Young Goethe in Love (Goethe!)
Saturday, October 29 at 6:00pm
Camera 12 Cinema, San Jose
In 1772, under the strict direction of his father, Johann Goethe (Alexander Fehling, Germany’s Shooting Star 2011) abandons his “scribblings” as a creative writer to become a lawyer. But his romantic spirit cannot be so easily snuffed out. It’s rekindled anew when he falls for the beautiful and outgoing Lotte Buff (Miriam Stein). After a sweet interlude of passion, joy, and not just a little poetry, their celebration of love is suddenly assailed by a truly sobering reality. She’s betrothed to another: Goethe’s own overseer at the Court, Albert Kestner (Moritz Bleibtreu). The gun is now loaded and for series of tragic events which tear the two apart. Pistol duals, “magic” pills, puppet theaters, and maypoles all add to the ambiance of this drama set in preindustrialized Germany. Young Goethe’s tale, which would later become the basis of what has been called “the first modern novel,” speaks to all eras as it shows us a picture of a love that exists, “not in truth but in poetry… --Rickey Lee Bauman for Berlin & Beyond Film Festival
Germany (2010), 35mm, 102 min. in German with English subtitles
Director: Philipp Stölzl
Screenwriters: Alexander Dydyna, Christoph Mueller, Philipp Stölzl
Producers: Christoph Mueller, Helge Sasse
Cinematographer: Kolja Brandt
Editor: Sven Budelmann
Music: Ingo Frenzel
Cast: Alexander Fehling, Miriam Stein, Moritz Bleibtreu, Volker Bruch, Burghart Klaussner, Henry Huebchen
Production: Senator Film Produktion, Deutschfilm, Warner Brothers Film Productions Germany
World Sales: Beta Cinema
Print: Courtesy of Music Box Film
Awards & Festivals: Three nominations at German Film Awards, including Best Film; Palm Springs, Miami, Seattle, Shanghai, Mill Valley.
Director Phillip Stötzl was born in 1967 in Munich. He is a multitalented director, sought-after for opera, music video, commercial and feature-film productions. He has worked with the likes of Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart, Madonna and Luciano Pavarotti. His debut feature was Baby in 2002, followed in 2008 by the thrilling drama North Face, which won two German Film Awards.
Special Thanks: San Jose Encore Day is presented with the generous support of Camera Cinemas and Jack & Raphaela Nyblom.
