Verspielte Heimat

The deputy editor-in-chief of an SPD newspaper in West Germany, Karl Waldner, recognizes the former Henlein leader Meißner, who is guilty of the murder of his father, at a meeting of Sudeten Germans. He wants to open the case and hand Meißner over to the courts. But he encounters resistance, even in the SPD, whose right-wing leaders do not want any conflict with the CDU, in which Meißner has an influential position. Waldner, who has been in the party for thirty years, has to rethink his own position. Discussions with his childhood friend Sepp Lukas and memories of their joint attempts to unite the Young Communists and Young Socialists against the Henlein Youth help him to do so. He realized where the failure of social democracy had already led back then.

Directed by Claus Dobberke, Verspielte Heimat leans on a strong ensemble — Piotr Pawłowski, Wanda Koczeska, Peter Borgelt — 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 1971.