Das Luftschiff

I have seen this film ("The Airship") at a one-time screening in Amherst, MA, and I say without the slightest hesitation that it is a masterpiece, not only this director's best film, but one of the best two or three films to come out of East Germany. The parallel stories-- of the obsessive would-be airship inventor who sacrifices everything for a dream that always eludes him, and the story of his grandson, who goes looking for the old man in the chaos of post-WWII Berlin-- are equally compelling, though perhaps the boy's often soulful journey will resonate with a wider audience. All in all, the film is a metaphor for artistry, for all the talents and geniuses who never find an outlet to express themselves (a situation often familiar enough to the serious filmmaker)--either because of an oppressive society or because social and moral problems tend to be ignored by the individualist, consumed by the search of self-expression.

This is truly Rainer Simon's triumph and an essential contribution to European art cinema. Personally, I continue to be struck by Simon's affinity to his West German contemporary Herzog (it might even be seen as a more complex and successful version of what Herzog was trying to do in his recent film "Invincible"). I was overjoyed to have had the opportunity to see it and I only hope that it will find its way to DVD and commercial availability, which is happening to some of the director's other films.