LIFESTYLE . ARTS

Erich Kästner - The Other Face

60' (GER, FRE, ENG subs)

This film is the first documentary made about the smooth lyricist, humorous satirist, skillful screenwriter, ingenious writer, and world famous children's book author – Erich Kästner.

However you would want to describe the Dresden native, you would find it difficult to pigeonhole him. This is exactly what makes private individual Erich Kästner so exciting and the author Erich Kästner so complex. His work is multidimensional and a source for a wealth of valuable insights into the man himself and the Germany of his time. Kästner, whose novels have been translated into over 50 languages, is internationally renowned and consequently his novels have been exploited worldwide.

His work is a multi-layered cornucopia of valuable insights into himself and the Germany of his time. But Kästner is also internationally renowned. His writings have been translated into over 50 languages resulting in his novels and the feature films based on these novels being exploited worldwide.

Who was the man Erich Kästner? How did he live up to his own moral demands as a son, father, lover, friend and colleague? Visually historical photos and film as well as drawings in the style of the famous illustrations in Kästner's children's book will characterise him in this film.

We will show the resoluteness with which he lived his life and highlight the inner struggles of this great man at different phases in his life. We will see him as a young up-and-comer, as a shunned writer, as an educator in democracy, as a beloved author of children's literature, and as a resigned idealist in his old age.

With the collaboration of his son, leading scholars researching Kästner and exclusive access to his private archives, we will create the first international documentary about this world defining author.

Fotos: ©WDR