Lotte in Weimar

Lotte in Weimar

125 mins | Drama | May 15, 1975

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) was the author of Werther, the romantic novel that was transformed into a play during Goethe's lifetime and which initiated the whole German romantic movement. The book's story tells of young love and suicide. In this East German film, based on a book by Thomas Mann, Lotte (Lilli Palmer) was the woman who served as the model for the heroine in the novel Werther. She comes to Goethe's hometown for a visit, and her experiences there eerily re-create episodes from the book. Goethe comes across as a pompous old bore, and his friends as pandering sycophants, in this very proper communist party-sponsored, anti-heroic movie.

Lotte in Weimar

125 mins | Drama | May 15, 1975

Lotte in Weimar
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) was the author of Werther, the romantic novel that was transformed into a play during Goethe's lifetime and which initiated the whole German romantic movement. The book's story tells of young love and suicide. In this East German film, based on a book by Thomas Mann, Lotte (Lilli Palmer) was the woman who served as the model for the heroine in the novel Werther. She comes to Goethe's hometown for a visit, and her experiences there eerily re-create episodes from the book. Goethe comes across as a pompous old bore, and his friends as pandering sycophants, in this very proper communist party-sponsored, anti-heroic movie.
Producers DEFA
Original title Lotte in Weimar
Directors Egon Günther
Writers Egon Günther, Thomas Mann

Cast

Lilli Palmer

as Lotte

Martin Hellberg

as Goethe

Rolf Ludwig

as Kellner Mager

Hilmar Baumann

as August Goethe

Jutta Hoffmann

as Adele Schopenhauer

Katharina Thalbach

as Ottilie von Pogwisch

Monika Lennartz

as Charlotte, Lottes Tochter

Fred Delmare

as Bauer