O.k. (film)
Encyclopedia
o.k. is a 1970 West German anti-war film
directed by Michael Verhoeven
. It was chosen as West Germany's official submission to the 43rd Academy Awards
for Best Foreign Language Film
, but did not manage to receive a nomination. The film was also entered into the 20th Berlin International Film Festival
. However, the competition was cancelled and no prizes were awarded, over controversy surrounding the film.
Later, the perpetrators are convicted, although subsequent appeals reduce their sentences significantly.
The plot takes place in a bavarian forest and reenacts a real war crime that happened in the vietnam war. The soldiers wear US uniforms, have authentic names but speak with a pronounced bavarian accent - a conscious directing decision known as Brechtian distancing effect.
Anti-war film
An anti-war film is a film that emphasizes the pain, horror, and human costs of armed conflict. While some films criticize armed conflicts in a general sense, others focus on acts within a specific war, such as the use of poison gas or the genocidal killing of civilians . Some anti-war films such...
directed by Michael Verhoeven
Michael Verhoeven
-Life and work:Verhoeven is the son of German film director, Paul Verhoeven . He married actress Senta Berger in 1966; their son is the actor-director Simon Verhoeven. Together, the couple formed a production company to make films...
. It was chosen as West Germany's official submission to the 43rd Academy Awards
43rd Academy Awards
The 43rd Academy Awards were presented April 15, 1971 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. There was no host.It was during this ceremony that George C...
for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, but did not manage to receive a nomination. The film was also entered into the 20th Berlin International Film Festival
20th Berlin International Film Festival
The 20th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 26 to July 7, 1970. However, the competition was cancelled and no prizes were awarded, over controversy surrounding Michael Verhoeven's film o.k.-Jury:* George Stevens...
. However, the competition was cancelled and no prizes were awarded, over controversy surrounding the film.
Plot
A four man US fireteam on patrol seizes a passing young vietnamnese girl and continue to torture, rape and kill her. Only one soldier refuses to take part in it and reports this incident to his superior, who dismisses it as simple wartime incident. As a consequence for his report, the soldier has to fear for his life.Later, the perpetrators are convicted, although subsequent appeals reduce their sentences significantly.
The plot takes place in a bavarian forest and reenacts a real war crime that happened in the vietnam war. The soldiers wear US uniforms, have authentic names but speak with a pronounced bavarian accent - a conscious directing decision known as Brechtian distancing effect.
Cast
- Gustl BayrhammerGustl BayrhammerGustl Bayrhammer was a German actor. He appeared in 79 films and television shows between 1964 and 1993. He starred in the 1970 film o.k., which was entered into the 20th Berlin International Film Festival. However, the competition was cancelled and no prizes were awarded, over controversy...
- Captain Vorst - Hartmut BeckerHartmut BeckerHartmut Becker is a German actor. He played Sgt. Gustav Wagner in Escape From Sobibor in 1987. He also starred in the 1970 film o.k, which was also entered into the 20th Berlin International Film Festival...
- Ralph Clarke - Senta BergerSenta BergerSenta Berger is an Austrian film, stage and television actress, producer and author.Regarded by critics as one of the greatest actresses of the post-war period, and frequently named as one of the leading German-speaking actresses in polls, Berger has received many award nominations for her acting...
- Herself - Hanna Burgwitz - Josefine
- Rolf Castell - Reilly
- Wolfgang FischerWolfgang FischerWolfgang Fischer was a German career military officer and panzer commander in World War II. He was killed on 1 February 1943 in Tunisia near Mareth when his staff car drove into a poorly marked Italian minefield and hit a mine.-Awards:* Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class* Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd...
- Rafe - Eva MattesEva MattesEva Mattes is a German-Austrian actress.Mattes appeared in four films directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and A Man Called Eva , as a bearded film director based on the then recently deceased Fassbinder...
- Phan Ti Mao - Ewald Precht - Soldier Diaz
- Vera Rheingold
- Peter van Anft
- Michael VerhoevenMichael Verhoeven-Life and work:Verhoeven is the son of German film director, Paul Verhoeven . He married actress Senta Berger in 1966; their son is the actor-director Simon Verhoeven. Together, the couple formed a production company to make films...
- Sven - Friedrich von Thun - Sergeant Tony Meserve
- Rolf Zacher - Rowan
See also
- List of submissions to the 43rd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of German submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film