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Movie Info & Details
Release Year1979
Runtime1h 36m
LanguageGerman
CertificationNR
GenresDrama
Votes1
DirectorKlaus Emmerich
WritersHelmut Krapp
TypeFeature Film
Rating9.0 out of 10
Cast10 credited
Also Known AsThe First Polka
About The First Polka
The intertwined lives of people of both Polish and German extraction who live on the pre-World War II border between the two countries are explored in this drama. Valeska is the Polish/German matriarch of a family living on the German side of the border. Her son is involved with the Hitler youth, but nonetheless keeps secret the presence on family land of a Jew who is hiding from the authorities. When the son inadvertently kills a soldier to prevent his sister from being raped, he runs away after borrowing money from the Jewish man. When soldiers come to the family's door looking for the missing soldier who had been billeted there, the Jewish man commits suicide. In another episode, one of the family's daughters marries a German soldier in a ceremony presided over by a Polish priest.
Directed by Klaus Emmerich, The First Polka leans on a strong ensemble — Maria Schell, Ernst Stankovski, Claus Theo Gärtner — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1979.
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