Customer Reviews

Christiane F ( Christiane F. - Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zo ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Australia ]

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

this movie is a must to see HOWEVER if possible PLEASE try to obtain the UK version so that you can watch this in german with English subtitles.IT REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE and the US version is also cut a little here and there. I have watched both version of this movie and the english overdubs are horrible. I fell for Natja Brunckhorst in a big way in this movie. THIS IS A MUST to see-check it out

This is a gritty movie about one girl's experience in the Berlin underage prostitution/drug scene of the 70's. This is no glamorized Hollywood movie with mid-twenty year old actors as teens.

This is a depressing movie, although ultimately it has a good ending, at least for Christiane.

I read the 5-star book years and years ago, and after buying the DVD a few months back, I wanted to re-read the book as it has much more detail, and more cycles of getting clean and relapsing than shown in the movie. The book is out of print (natch!), but it is worth checking out used-book stores for it.

The DVD has no extras at all, and as noted by others, no subtitles - you get it in original German, or second-rate dubbed English. I watch it both ways - German for the emotion, English for understanding.

Still, highly recommended for a change from the Hollywood usual. Much David Bowie in the soundtrack.

If you are interested in the substance abuse genre, this movie is the most realistic, powerful, and disturbing I've seen. Compare this to the likes of "Days of Wine and Roses", "The Man With the Golden Arm" and "28 Days", and the others all seem lame and glossed over. The only film that I thought came close to the level of realism of "Chrstiane F." was "Panic in Needle Park".

This film takes you to the horrifying depths of heroin addiction, as excruciatingly experienced by a German teenager and her "friends". Based on a true story from the 1970's Berlin drug scene, the title character is from a dysfuntional family who eventually falls into the grips of heroin addiction and prostitution by age 14. Great soundtrack, with Bowie (I especially liked the version of Heroes that is sung partly in German), great depiction of the 70's club scene in Berlin, which was rampant with drug use. Even though in color, has the gritty feel of a noir. The film also captures dead-on the desperation of addiction, and how the addicts life becomes all about the next shot. The film also does a great job of conveying the depravity and desolation of the Berlin Zoo train station, a haven for prostitues and addicts at the time.

Based on a book of the same name (unfortunately, last I checked, the book was out of print), the movie of course does not go into as much detail (what movie based on a book does?) but nonetheless, this is a brutal, accurate portrait of the ravages of drug use.

Two things, if you can find the book, buy it. The book was riveting and goes into much greater depth of the girls family background, and her early drug use pre-heroin addiction. Also the movie condenses her many "cold turkey" episodes into one or two instances, and the true horror of her withdrawals are much more graphic and real in the book.

Secondly, I would have given this 5 stars if the movie were subtitled instead of dubbed. It takes a lot away from the film, and I would recommend waiting until it is released (hopefully) in German with subtitles. I was fortunate enough to have seen the film in the theatre in German with subtitles, and it made a big difference.

A classic movie of this genre, a must see, even with the dubbing!

It's surprising to me that more American cinema buffs have not seen "Christiane F.". Directed by noted auteur Uli Edel who went on to direct the simarilarily themed "Last Exit to Brooklyn", "Christiane F" brings the working class teen world of 1970's Berlin vividly to life.

Following the book "Christiane F" very closely, the film shows us the downward spiral of a 13 year old heroin addict played by Nadja Brunckhorst. The young actress does a wonderful job, physically deteriorating through out the story. She's in every single scene in the movie, and it's quite surprising that such a young actress who could carry an entire film did so little work in her later career.

David Bowie's music is used to wonderful effect to underscore the hopelessness of these young junkies lives. His late 70's instrumental works with Brian Eno add greatly to the emotional impact of "Christiane F". Only the concert scene where Bowie performs "Station to Station" appears slightly gratuitous; at least, Christiane making direct eye contact with Bowie is a bit out of place in this otherwise uber-realistic film.

The scenes of shooting up in filthy subway bathrooms will probably make many viewers uncomfortable with their uncompromising realism. So too, the graphic depictions of young teens selling themselves for sex to desperately lonely middle-aged Berliners. The withdrawal scene when Detlef & Christiane try to kick heroin together is a brutal sequence, but absolutely realistic.

If a film such as "Last Exit to Brooklyn" is your cup of tea, you shouldn't miss "Christiane F." If graphic depictions of shooting up heroin make you squeamish, you may want to give this film a miss; it will be your loss however, because this film is a gem that any true cinemiste should see.

Christiane F. is one of the best films about the damaging effects of drugs. It's much better than Requiem for a Dream, which failed because of its preteniousness, although I loved the novel.
Christiane F. definitely deglamourizes the drug image, showing the character's standards lower throughout the picture. First the girl makes a point of saying she would never try drugs. Not only does she do so in a few days but the following year she is addicted to heroin. But I found it amusing that she went to prostitution before she went so low as to sell her David Bowie albums on the street. (Bowie is the Elvis of Glam Rock. His soundtrack definitely works with this movie.)
Yes the dubbing is awful but even the viewer forgets this after a while as you're caught up in the picture.

Christiane F was a film I first saw many years ago because I was a big fan of David Bowie and I knew of the concert footage contained in the movie. But what a surprise when the movie upstaged everything else. Christiane F. is one horrifying film because it not only explores the drug and prostitution culture of Berlin's Zoo Station but it relentlessly takes you along for the ride. It is the story of a seemingly average young girl (around 14 years old) who battles the turmoil of a recently broken home. Before long her escapism into music and the night scene turns, slowly but surely, into heroin addiction and, naturally, prostitution to feed her endless craving. Some films grow milder by current standards but not this one. Before it is over you will have witnessed depravity and desparation beyond one's normal scope: spiking over filthy toilets, lots of vomiting, death caused by "hot" dosages, a young girl submitting to sado-masicism etc. The only drawback to this otherwise outstanding film is the English dubbing; the voices have an almost obnoxious Mid-Atlantic twang (no offense to all you East Coasters) and it diminishes a bit on the European flavor. Hopefully the DVD will have offer subtitles. The other thing is the Bowie concert footage (it covers his "Berlin Trilogy" music--"Low", "Heroes" and "Lodger") and it helpts to be a fan because it does absorb a lot of the film's beginning. However, if you can put aside these minor "flaws" it is a movie that should be watched.

This is a GREAT FILM!!! So why did they fail to add subtitles to the Region 1 DVD (maybe another Region has English subtitles?) What a shame, because the English dubbing is serviceable, but not great. Dubbing is always generally going to be inferior to subtitles, though both options should be available. The DVD only has the original German language (no subs) and English (dubbed. The film deserves a 5 out of 5, but the DVD gets a 2 for lack of subtitles. And for lack of any background info on the movie or the true story it is based on. It was based on the "Stern" book, "Christiane F. - wir kinder vom bahnhof zoo", transcripted and edited from tape recordings by Kai Hermann & Horst Rieck. There should have been an effort to give more background extras since this film is a GREAT German film, a standout, and I would have loved to have seen more on it. But I can't recommend the DVD - I would wait for a re-issue WITH SUBTITLES.

The good: the movie itself. Dark, depressing, gripping and well-done movie about teenage heroin addicts in late-'70s Berlin, based on the autobiography of the real-life Christiane F. Amazing performances from a cast that, believe it or not, were mostly non-actors, and a truly magnificent job of showing the horrors of addiction. Not to mention it's a priceless time capsule and period piece of Berlin during that time.

The bad: the DVD release, at least the Region 1 American version. A previous reviewer was on the mark in calling this "bare-bones." No director commentary, no special features, no updates on where the cast and/or the real-life people this film is based on are now, and not even subtitles. There is literally NOTHING on this DVD except for the original movie itself in German and an option to watch it in a truly awful English-language dub. If the dubbed English dialogue was the actual dialogue of a film, that film would rank up there with "From Justin to Kelly" or Vanilla Ice's "Cool as Ice" as one of the most moronic films of all time.

5 stars for the movie, 1 star for the DVD, for an average of 3 stars total.

I saw this movie when I was 15 and I credit it as the sole reason I avoided hard drugs. Like any teenager, I was curious about drugs, but after seeing this film, I swore I never wanted that pathetic lifestyle. How happy I was to see that it was in DVD format and I could watch it again. The movie still brought back all the feelings that it did then - shock, tension, sadness, etc. - but I really, really wish that it had subtitles. The dubbing was horrible and it really does take away from the emotion of the film. I'd still recommend it to others - but I hope that they release a version with subtitles instead. That is my only complaint.

The actors are amazing - it is hard to believe that some of them were not professionals. The script is based on the real life exploits of a young heroin addict and her friends in 1970's Berlin. Expect to see the usual overdosing, drama, prostitution, dishonesty and death that you see in other drug films such as "Requiem For A Dream". But what makes this one different is the feeling of the relationships that people form when on drugs. It felt very real and not phony at all.

The scene where the junkie jumps down into the toilet and steals Christiane's drug-filled needle, then shoots himself up in the neck is truly creepy.

Apparently, years later, the real Christiane struggled with drugs again but has now found happiness as a single parent.

When the Region 2 version (UK) of this film became available two years ago, I jumped at it, knowing that I had set my old computer DVD player to region 2. Now that I've found that the American release is slightly shortened and is only dubbed, I'm thankful that I ordered my copy from amazon.co.uk! The UK version is in the original German and has excellent subtitles...

If you have a region 2 player, I'd suggest visiting amazon's sister site... My five stars relates to the UK release...