The Princess and the Warrior (2000)

Young nurse Sissi lives a secluded life, seemingly entirely devoted to her patients at Birkenhof asylum. Her first encounter with ex-soldier and drifter Bodo has a lasting impact. He causes... See full summary »

Director:

Tom Tykwer

Writer:

Tom Tykwer

Stars:

Franka Potente, Benno Fürmann, Joachim Król

6 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Franka Potente	...	Sissi
Benno Fürmann	...	Bodo
Joachim Król	...	Walter
Lars Rudolph	...	Steini
Melchior Derouet	...	Otto (as Melchior Beslon)
Ludger Pistor	...	Werner
Christa Fast	...	Sigrun
Susanne Bredehöft	...	Zewil
Gottfried Breitfuss	...	Paul (as Gottfried Breitfuß)
Steffen Scheumann	...	Bruno (as Steffen Schult)
Rolf Dennemann	...	Dieter
Ali Nejat-Nouei	...	Ali
Sybille J. Schedwill	...	Maria (as Sybille Jacqueline Schedwill)
Peter Ender	...	Thomas
Friederike Frerichs	...	Corinna

Storyline

Young nurse Sissi lives a secluded life, seemingly entirely devoted to her patients at Birkenhof asylum. Her first encounter with ex-soldier and drifter Bodo has a lasting impact. He causes an accident that results in her lying under a truck, unable to breathe. While he provides life-saving first aid, mesmerized Sissi begins to wonder whether he may be the man of her dreams. But when she tracks him down weeks later her affection is rejected, as Bodo is stuck somewhere between a traumatic past and a criminal future.

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Plot Keywords:

nurse uniform | nurse outfit | caucasian | female nurse | accident | 

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Taglines:

Irgendwo da draußen wartet die Liebe

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing images, language and some sexual content

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

12 October 2000 (Germany)

Also Known As:

The Princess & the Warrior

Filming Locations:

North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$51,426, 24 June 2001, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$871,058, 25 November 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

X-Filme Creative Pool, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tom Tykwer wrote the film specifically for his then-girlfriend, Franka Potente.

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Goofs

The truck Bodo jumps on heads down the Kaiserstrasse in Wuppertal and seconds later hits Sissi coming from the opposite direction. The Kaiserstrasse is to small for a truck this size, to do a U-Turn so fast.

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Quotes

Bodo Riemer: [laying on bead, Sissi has just sniffed him] What are you doing?
Simone 'Sissi' Schmidt: You smell good.
Bodo Riemer: What planet do you come from anyway?
Simone 'Sissi' Schmidt: This one. I was born here.
Bodo Riemer: In the nuthouse? What about your parent's?
Simone 'Sissi' Schmidt: My mother died, a hairdryer fell in the tub. My father is out there.
Bodo Riemer: What do you mean?
[she motions to the mental patients outside]
Bodo Riemer: One of the loonies?

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Alternate Versions

A scene from the German version is missing in the U.S. one: Towards the end, instead of just leaving the "old Bodo" behind, we see him encountering a bus driven by Walter and then the two driving off together.

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Connections

References North by Northwest (1959)

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Soundtracks

You Can't Find Peace
Performed by Pale 3 feat. Skin

User Reviews

Tykwer's "make-or-break" is a "make", but an uneasy one.

Only a fool would expect this to be a second Run Lola Run. But unfortunately, there will be a lot of fools out there: This won't be the hit that Tykwer's former film was. And, just to say that: Run Lola Run still plays in a higher league.

But that's, of course, not to say that The Princess And The Warrior is a bad movie. Quite the contrary: there should be more films like this one. It's slow at times, yes, but to the ones with keen eyes it's meditative. It's metaphysical, in the end even surreal, it's down-to-earth, but at the same time very outlandish, it's a love story, but without the usual assets: there's no kissing, let alone sex; yes, even holding hands just occurs for a second. It's about a spiritual love, something epic, as the title suggests.

Many people won't like it; far too few people will love it. And I'm somewhere in between: It's a bold movie to make, especially in the dull (to be polite) movie scene of Germany, and a good one, too. Something refreshingly different (and wonderfully written, directed, shot and acted, I might add...). But somehow, you can't help feeling just a little disappointed after the milestone of modern film making that Tom Tykwer released two years ago.

8 out of 10.