presents GOETHE ! A film by Philipp Stölzl Starring Alexander Fehling, Miriam Stein, Moritz Bleibtreu, Volker Bruch, Burghart Klaussner produced by Senator Film and Deutschfilm, in co-production with Warner Bros. Film Prod. Germany and SevenPictures Film, in co-production with Erfttal Film, Goldkind Film, HerbX Film, Magnolia Film, CC Medien, Summerstorm Entertainment Funded by: Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Filmstiftung Nordrhein- Westfalen, Filmförderungsanstalt, Deutscher Film Förderfonds, Film Fernsehfonds Bayern, Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein CAST Alexander Fehling Johann Goethe Miriam Stein Lotte Buff Moritz Bleibtreu Albert Kestner Volker Bruch Jerusalem Burghart Klaussner Lotte's father Henry Hübchen Johann's father Hans-Michael Rehberg Judiciary President Kammermeier Linn Reusse Anna Buff CREW Director Philipp Stölzl Producers Christoph Müller, Helge Sasse Screenwriters Philipp Stölzl, Christoph Müller, Alexander Dydyna Co-producers Anatol Nitschke, Stefan Gärtner, Joachim Kosack, Klaus Dohle, Sven Burgemeister, Michael Bully Herbig, Christian Angermayer Nina Bohlmann, Babette Schröder, Matthias Triebel Production Manager Peter Hartwig Director of photography Kolja Brandt Film editor Sven Budelmann Costume design Birgit Hutter Make-up Kitty Kratschke, Heike Merker Production design Udo Kramer Music Ingo L. Frenzel TECHNICAL DETAILS Shooting period: August to October 2009 Format: 35 mm Cinemascope Length: 99 minutes Locations: Görlitz, Schloss Merseburg, Quedlinburg, Osterwieck, Wasserschloss Tauchritz, Fürst- Pückler-Park in Bad Muskau, Dresden, Creuzburg, and Krompach in the Czech Republic German theatrical release: 14 October 2010 2 For further information: Beta Cinema Press, Dorothee Stoewahse, Tel: + 49 89 67 34 69 15, [email protected] , www.betacinema.com Pictures and filmclips available on ftp.betafilm.com , username: ftppress01, password: betapress SHORT SUMMARY When the young and still unsuccessful poet Johann Goethe neglects his law studies, his furious father orders him to take a position at the court of justice in a small, sleepy town. There he falls madly in love with a young woman, Lotte, and it seems like their happiness could be perfect. But they both don't know that Lotte has already been promised to Kestner, Johann's superior... PRESS NOTES With its enthralling story about love, death, and art, "Goethe!" is a feature film that dusts off the image of a German legend and lets it shine in new colors. Philipp Stölzl directed his first film after "North Face," his award-winning drama about mountain climbers, in an intensive, comical, and touching manner, an elaborate extravaganza filmed against lovingly evoked 18th-century panoramas. The film revolves around the 22-year-old man who would later become a poet laureate, Johann Goethe. He falls head over heels in love with young Lotte Buff, who inspires him to write his epistolary novel "The Sorrows of Young Werther" (Die Leiden des jungen Werther), which over night makes him the first best-selling author in Europe. Produced by Christoph Müller ("Sophie Scholl"), "Goethe!" features an all-star cast: Alexander Fehling ("Storm," "Inglourious Basterds") as the hero; Moritz Bleibtreu as his superior and rival; and also Burghart Klaussner ("The White Ribbon") and Henry Hübchen ("Go For Zucker!"). The newcomer Miriam Stein plays the role of Lotte, the young woman adored by Goethe. CONTENT Strasbourg, 1772: The 22-year-old law student Johann Goethe is more interested in wine, women, and song than studying. He makes fun of the bourgeois – especially the corny poems of the poets idolized in the parlor rooms. For Goethe is determined to become a poet, too. He has poured his heart and soul into writing the dramatic play "Götz von Berlichingen," which he then sends off to a publisher in Leipzig. Because Johann neglects his studies, he fails his doctoral examination. Furious, his father refuses to continue paying for Johann's obviously useless university education. Goethe the Elder arranges a position for his son as an article clerk at the court of justice in the provincial town of Wetzlar. Because the publisher rejects "Götz," Johann is flat broke and he has to do what his father demands. In the labyrinthine corridors of the courthouse, it doesn't take long before Johann clashes with his strict, by-the-book superior, court councilor Kestner. But he soon makes an impression because he's so intelligent – he doesn't let himself become discouraged by any of Kestner's chicanery, and Kestner is impressed by how Goethe accomplishes the almost impossible amount of work that has to be done. And so at the end of his probation period he's given a position at the court. Johann becomes friends with his colleague Wilhelm Jerusalem. They go together to a ball, where Johann meets the tipsy Lotte Buff for the first time; she accidentally bumps against him and as a result, he has a huge wine stain on the only suit he owns. The heated exchange of words between the two of them is not really a good way to start a relationship. Johann and Wilhelm use the opportunity that evening to get drunk. 3 For further information: Beta Cinema Press, Dorothee Stoewahse, Tel: + 49 89 67 34 69 15, [email protected] , www.betacinema.com Pictures and filmclips available on ftp.betafilm.com , username: ftppress01, password: betapress But in church a short time later, Johann hears Lotte, a gifted soloist, sing during mass. He has to admit to himself and his friend that he's impressed after all by this quick-witted young woman. When Johann and Wilhelm go on a horseback ride soon afterwards, "by coincidence" they just happen to ride to the village of Wahlheim, where Lotte lives with her father and numerous younger brothers and sisters. The unannounced visitors surprise Lotte as she's busy baking bread, and they gladly help her with this house chore and play with the small children. Indeed, they have a very pleasurable day. Deep down inside, Lotte senses that she also likes Johann very much. The two starry-eyed lovers, however, both wait for the other one to make the first move and write a love letter. And so tense days go by and nothing at all happens. But then they can't stand it anymore: They simultaneously leave to go visit each other – Johann rides to Wahlheim, and Lotte drives with her one-horse carriage to Wetzlar. By happenstance, they don't cross paths. Later on, under a pretense Lotte manages to get into the courthouse. She finds several drafts of a love letter to her in Johann's empty office. On their way home, Johann and Lotte run into each other on the outskirts of the city and spend a wonderful time together in the countryside in summer. Lotte playfully forces the "poet" to finally recite some of his lyric poetry. The two of them seek shelter in a picturesque ruin when a cloudburst catches them by surprise, and for the first time their feelings of love for one another are fulfilled. The result of this rendezvous is that the two lovers come down with a bad cold. The court councilor, Kestner, has known the Buff family for years, and in the meantime he adores Lotte, who is now a young woman. He visits her on her sick bed, and Lotte senses how much the shy Kestner is in love with her, even if she doesn't feel the same way about him. Her father would like to have Kestner as his son-in-law, one reason being that Kestner would be willing to help finance the education of Lotte's brothers and sisters. Her father hopes Lotte will understand these are good reasons to marry him, but he doesn't want to directly force her to. During a conversation with her sister Anna, however, Lotte realizes how much her father is counting on Kestner's support and therefore on Lotte agreeing to marry him. Meanwhile, Wilhelm falls passionately in love with an older, red-haired woman – but the woman is already married. At the same time, Johann wants to do something nice for Lotte: he makes her a cardboard theater and plans to perform Lessing's "Emilia Galotti" for Lotte with it, because she has never seen the play she adores so much on stage. In the meantime, Kestner decides to finally ask for Lotte's hand in marriage and pay a formal visit to the Buffs. As he's extremely satisfied with Johann's work, now the court councilor treats the article clerk in a more obliging manner. So he invites Johann to join him and go hunting. Happy, he tells Johann he will be engaged very soon, but he doesn't mention the name of his bride-to-be. Johann is happy for Kestner and gives him advice on what to say to his beloved one to win her over. Kestner asks Lotte for her hand in marriage in front of her father. With tears in her eyes, she accedes to her father's wishes and agrees to marry him. Sad, afterwards she immediately writes Johann a farewell letter, but the letter doesn't reach him in time because he's already on his way to see the woman he loves and present her with the cardboard theater. And so Johann, not suspecting a thing, arrives in the middle of the engagement celebrations at the Buff family home. When he finds himself confronted with the terrible truth, he struggles to keep his composure. But Johann's strange behavior and the flamboyant present he has for Lotte makes Kestner realize right away that apparently Johann and Lotte know each other quite well. He insists 4 For further information: Beta Cinema Press, Dorothee Stoewahse, Tel: + 49 89 67 34 69 15, [email protected] , www.betacinema.com Pictures and filmclips available on ftp.betafilm.com , username: ftppress01, password: betapress Johann leave immediately, and he discusses the situation with his future father-in-law.