Berlinale 2009 Gala-Section
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presents A GÜNTER ROHRBACH / CONSTANTIN FILM Production Director Hermine Huntgeburth Starring Julia Jentsch, Sebastian Koch, Mišel Mati čevi ć, Juliane Köhler Screenplay by Volker Einrauch , based on the novel by Theodor Fontane Producer Günter Rohrbach, Executive Producer Martin Moszkowicz Berlinale 2009 Gala-Section For further information and pictures: Beta Cinema Press, Dorothee Stoewahse, + 49 89 67 34 69 15, + 49 170 63 84 627, [email protected] ; www.betacinema.com CONTENT Cast ...................................................................................................................... 3 Press Notes ......................................................................................................... 4 Synopsis .............................................................................................................. 4 Long Synopsis ..................................................................................................... 4 Producer’s Notes from Günter Rohrbach .......................................................... 5 Interview with Hermine Huntgeburth (director) ................................................. 6 Interview with Julia Jentsch (Lead Actess) ...................................................... 8 The Historical Background for Fontane’s „Effi Briest“ .................................... 8 Cast Julia Jentsch ............................................................ ............................................ 9 Sebastian Koch ..................................................................................................... 9 Mišel Mati čevi ć...................................................................................................... 10 Juliane Köhler ....................................................................................................... 10 Crew Hermine Huntgeburth ............................................................................................ 10 Günter Rohrbach................................................................................................... 11 Volker Einrauch..................................................................................................... 11 Martin Moszkowicz ................................................................................................ 11 World Sales – Beta Cinema ................................................................................ 12 For further information and pictures: 2 Beta Cinema Press, Dorothee Stoewahse, + 49 89 67 34 69 15, + 49 170 63 84 627, [email protected] ; www.betacinema.com THE CAST Effi von Briest Julia Jentsch Geert von Innstetten Sebastian Koch Major von Crampas Mišel Mati čevi ć Luise von Briest Juliane Köhler Herr von Briest Thomas Thieme Gieshübler Rüdiger Vogler Johanna Barbara Auer Roswitha Margarita Broich Dagobert von Briest Mirko Lang Sidonie von Rasenapp Sunnyi Melles THE CREW Director Hermine Huntgeburth Producer Günter Rohrbach Screenplay by Volker Einrauch based on the novel "Effi Briest" by Theodor Fontane Executive Producer Martin Moszkowicz Director of Photography Martin Langer Editor Eva Schnare Production Designer Thomas Freudenthal Costume Designer Lucie Bates Make-up & Hair Design Sabine Hehnen-Wild Sound Martin Steyer A production of Constantin Film, with the support of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, DFFF, FFF Bayern, FFA and Filmförderung Hamburg. For further information and pictures: 3 Beta Cinema Press, Dorothee Stoewahse, + 49 89 67 34 69 15, + 49 170 63 84 627, [email protected] ; www.betacinema.com PRESS NOTES Theodor Fontane's "Effi Briest," a grand romance novel about adultery and one of the great German literary works of the 19th century, is unique and popular film material. Now for the first time a woman director is filming the story of Effi, and from a contemporary perspective: the director Hermine Huntgeburth has already filmed such love stories as "IM KREISE DER LIEBEN" or "THE WHITE MASAI" with a sensitive eye and her own very personal touch. In the film "EFFI BRIEST" she combines the enchantment of the historical material with an awareness of contemporary times, and she shows young Effi on her path towards emancipation. Julia Jentsch, an actress who has won several awards ("SOPHIE SCHOLL – THE FINAL DAYS"), plays Effi Briest. Sebastian Koch ("THE LIVES OF OTHERS") plays Effi's husband, Baron von Innstetten; Juliane Köhler ("DOWNFALL") plays her mother, Frau von Briest; Thomas Thieme ("THE LIVES OF OTHERS") plays her father, Herr von Briest; and Mišel Mati čevi ć ("A YEAR AGO IN WINTER ") plays Major Crampas, the romantic lead who seduces Effi. The film was produced by Günter Rohrbach ("A WOMAN IN BERLIN"; "THE WHITE MASAI"; "SCHTONK"; "THE BOAT"). SHORT SYNOPSIS At her parents' urging, Effi Briest, a free-spirited 17-year-old girl, marries Baron von Innstetten, nearly 20 years her senior – and a former admirer of Effi's mother. The arranged marriage spells the beginning of a monotonous existence for Effi far away from her hometown: Innstetten is entirely preoccupied with his political career, and the sleepy artist town of Kessin on the Baltic Sea shore offers little excitement. Until Major Crampas arrives, one of Innstetten's military comrades and a charming womanizer. Effi starts a passionate affair with him and finally discovers what love is. But it comes at a steep price: the affair proves fatal for Crampas. Effi, on the other hand – unlike in Fontane's novel – deals with the consequences of her decisions and embarks on a new chapter in her life... LONG SYNOPSIS A ball is being held in the Prussian mansion of Hohen-Cremmen, home to the von Briest family. In the festively decorated hall, 17-year-old Effi (Julia Jentsch) dances exuberantly with her cousin Dagobert (Mirko Lang). They are a perfect couple. Effi's mother, Luise von Briest (Juliane Köhler), is reunited with her former admirer Geert von Innstetten (Sebastian Koch) as her dancing partner, and Herr von Briest, a robust man in his fifties (Thomas Thieme), sways – slightly tipsy from alcohol – across the dance floor with Effi's girlfriend, Hulda. Everybody is having a good time. That evening Luise von Briest casually arranges for her daughter and Baron von Innstetten to meet for the first time. A short time later Innstetten visits Hohen-Cremmen again and asks Effi's father for her hand in marriage. In the yard outside the mansion her girlfriend calls out, "Effi, come!" But Effi follows her mother inside to see Innstetten. "Do you want to become the wife of a district administrator?" asks Innstetten. Effi is perplexed. Should she really marry this man, who is twice her age and a complete stranger to her? Her mother, however, thinks that a smart girl like Effi should appreciate a marriage to a man like Innstetten, a man of principles with For further information and pictures: 4 Beta Cinema Press, Dorothee Stoewahse, + 49 89 67 34 69 15, + 49 170 63 84 627, [email protected] ; www.betacinema.com excellent career opportunities. Effi (a wild girl but also an obedient daughter) respects the customs of her social class. After their wedding, Effi is now Baroness Innstetten, and she moves to Kessin, a town on the coast of the Baltic Sea. In Kessin, a life awaits Effi that has nothing in common with the dreams and expectations of a young woman. Their house, which once belonged to an English captain, is gloomy and filled with monstrous furniture and dark secrets. Innstetten likes to make insinuations about the ghost of a Chinese man who drowned and is buried in the dunes. Does he really believe this himself, or does he just want to keep his wife docile? The housekeeper Johanna (Barbara Auer) observes her new mistress with latent aggressiveness, and her relationship with Innstetten does not seem as fitting as it should be, considering her social standing. Innstetten devotes himself completely to his career. The elderly pharmacist Gieshübler (Rüdiger Vogler) is the only person who treats Effi tenderly and attentively and can see she's unhappy. When Effi has a baby girl and names her Annie, she follows convention and more or less lets the nanny, Roswitha (Margarita Broich), raise her daughter. One day Innstetten tells her "some good news": his old regimental comrade Major Crampas (Mišel Mati čvi ć) is moving to Kessin. The man is dangerous, because he's very popular with the ladies and has already been wounded once in a duel, but he's much more entertaining than the other residents of Kessin - which Effi will soon find out herself. Effi falls victim to his charms when they go horseback-riding together or act out theater scenes, not least because she can finally be a wild girl again, a wild girl who enjoys the taste of danger. For the first time, Effi feels passion for a man. But this secret love for Crampas can never be more than an affair. People are already becoming suspicious in the small town of Kessin. She's rescued when Innstetten moves up the career ladder and is called to Berlin to work in the ministry. Effi leaves Kessin with Innstetten and their daughter Annie, and thus she leaves Crampas, too. A new life begins for Effi in Berlin. Crampas is far away. It's easier for her to live with Innstetten in the Berlin society. But Effi's health suffers. Six years after her affair, she visits her parents in Hohen-Cremmen after spending time at a health resort. Back in Berlin Innstetten accidentally discovers the letters Crampas had written to Effi. Innstetten, being a man of principles, challenges Crampas to a duel. Against the backdrop of the dunes of