Customer Reviews

Kameradschaft [VHS]

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

 

 

This fascinating German/French production is based on a true story when German miners came to the rescue of French miners after an explosion in 1906 (1,200 miners were killed). It's filmed from the point of view of German socialism, but greater than its political message (the title means "comradeship") is the craftsmanship of the picture itself: the realism of the dark, dusty mineshaft and the people who work in them are magnificently portrayed. The photography is brilliant.

To get to the trapped French miners, the Germans must break down a gate constructed by the French deep underground marking the boundary between the two countries. Later, after the French and German miners have declared a friendship for each other ("we are all miners"), the French officials rebuild the gate. The irony and sadness of that act is clear - perhaps even more for us today now that the Berlin Wall has come down. Pabst is honest in his hope for a peaceful future. It's a great movie - a technical masterpiece.

It's the old story about miners without borders, but played with a subtle understatement and eventually a heroic balls to the wall "breaking free" charge that produces real exhilaration. When you're watching it, see if you can turn off the subtitles for otherwise how will you appreciate the film's extraordinary verbal textures, with half of the characters speaking French, the other German, sort of an aural metaphor for the Tower of Babel theme Pabst sets up early on. It's almost as though the masters have dictated that none of us speak the other guy's language, for if we did, we'd realize solidarity and overthrow the big boys.

Speaking of big boys, Pabst provides acres of kameradschaft in more ways than one in the famous underground shower scene, about half an hour into the movie for all you pervs who want to skip right to the "good parts." This extended scene sets up the "I am Spartacus" scene in which one by one, the German miners who hear about their French counterparts' trouble break ranks and try to help their fellow man. What's astonishing for the period is that they do so naked. What a way to stage a debate, the German actors stripped down to nothing and scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing and debating as streams of glistening water carve their bodies into moving statuary. Though the actors' genitals are carefully tucked away from the camera's eye, and we're talking dozens of them, all else is animated, alluring and vigorous. I wonder if Busby Berkeley saw this film and stole some of Pabst's peekaboo camerawork. Anyway if you're bored with your Dieux de Stade tapes and want a little political commitment (and a storyline) go for KAMERADSCHAFT.

Even though this German/French production is loosely based on the famous 1906 Courrieres mine disaster in which 1,099 miners died, the film also reminded me a lot of Emile Zola's masterpiece "Germinal" which I've read countless times. I cannot recommend that novel enough. It changed my life.

The large mine in this film is divided by the border of Germany and France. They even have a brick wall underneath to mark the divide. Early one morning there's a massive explosion on the French side and an unknown number of miners are trapped or dying down in the rubble. After hearing this news the German miners ignore all political and national differences and race across the border to help their fallen brothers. Some of the miners that are already in the pit on the German side break through the border wall to go help with the rescue efforts.

The peace and love message of the film might be overly simplistic, but the technical aspect of this early sound film is very impressive. Especially the realism of the explosion and the misery the survivors went through. I don't know how Pabst managed to get such realistic footage, but I would love to find out. Criterion should release a remastered Blu-Ray with an special feature on how this film was made. Was this movie all filmed on sets or did they actually film it in a mine?

If you can find a copy I recommended it, but still this film pales in comparison to Claude Berri's 1993 adaptation of "Germinal".

I, frankly, had never heard of this movie prior to seeing it on the TCM schedule. The synopsis sounded interesting so I took a chance. What I saw was a movie in Fench and German (depending on who was talking) about a mining crisis on the Franco-German border. The event takes places between the wars which was probably not a phrase in use at the time since the movie pre-dates WWII. Anyone familiar with European history from 1850-1950 knows that France and Germany were bitter enemies throughout the period. If you're not aware of that, you'll get some idea of that in the opening sequences. We are also reminded of the impoverished times that was affecting both countries. With this background, we also see problems developing underground in the mines. A fire has been burning and it threatens the safety on the French side. Obviously, we sense, a disaster is about to break. When it does, some minors from the German side offer their help. That's pretty much the plot of the movie and I'm not giving anything away because the beauty of the film lies in the reactions of the minors. There is an uncomfortable sense of the right thing to do that is coupled with rational arguments for looking out for yourself. Even when the right decision is made, the other side has a hard time understanding what is happening. In the end we are treated to a sort of "Workers of the world unite" gathering. This, too, was a sign of the times since Socialism and Communism were growing political forces in Europe. However, I let the politics be and understood the celebration to be about the discovery that these men had a common equality that ancestoral animosities could not overpower. The director, G W Pabst, may have been reaching further but I'm content with my understanding of the movie. I had heard of Pabst before but I think this movie is the first of his I've seen. I'll be more than willing to view more of his work after seeing "Kameradschaft". I may have rated it a star too high but I really felt that it was a meaningful statement, made with sincerity and eloquence. Watch it and judge for yourself.

THIS TRUE STORY LEAVES A FINE WARM FEELING ABOUT MAN SETTING ASIDE NATIONAL DIFFERENCES TO HELP HIS FELLOW MAN. ENGROSSING WITHOUT BEING THE LEAST BIT PREACHY. WAS THERE EVER A MINING MOVIE THAT WASN'T EXCEPTIONAL?