A Love In Germany
. by Eleemor M alin
There is a technique in sketching where
you place the pen on the page and make a
dot. then relate the rest of the drawing to the
d o t So many Polish and German films are
stories placed in relationship to World War II.
That event was such an enormous dot.
historically speaking, that it changed every
thing irretrievably, and left a huge legacy of
ideas and attitudes to explore.
World War II has been grinding relentlessly
on for some time in the Polish film, A Love in
Germany. The characters in the story have
had their lives put on hold as far as any nor
mal course of events. Hannah Schuygulla,
one of the most competent actresses work
ing anywhere, plays a hausfrau who must
take over the little family grocery store while
her husband is away at war. She has the
added burden of being a single parent to their
young son, from whose retrospective view
point the story unfolds.
She uses a neighboring couple’s slave
laborer to help her load produce crates when
he’s not busy working for them. He’s a 17-
year-old Polish hunk, comparing most favor
ably to her chubby, middle-aged husband,
who isn’t even around. Soon the young man
is hauling more than crates.
The prisoner, Stani, is supposed to be
locked up at night, but is allowed to sleep in
the barn, which makes it easy for him to get
out to see his mistress.
It isn’t just that she is married — their rela
tionship is officially verboten. Sexual
relations with someone of an inferior race is a
crime against the state, ranking on the level of
sex with animals (also a crime against the
state).
It is the case that neighbors in the small
town would sooner or later guess the ro
mantic involvement of these two, simply by
applying the laws of probability. But the
woman and her young man make a public
spectacle of themselves. She waits for a quiet
moment to order condoms, but by the time
she has ordered everything else she can think
of, a crowd has gathered. On the way out, she
drops the condoms in front of German sol
diers. Another time, she keeps customers
waiting while she goes to the back of her
shop to stack crates with Stani. She goes to
the neighbor in the evening to borrow Stani
to help her carry more crates. It’s a tiny little
store. How many crates can there be? The
husband gives permission for Stani to help
her. His wife chides him. “Are you blind, or are
you just being kind?" she asks him. They are
breaking the law by allowing him to sleep in
the bam, and allowing him to carry on with
this affair is a serious crime.
The whole scenario is shored up by the
most delicate of supports — the goodwill of
friends and neighbors. As the affair rages
along, jealousy and fear begin to erode that
delicate framework.
A German soldier comes home on leave to
visit his young wife, who lives across from the
store. This young woman envies Schuygulla
for her young lover, who’s handsome, hearty.
and always around. She sees how prosper
ous Schuygulla is becoming and would love
to get the store. She is aching to turn in
Schuygulla, but promises her husband she
won’t
Schuygulla’s best friend receives a notice
from the front that her fiance has been killed
on the Eastern front She is furious at Schuy
gulla for carrying on with the Pole, and not
playing the long-suffering soldier's sweet
heart as the other women do. She thinks
Schuygulla should go visit her husband, who
is soon to be shipped to the Eastern front
(one m ight read this as “ soon to be shipped
home in a bag.’’) Schuygulla, her guilt button
finally adequately depressed, goes to tell
Stani she is breaking off the affair and going
to see her husband. This happens during a
thunderstorm and lighting strikes (this is the
economic restrictions, but ignores those
bonds entirely (buys and sells without ration
cards). Soldiers everywhere underscore the
bondage shared by all who live in the town,
civilians and prisoners alike. And last but not
least friends and neighbors apply the unspo
ken, but unsubtle, pressures passed from
one herd animal to another.
Men and women are not the only species
to exert influence over mating and reproduc
tion, yet that influence remains secondary to
the bond formed through successful lust
This woman is in her childbearing years, and
this young political prisoner is in his prime.
They obey their carnal impulses for those
impulses serve a more fundamental part of
the underlying need, that of survival. Though
they use condoms, (as thinking beings,
humans are able to mix their metaphors), still
“Those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it"
— George Santayana
movies). The horses are frightened and tram
ple the young man. The next day, on her way
to the train, Schuygulla hears that Stani has
been taken to a hospital, and detours there to
visit him. She plasters herself on him and has
to be bodily dragged off. Up to now, the
balance m ight have gone either way, but now
she has cast the die. Even though hospital
officials do not order her arrest, or even ask
her name, the incident is too scandalous to
go unnoticed, and they hear about it back at
home.
Schuygulla’s best friend tells a German
officer about the affair. Out of deference to a
fellow soldier, the officer tries to help Schuy
gulla. He arrests the Pole, and tries to get
Schuygulla to recant her sins. She stubbornly
refuses, asking the record to read that she
seduced the young man — not only that —
she’s not sorry.
The officer takes another tack, deciding to
try to pass off the Pole as an Aryan. The officer
and his aide administer the test themselves.
This is the funniest scene in the film. Their
bum bling efforts, on top of the ludicrous pre
mise, are so hilarious even the prisoner has to
laugh. At one point, the aide flaps open a case
filled with ceramic eyeballs, used to gauge
eye color. The prisoner’s eyes are blue (C-3),
and this, along with a couple of other physical
characteristics are close enough for them to
offer him official Aryanhood. He refuses the
offer (it’s a Polish movie). Although he had
been able to make peace with his enslave
ment (it really hadn’t been all that bad), he
signs his own death warrant by his refusal.
This movie is about bondage and lust
Schuygulla is aware of, but inconsistent in
her fulfillm ent of her bonds. She is married,
but flamboyantly unfaithful. She has a son,
and is a good mother, but the boy feels
neglected because of his mother’s extrava
gant feelings for her lover. She is bound by
the strength of the mating urge is based on
survival of the species. Even making sex with
unacceptable persons a capital crime won't
change people’s behavior when it’s their turn.
Taken in the largest sense, the whole war
was one people’s approach to survival. Hitler
was able to convince his constituency that it
was best to define the species in the nar
rowest of terms — eye color, hair color, skull
measurement The greater good to the
German master race was to enslave and
eliminte undesirables. Her husband was
away doing just that He may well have been
exercising his biological option amongst the
plentiful prostitutes who gather to decorate
wartime efforts.
A Love in Germany is romantic, erotic,
and funny. Schuygulla and her Stani are a
believable and attractive couple. Schuygulla
aces her part She is beautiful even with no
make-up. She delivers an intelligent and
sensuous portrayal of a young woman drawn
on a delicious, dangerous, yet essential
romantic roller coaster ride.
Directed by Andrej Wajda, A Love in
Germ any played several weeks at the 5th
Avenue Cinema. It’s sc good it will show up
again, soon. Ask for it at your favorite theatres
with suggestion books.
•
My apologies to NW Rim Study Center for
not mentioning them in last month’s review
of Im proper C onduct That excellent film ran
for one night only in their last series. If you
want to see it write it in the suggestion lists,
and watch closely so you don't miss it
There’ve been inquiries, so there are others
who want to see this film.
In retrospect so much of that film was
funny. We never look so silly as a species as
when elaborate and restrictive measures are
taken against personal rights.
Correction: The detention camps in Cuba
were modeled after Bulgaria's, not Yugo
slavia’s, as reported. I had lost my notes. I was
sweating when I wrote that Goes to show you
shouldn’t trust your memory at my age.
•
Some good movies are scheduled in the
NW R im Study Center Women Director’s
film series, which runs through June 23. The
Portland Art Association, 221-1156, has
schedules, also a lot of other places around
town. Everyone turn out and give some sup
port to women directors. (See calendar).
•
Coming May 26-27 to the 21 st Avenue
Cinema, The Mystery o f Kaspar Hauser.
Based on a fascinating true story, this film
gives a view of the human condition as seen
through the eyes of someone new to the
game. Funny, extremely touching. Very well
acted by whoever it was who played Kaspar.
It's playing with Aguirre. The Wrath o f God.
starring Klaus Kinski, who always delivers up
some good entertainment
Coming May & June
.
at the
Northwest Film Study Center:
films by
Contemporary Women Directors
Wayne Boulette at
Aargus Tours and Travel
tells why he keeps advertising
with JUST OUT
“ Our ad in Just Out landed us a commercial account
worth $6,000 a month in bookings. The ad got them in here and they
turned into a regular account.
“ When we advertise specials, we get calls immediately.
I’ve tested several other markets with advertising, and now I’m only spending
money where it’s effective—and that includes Just Out.
Just Out Mav 1985
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