About the winding paths of a global star: Heike Makatsch embodies Hildegard Knef
This 2009 film by Kai Wessel is a positive surprise. Based on her best-selling autobiography "Der geschenkte Gaul / The Gift Horse" (1970), he illuminatingly describes the ups and downs in the life and extraordinary career of the actress, singer and best-selling author Hildegard Knef (1925-2002).
It begins in Berlin in 1966. Hildegard Knef returns to Berlin in triumph. As a now extremely successful pop singer, she wants to give a concert in the sold-out Philharmonic Hall. Burning with stage fright, she thinks back to her beginnings in the last years of the war. And then they all appear in this extraordinary film produced by Judy Tossell and Jens Meurer, the companions of their lives.
Growing up with her mother (Johanna Gastdorf) and grandfather (Michael Gwisdek), the very young Hilde (Heike Makatsch) already has ideas about a career as an actress. And she manages it too: Accepted by her acting teacher Else Bongers (Monica Bleibtreu), she ends up at the UFA in Babelsberg, plays her first small roles, gets to know her first lover, the ardent National Socialist TOBIS boss Ewald von Demandowsky (Anian Zollner), plays theater (Schlosspark-Theater) under Boleslaw Barlog (Sylvester Groth) and has her first appearances as a singer with Ricci Blum (Roger Cicero). In the post-war period, Hildegard Knef met her first husband Kurt Hirsch (Trystan Pütter) and filmed the sensational hit "Die Mörder sind unter uns / The Murderers Are Among Us" for the newly founded DEFA, which made the young actress a star overnight. Although successful producer Erich Pommer (Hanns Zischler) strongly advises the enthusiastic Hilde to stay in Germany and with the newly re-emerging film industry, Hollywood beckons in the form of David O. Selznick (Gone with the Wind). Completely wrong decision! German superstar Hildegard Knef is left out in the California sun. This is another way to get rid of unwanted competition. Only with Erich Pommer's help is she able to return to Germany, where Hilde becomes a scandalous celebrity as "Die Sünderin / The Sinner" (1951) under the direction of Willi Forst (Hary Prinz). Her nude appearance (only a few seconds), filmed in the heath village of Bendestorf, attracts at least 7 million viewers to the cinemas. Under the direction of Anatole Litvak (Jeroen Willems), the Hollywood career also works out. "Decision Before Dawn" (1951) was shot in Germany and nominated for an Oscar as Best Film of the Year. Afterwards, Hildegarde Neff, as she is now known internationally, shoots with Tyrone Power (Courier to Trieste) and Gregory Peck (Snow on Kilimanjaro). And she also took Broadway by storm in 1955: as Ninotchka in the musical "Silk Stockings." But Hilde wouldn't be Hilde if she didn't mess up again. After success comes another crash. In England she meets her second husband David Cameron (Dan Stevens), who is still married. When she unexpectedly received the gold film ribbon for Best Supporting Actress for "The Man Who Sold Himself" (1959), she was back on top. But when the tabloid press finds out that David Cameron is still married, she ends up on the black list as an "adulteress." A role offer from Fritz Lang fell through, I would have loved to see her as Marion Menil in "The 1000 Eyes of Doctor Mabuse" (1960)!!! What a pity! But the good thing is: Hildegard Knef reflected on her talents as a singer, became a successful chanson author and celebrated triumphs as a star that the German-speaking world had never seen before.
Heike Makatsch does an extraordinary job as Hildegard Knef. Her playing, her singing, everything is fabulous! She's becoming a knef! Furthermore, it is very gratifying that this film also serves as a worthy memorial to the singer Roger Cicero (1970-2016), who unfortunately died far too early. Through his songs he made swing popular again in German-speaking countries. His performance with "Women Rule the World" at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki will never be forgotten.
What a wonderful film! Of course, it doesn't hurt if you familiarize yourself a little with Hildegard Knef's life story beforehand. But even without having read The Gift Horse, you can enjoy this extraordinary film to the fullest.
