Watch Gripsholm For Free

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

"Gripsholm" is a Swiss/German/Austrian co-production directed by Xavier Koller back in 2000, so about a decade after his Oscar-winning movie and it is not surprising that this one here was submitted by Switzerland too for the Oscars, but did not get in this time. The cast includes many actors that are still well known in Germany today like Noethen, Makatsch, Tabatabai, Wessely, Krause and even Inger Nilsson who played Pippi Longstockings/Langstrumpf during her childhood days. The movie runs for 100 minutes approximately and as you may not have guessed from the title immediately unless you are an expert takes us into the later years of Berlin-born writer Kurt Tucholsky during the time when he struggled with the Nazis' rise and censorship of his works. Noethen does a pretty good job with the character and acting-wise it is a solid work from basically everybody involved. The slight struggles I had with script and story are not too serious in my opinion and it is easy to enjoy the movie from most perspectives. Koller's experience clearly shows and the one who adapted the original writings by Tucholsky about his life here I think is Stefan Kolditz who has been writing scripts since the 1980s, so he is experienced too. Some may criticize that the film at times may lose itself a bit too much in the romance parts, but I did not mind that and I don't know how much it fits and how accurate it was for Tucholsky's actual life. But if it was, then it's okay to be included like that, especially as these moments also do not feel too unrealistic or even cheesy. It's true that we today see the Nazi references as dominating for that time, but this does not have to mean that it really was like that back then. The pursuit of individual happiness away from politics is an aspect that may have been true for Tucholsky as it was for us and that's why they can include it that way. Visually, in terms of landscapes, sets and costumes and not special effects, this is a convincing work too and I enjoyed the watch here for sure. A pretty good period piece with sufficient, though not defining political references. I give these slightly over 1.5 hours certainly a thumbs-up and recommend checking them out, especially if you like Noethen and maybe other cast members, like Krause in my very personal case. Watch this one. You will most likely not be disappointed.

The director did a terrific job of pulling together a romance from the elements of the writer's life and his autobiography. The result is an enjoyable and intriguing story of romance and friendships set in 1932 as the Nazi's were gaining power. Heike Makatsch is justifiably becoming popular in Germany this year (2002) and I hope she comes to the American screen.

The film goes beyond Tucholsky's light autobiographic Novel by picturing the process of Nazi takeover and its effect on the intellectual and artist community. Writer and journalist Kurt Tucholsky is trying to evade the growing political and legal pressure aimed against his pacifist activism by taking some vacation together with his girlfriend Lydia. Together they spend some happy days in Gripsholm Castle, Sweden. Although a visit by his old pal Karl who has turned into a Nazi admirer temporarily reminds him of the unpleasant changes that take place back home, he finds distraction in comfy country life, in caring for an unfortunate runaway child and erotic adventures together with Lydia and Billie, a Berlin variété singer. Ultimately his attempt to evade reality lead into exile and isolation. Although quite conventional and ultimately predictable in its making, the film succeeds in depicting the dilemma of German intellectuals in exile. A beautiful soundtrack and excellent acting are additional assets.