The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum **** (1975, Angela Winkler, Mario Adorf, Dieter Laser, Jürgen Prochnow) – Classic Movie Review 12,876

Angela Winkler stars in the outstanding 1975 West German political drama film The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum [Die Verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum], based on the 1974 novel by Heinrich Böll.

The outstanding, valuable, essential 1975 West German documentary-style political drama film The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum [Die Verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum] is based on the 1974 novel by Heinrich Böll, and scripted and directed by Volker Schlöndorff and Margarethe von Trotta. The film is one of the main pillars of New German Cinema. Its urgent, ever-relevant theme is the vindictive and harsh treatment of an innocent woman by the public, the police and the media, in an emotional demand for democracy and personal rights.

The film stars Angela Winkler as Blum, Mario Adorf as Inspector Beizmenne, Dieter Laser as tabloid reporter Werner Tötges, and Jürgen Prochnow as criminal suspect Ludwig Götten.

Katharina Blum (Angela Winkler) is an innocent woman who works as a housekeeper for a corporate lawyer Hubert Blorna (Heinz Bennent) and his wife Trude (Hannelore Hoger). But Katharina’s life is ruined by an invasive tabloid reporter, Werner Tötges (Dieter Laser). She lands in the papers when the police investigate her in connection with aiding and abetting Ludwig Götten (Jürgen Prochnow), whom she has quickly fallen in love with, and who is accused of being an anarchist, a bank robber and a terrorist.

Angela Winkler gives a remarkable performance, and The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum made her a star. She won the Filmband in Gold for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role at the the German Film Awards, the most important film award in Germany honouring achievements in the German film industry.

In 1979, she gained international fame as the mother of Oskar Matzerath in Schlöndorff’s Oscar-winning film The Tin Drum.

Jost Vacano won the Filmband in Gold for his extraordinary documentary-style Best Cinematography.

The cast are Angela Winkler as Katharina Blum, Mario Adorf as Inspector Beizmenne, Dieter Laser as Werner Tötges, Jürgen Prochnow as Ludwig Götten, Heinz Bennent as Dr Hubert Blorna, Hannelore Hoger as Trude Blorna, Rolf Becker as Prosecutor Hach, Harald Kuhlmann as Moeding, and Herbert Fux as Weninger.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 12,876

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