Im Fahrwasser

Gustav Andresen, a former ship's cook, initially struggles as a restaurant owner, but eventually puts down roots near the Brunsbüttel canal lock. The young sailor's widow Yvonne Bröhan has successfully completed radio school in Hamburg and embarks on her first voyage as a radio operator. Chally Tonzel, who has replaced Gustav as the ship's cook, is faced with the difficult choice of which of three equally attractive sisters he should marry. Lore, now the wife of the Dutch owner of the Kümo, Henk van der Meyden, knows how to assert her rights on board against her mother-in-law.

Directed by Georg Tressler, Im Fahrwasser leans on a strong ensemble — Helga Feddersen, Klaus Höhne, Elke Twiesselmann — 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.