... 7 episodes, 1984
Eva Maria Schneider	...	Marie-Goot 7 episodes, 1984
Arno Lang	...	Robert Kröber / ... 7 episodes, 1984
Sabine Wagner	...	Martha 6 episodes, 1984
Eva Maria Bayerwaltes	...	Pauline 6 episodes, 1984
Helga Bender	...	Martina 6 episodes, 1984
Alexander Scholz	...	Hänschen 6 episodes, 1984
Jörg Hube	...	Otto / ... 5 episodes, 1984
Otto Henn	...	Glockzieh 5 episodes, 1984
Manfred Kuhn	...	Wirt 5 episodes, 1984

Storyline

The series (11 episodes) tells the story of the village Schabbach, on the Hunsrueck in Germany through the years 1919-1982. Central person is Maria, who we see growing from a 17 year old girl to an old woman, and her family. The family, like the rest of the German people live through the crises after WW-I, the rise and fall of Nazism and WW-II, and the rebuilding and the following prosperity of the village (as a symbol for the whole country) after WW II.

---

Plot Keywords:

village | multi generational | three generations | aging | provincial life | 

---

Genres:

Drama | History | War

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Edgar Reitz, the word "Heimat" should never be confused with "nation". It's not any kind of politically definable space. It is a maternal space, it's not the fatherland, but the motherland.

---

Goofs

In the narration at the beginning of "Das Fest der Lebenden und der Toten" we are told that Pauline died in 1979. However on the family tree the date is listed as 1975. This is confirmed when Hermann visits the grave and the date on the tombstone is 1975.

---

Connections

References Magda (1938)

User Reviews

Simply superb

What can one say? This is what (television) drama should be. I saw the first Heimat when it was broadcast in the Netherlands in 1985, shortly after it was released in Germany. I was stunned. It seems that every decade one or two television productions excel, and this was without a shred of a doubt the eighties' highlight. When the second Heimat was shown on Dutch television in two marathon sessions (it runs for over 25 hours in all) I sort of locked myself in, and never regretted it.

I cannot begin to describe what Heimat is about. It's an epos. It's European history of the twentieth century on a small scale, literally. It's 'roman fleuve' and yet it's not. It's your family, that sometimes you wished wasn't there (and for good reasons) and then you're glad to meet again. It's all the human frailty and without the excuses. It *is* the human condition. And it only helps that it is beautifully shot, that the actors put on a superb show, that the music at times is haunting.

Now, on the verge of having the third series shown on TV, the first Heimat is finally available on DVD (with the other two series promised for the next few months). And although I saw most of it about twenty years ago, it is like coming home again and meeting your boyhood friends, those favourite aunts, that dear old uncle - what was wrong with him, again?

If you are looking for action, a thrilling plot, romance in a grand manner, wonderful CGI, and be done before dinner, don't look at Heimat. But if your willing to submerge yourself, to be engulfed by a very good story, to get really, I mean really, well acquainted with characters - well, I'm not in for commercial breaks, but go out and get it!

Details

Official Sites:

Edgar Reitz Filmproduktion GmbH (german) [Germany]

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German English French

Release Date:

31 March 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Heimat

Filming Locations:

Bundenbach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM13,400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edgar Reitz Film (ERF), Sender Freies Berlin (SFB), Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

924 min 90 min (11 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1