Comedian Harmonists (English title: The Harmonists ) is a 1997 German film, directed by Joseph Vilsmaier , about the popular German vocal group of the 1920s and '30s, the Comedian Harmonists . The film was supported by the German and Austrian film fund.
10-461: Joseph Vilsmaier ( pronounced [ˈjoːzɛf ˈfɪlsmaɪ.ɐ] , 24 January 1939 – 11 February 2020) was a German film director who began his career as a technician and cameraman. He is internationally known for films such as Comedian Harmonists . Born in Munich . Vilsmaier attended a boarding school near Augsburg . He then trained as a technician to make film cameras, and studied piano at
20-565: Is inspired by the American group The Revelers to create a German group of the same format. He holds auditions and signs on four additional singers and a pianist. Naming themselves the "Comedian Harmonists", they meet international fame and popularity. However, they eventually run into trouble when the Nazis come to power, as half the group is Jewish. Comedian Harmonists succeeded in Europe and
30-667: The Komödie on the Kurfürstendamm in Berlin on 19 December 1997. When this production closed, the actors who had played the original sextet formed themselves into a new group called the Berlin Comedian Harmonists , which is still in existence in 2024 . Bavarian Film Awards (Best Director) [REDACTED] This article relies largely or entirely on
40-480: The Musikhochschule München . He was a member of a jazz group. After working as a technician, he moved into film, first as a material and camera assistant, then from 1961 as a cameraman. He filmed episodes of television series such as Tatort . His debut film as director, Herbstmilch in 1988, starring his wife, Dana Vávrová , was a huge success. In 1995, he directed Schlafes Bruder , after
50-546: The film. The couple was awarded the special jury prize at the 2006 Bavarian Film Awards for Der letzte Zug . Vávrová died on 5 February 2009. The couple had three daughters, Janina [ de ] , Theresa [ de ] , and Josefina [ de ] , all of whom became actresses and starred in a number of their films. Vilsmaier died on 11 February 2020. Vilsmaier directed films and television films, including: Comedian Harmonists (film) In 1927, unemployed German-Jewish actor Harry Frommermann
60-421: The novel by Robert Schneider . In 1997, he directed Comedian Harmonists which became an international success. For the films he directed, Vilsmaier was also the producer and first cameraman. While filming Der Letzte Zug in 2005, probably the last film produced by Artur Brauner , he was injured when he fell off a camera tower. Subsequently, his ability to work was limited, and his wife took over directing
70-573: The original: in the original, there is a scene, when the Harmonists arrive in New York and perform in front of the U.S. Navy , where the camera singles out one African American navy man who is visibly enjoying the music, until he gets a stinging look of rebuke from a superior officer. This segment was cut from the American release. The film led to the writing of a musical play, Veronika, der Lenz ist da – Die Comedian Harmonists , which opened at
80-421: The sextet's music." He also remarked on the film's attention to historical detail and the importance of its theme of musical internationalism. At the 1998 German Film Awards , Comedian Harmonists won the awards for Best Fiction Film , Best Editing (for Peter R. Adam), Best Actor (for Ulrich Noethen), Best Supporting Actress (for Meret Becker), and Best Production Design (for Rolf Zehetbauer). Joseph Vilsmaier
90-473: Was nominated for Best Direction , losing to Wim Wenders for The End of Violence . At the 1998 Bavarian Film Awards Joseph Vilsmaier won the awards for Best Director . Ben Becker, Heino Ferch, Ulrich Noethen, Heinrich Schafmeister, Max Tidof and Kai Wiesinger won a Special Prize . Vilsmaier was nominated for Best Cinematographer for Comedian Harmonists at the 1998 European Film Awards . The U.S. Miramax release contains at least one difference from
100-551: Was the highest-grossing German film of 1998 with a gross of over $ 16 million. U.S. President Bill Clinton told critic Roger Ebert it was among his favorite films of the year, although the movie did not get widespread release, hence reception in the United States. Bernd Reinhardt of the World Socialist Web Site called it "an exciting film which is well worth seeing and which pays proper attention to
#32967