Comedian Harmonists (1997)

"Comedian Harmonists" or "The Harmonists" is a German(-language) film from 1997, so this one will have its 20th anniversary next year. The director is Joseph Vilsmaier and the script comes from Jürgen Büscher and Klaus Richter. If you know a bit about History, especially German history of the 20th century, then you will maybe also heard of the Comedian Harmonists, a music group who were really famous in the first half of the century with their a capella music. They probably weren't the most talented singers in terms of range or particularly high notes or volume of their voices, but they found their niche and succeeded in entertaining the audiences with funny texts and a little bit of wisdom too. The big problem: They were Jewish.This film won big at the German Film Award, including lead actor for Noethen and supporting actress for Becker. Her brother Ben also plays in here and their dad Otto Sander has a brief cameo too. And last but not least the movie won German Film of the Year, even if it was not picked as Germany's submission to the Oscars back then. Maybe the Harmonists just weren't known enough abroad or they were scared that the Hamonists would fail again in the United States as their attempts to make it there were not successful, after they had to leave Germany. I personally like some of the songs of this band that the film is about. But not all of them are used in here. I would say the music is the only aspect that was pretty good in here. The acting was mostly forgettable I felt and the script also wasn't great.I do not think that this film really stands out compared to all the other many many German films that are about the days of Hitler Germany. I think they missed a chance here as the Comedian Harmonists were a pretty unique band, still are today and people here in Germany know them very well and many still like them with their wit and nice texts. Sadly, they did not really manage to elaborate on all the Harmonists convincingly. I just did not care about some of them at all. And they also could have been played by better actors. Ferch is mostly forgettable and Becker is very much in your face, but lacks subtlety and it's also not a good performance. Noethen is decent, but not really awards-worthy. The rest is entirely forgettable and this makes me especially sad in Schafmeister's case as I quite like him. This film certainly goes on long enough to deliver a convincing film and make every character count, but the screenwriters did not succeed. Many people consider this Vilsmaier's most known, possibly best work, but I cannot agree. It dragged on too many occasions and the nice music alone is not enough. I give it a thumbs-down. Not recommended.

I had never heard of the group The Comedian Harmonists before seeing this film, but they were truly awesome musicians. This film seamlessly blends the actual recordings of the group with wonderful acting and directing to create a true classic. The R rating is a bit too strong, in my opinion, and should be closer to PG-13. The film features mature themes but would be suitable for viewing by most audience members aged 11 and above, with parental guidance of course. Anything of a mature nature in the film is strictly secondary to its real story and was not presented lewdly in any way. You will want to talk about the subject matter with the kids, ie: the effects of prejudice and how Hitler, seemingly on a quest to create perfection and beauty, by trying to play God (which none of us have the right to do), actually destroyed so many beautiful things which were meant to be here to enrich all life. I won't use any plot spoilers but I can tell you there were no dry eyes left in the room at the end. Truly worth seeing and the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a long time. Bravo!

Throughout the 30s and 40s, everyone in Germany loved the Comedian Harmonists when they came over the radio, although it must have been the follow-up group rather than the original one. It is interesting and moving to see that original group and hear their songs again; and it illuminates once more the idiocy of the Nazis to silence and drive away such worthwhile people who felt as, and wanted to be, good Germans. However, their confrontation with the Storm Troopers as shown in the movie, and presumably taking place in 1933, is an unfortunate exaggeration, because window smashing and physical abuse did not occur that early during the Nazi regime. Also, railway stations were not adorned with giant swastika flags - they would have turned black quickly from the soot of the steam engines. There was no need by the producers to deviate on these points from the historical accuracy - a deviation that throws a somewhat questionable light on the rest of the story. Yet these producers did manage to find five men who sing beautifully, with the same perfection and tonal range of the Comedian Harmonists, which makes this film eminently enjoyable after all.

Comedian HarmonistsThe Comedian Harmonists was a wonderful film that I would recommend to anyone who doesn't mind watching a foreign film. This is a true story about a German musical group of six men. They are a comical group that based their style on a popular American group, the Revelers. The Comedian Harmonists gained their fame and popularity during the time when Hitler came into power. These men were loved by all even the Nazi soldiers, but ironically three of the six men happened to be Jewish. And just like the rest of the Jewish of people during Hitler's rule, they were not able to continue to lead their normal lives, celebrities or not. You see spectacular scenes in this film were the group performs and you get good examples of the harsh treatment of the Jews by the Nazi. There is a love triangle with in the group that brings out a steady stream of character development. This with the racial segregation makes all of the character come to term with their futures. There was a wonderful performance by the entire cast; I could not imagine any other actors or actress for the roles. The lighting and sound of the movie was good, with great shots to go with them. Overall this is a wonderful film.