Ich war neuenzehn
FIlmed in 1968. Directed by Konrad Wolf, East Germany
FIlmed in 1968. Directed by Konrad Wolf, East Germany
Based on director Konrad Wolf’s war diary and set In the
last days of World War II. The
protagonist, Gregor Hecker, is a 19 Year old Communist German serving with the
Soviet forces and is returning to his homeland. He last saw Germany, when he left as an 8 year old and
emigrating to Moscow
with his Communist. Although born in Köln,
he considers Moscow,
where his mother lives, home. He serves
in a propaganda company with his friend Sasha and Chingis the driver. His weapon is a loudspeaker truck.
Together they try to persuade , with little success, Wehrmacht soldiers to
surrender.
He is at home amongst the Soviets, however during the film he
meets his fellow countrymen and tries to understand how the Germans could have
allowed the National Socialist regime to exist. Instead of a single type of
German he finds that Germany
is made up of those that supported National Socialism, those that suffered
under National Socialism, those that have suffered from the war, Socialist
resistance fighters, ordinary soldiers who did as they were told and fanatical
Nazis that want to fight to the last bullet.
His odyssey begins in
Bernau, where he unexpectedly becomes “Town Commandant”, he acts as negotiator
for the surrender of the Spandau Festung, via Sachsenhausen Concentration camp,
then to Sanscouci and arrives at a farmhouse on the last days of the conflict,
where he is trying to persuade the fleeing columns of Wehrmacht soldiers to
surrender. Here Gregor is forced to defend the farm from the fleeing SS who
open fire on him, killing Sasha. Gregor fights side by side with a Wehrmacht
soldier to defend the farm house. Gregor swears to hunt down the SS and
promises to build a new Germany
where the SS will have no home.
