Goethe!

“Young Goethe delivers a satisfying story worthy of other great romantic romps, and Alexander Fehling (Inglourious Basterds) puts on a magnetic and charming performance as Goethe.” Chris Joseph (Miami New Times)

Genre Drama
Year of Production 2010
Director Philipp Stölzl
Principal Cast Alexander Fehling, Miriam Stein, Moritz Bleibtreu, Volker Bruch, Burghart Klaußner, Henry Hübchen
Length 99 mins
International Festival Screenings Palm Springs 2011, Miami 2011, Seattle 2011, Shanghai 2011
Awards German Film Award 2011 (Kitty Kratschke & Heike Merker Best
Make-Up)

Germany, 1772 – the young and boisterous Johann Goethe is sent by his father to a sleepy little town to mend his ways after failing his law exams. At first, he tries to do his best at the Supreme Court and even convinces his superior Kestner. But then Lotte enters his life and nothing is the same as before after they fall in love. However, Johann is unaware that Lotte is in fact already engaged to Kestner...
The dramatic and unfulfilled love between the young poet and Lotte was the template for Goethe’s masterpiece The Sorrows of Young Werther. A modern pop fairy-tale about Germany’s most celebrated writer in the vein of Shakespeare in Love and Amadeus.

Philipp Stölzl studied Set Design at the Münchner Kammerspiele theater. He then worked as a freelance set designer and exhibition architect with, among others, Robert Wilson. He gained international recognition with his video productions. The British design magazine Shots praised the new director on his work for the US. His videos for Garbage and Madonna however led the way to his international breakthrough. His films include: Morituri Te Salutant (short, 2000), Baby (2002), North Face (Nordwand, 2008), and Goethe! (2010).

Source: German Films Service & Marketing GmbH