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Reunion (1989 film)
Encyclopedia
Reunion is a 1989 dramatic film based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Fred Uhlman
, directed by Jerry Schatzberg
from a screenplay by Harold Pinter
. It was released in France
under the title L' Ami Retrouvé and in Germany
as Der Wiedergefundene Freund. The story is centred on the "enchanted friendship" of two teenagers in 1933 Germany. Hans Strauss (Christien Anholt) is the son of a Jewish doctor and Konradin Von Lohenburg (Samuel West) is from an aristocratic family. The background is the rise of Nazism. Jason Robards plays the older Hans in 1977 as he prepares to travel to Germany for the first time since the 1930s. The film was shot on location in Berlin
, New York
and Stuttgart
. Reunion was nominated for a Golden Palm at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival
.
's rise to power. He is seeking to renew an "enchanting friendship" of his youth with aristocrat Konradin Von Lohenburg (West).
Strauss was the son of a Jewish doctor and the friends did not see that around them the rise of Nazism
would lead to their separation. Their travels together and philosophical discussions against the elegant background of 1930s Stuttgart
form the main part of the film, told in flashback.
The older Henry's search for his childhood friend leads to a startling revelation as he discovers what became of Konradin after Hitler took power.
Fred Uhlman
Fred Uhlman was a German-English writer, painter and lawyer of Jewish origin.-Biography:Fred Uhlman was born in Stuttgart, Germany, into a prosperous middle-class Jewish family...
, directed by Jerry Schatzberg
Jerry Schatzberg
Jerry Schatzberg is a photographer and film director.-Career:Schatzberg was born to a Jewish family of furriers and grew up in the Bronx. He photographed for magazines such as Vogue, Esquire and McCalls. He made his debut as a feature film director with 1970's Puzzle of a Downfall Child starring...
from a screenplay by Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
. It was released in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
under the title L' Ami Retrouvé and in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as Der Wiedergefundene Freund. The story is centred on the "enchanted friendship" of two teenagers in 1933 Germany. Hans Strauss (Christien Anholt) is the son of a Jewish doctor and Konradin Von Lohenburg (Samuel West) is from an aristocratic family. The background is the rise of Nazism. Jason Robards plays the older Hans in 1977 as he prepares to travel to Germany for the first time since the 1930s. The film was shot on location in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. Reunion was nominated for a Golden Palm at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival
1989 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Wim Wenders *Christine Gouze-Renal*Claude Beylie*Georges Delerue*Hector Babenco*Krzysztof Kieślowski*Peter Handke*Renée Blanchar*Sally Field*Silvio Clementelli-Feature film competition:* Chimère by Claire Devers...
.
Plot
American lawyer Henry Strauss (Robards) is preparing to return to Germany for the first time since he left in 1933 following Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's rise to power. He is seeking to renew an "enchanting friendship" of his youth with aristocrat Konradin Von Lohenburg (West).
Strauss was the son of a Jewish doctor and the friends did not see that around them the rise of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
would lead to their separation. Their travels together and philosophical discussions against the elegant background of 1930s Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
form the main part of the film, told in flashback.
The older Henry's search for his childhood friend leads to a startling revelation as he discovers what became of Konradin after Hitler took power.
Cast
- Jason RobardsJason RobardsJason Nelson Robards, Jr. was an American actor on stage, and in film and television, and a winner of the Tony Award , two Academy Awards and the Emmy Award...
- Henry Strauss - Christien AnholtChristien AnholtChristien Alexis Anholt is an English stage, television and film actor best known for his role as Nigel Bailey on the television series Relic Hunter...
- Hans Strauss, as a young man - Samuel WestSamuel WestSamuel Alexander Joseph West is an English actor and theatre director. He is perhaps best known for his role in Howards End and his work on stage. He also starred in the award-winning play ENRON...
- Count Konradin von Lohenburg - Françoise FabianFrançoise FabianFrançoise Fabian is a French film actress. She has appeared in over 80 films since 1956.She was born in Algiers, Algeria, and is the widow of screenwriter and director Jacques Becker and actor Marcel Bozzuffi. One of her best-known roles is as Maud in Eric Rohmer's My Night at Maud's...
- Countess von Lohenburg - Maureen Kerwin - Lisa
- Dorothea Alexander - Old Countess Gertrud
- Frank Baker - The Zionist
- Tim Barker - Zimmermann - a teacher
- Imke Barnstedt - Girl in Tax Building
- Gideon Boulting - Prince Hubertus
- Alan Bowyer - Bollacher
- Jacques Brunet - Count von Lohenburg
- Rupert DegasRupert DegasRupert Joel Degas is an English actor and voice artist.- Early life:Degas was born in London, the son of screenwriter Brian Degas and television presenter Maggie Clews, whose marriage ended in divorce when he was eight...
- Muller - Robert Dietl - Gardener at Old Grafin's
- Luc-Antoine Diquéro - Young Lover
- Nicholas PandolfiNicholas PandolfiNicholas Pandolfi, also known as Nick Pandolfi, is an English actor, voice artist & radio presenter, who has worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation and Global Radio . He was named BBC Local Radio "Presenter of the Year" at the 2004 Frank Gillard Awards and won the bronze in the category...
- Reutter
Critical reception
- Time Out said of the film - "This moving rendition of Fred Uhlman's novel, about boyhood friendship betrayed under the destructive momentum of Nazism, shows Schatzberg at his (albeit limited) best." "Harold Pinter's tight and unobtrusive script, Trauner's fine production design and Philippe Sarde's muted but expressive score ensure a feeling of all-round professionalism."
- The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said "'Reunion' is gratifying in the small ways most familiar from public-television's depictions of English upper-class behavior. The offhanded elegance of its settings, and the attractive crispness of its schoolboy manners ("Oh, he just rants and raves, doesn't he?" one of the film's cavalier young characters says about Hitler) are a major part of its gently decorative appeal." - Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
said "Nothing in Schatzberg's filmography makes the heart leap, but this film - adapted by Pinter from an autobiographical novel by Ulman - stands out above the rest. It's a quietly decent film that takes place primarily (via a flashback) in the early 1930s."