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Der sanfte Lauf

BR Deutschland 1966/1967 Spielfilm

The Easy Way Out

Bernhard works as a warehouse clerk in Munich. After being sentenced to probation for a physical altercation with a right-wing extremist, he could no longer continue his engineering studies. Bernhard meets Johanna. She comes from a well-to-do family; her father is a real-estate developer and her brother is in the diplomatic service. Bernhard wants to share his roots with her, so the two go to Prague, where he lived until the end of the war. But her father disapproves of the trip to the Eastern bloc. When Bernhard finds out that he owes his chance to develop new technology, which led to his career advancement, to his girlfriend’s father, he is upset …

The film is a story of the "sanfter Lauf" (gentle course) of social assimilation and cautiously critiques its coerciveness. Referencing the "new wave" in Czech cinema, both stylistically and with its pensive, critical attitude, the film shows clear sympathy for the people in Bernhard’s circle who refuse to pull their weight. At the same time, the swinging syncopation of the jazz soundtrack and a thematic "Jazz in the Movies" poster done by avant-garde graphic artist Hans Hillmann provide aesthetic counterpoints to economic stability.

Source: 66. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)

 

Credits

Director

  • Haro Senft

Screenplay

  • Haro Senft
  • Hans Noever

Director of photography

  • Jan Čuřík

Editing

  • Thurid Söhnlein

Music

  • Erich Ferstl

Cast

  • Bruno Ganz
    Bernhard Kral
  • Verena Buss
    Johanna Benedikt
  • Wolfgang Büttner
    Richard Benedikt
  • Lia Eibenschütz
    Gertrud Benedikt
  • Hans Putz
    Wolf Kamper
  • Dany Mann
    Susanne Kamper
  • Jan Kačer
    Stefan
  • Nina Diviškowa
    Vera
  • Vladimír Hlavatý
    Professor König
  • Peter Höfer
    Alfred Reichert

Production company

  • Haro Senft Filmproduktion (München)

Producer

  • Haro Senft

Alle Credits

Director

  • Haro Senft

Assistant director

  • Siegfried Hofbauer

Screenplay

  • Haro Senft
  • Hans Noever

Director of photography

  • Jan Čuřík

Assistant camera

  • Oldřich Hubáček
  • Jiri Polák

Set design

  • Gabriel Pellon

Make-up artist

  • Christine Viertel

Costume design

  • Christine Viertel

Editing

  • Thurid Söhnlein

Assistant editor

  • Michaela Berchtold

Sound

  • Paul Schöler
  • Klaus Eckelt

Music

  • Erich Ferstl

Cast

  • Bruno Ganz
    Bernhard Kral
  • Verena Buss
    Johanna Benedikt
  • Wolfgang Büttner
    Richard Benedikt
  • Lia Eibenschütz
    Gertrud Benedikt
  • Hans Putz
    Wolf Kamper
  • Dany Mann
    Susanne Kamper
  • Jan Kačer
    Stefan
  • Nina Diviškowa
    Vera
  • Vladimír Hlavatý
    Professor König
  • Peter Höfer
    Alfred Reichert
  • Rolf Ederer
    Direktor Burckhardt
  • Ralf Gregan
    Joe Vielhaber
  • Lutz Hochstraate
    Klaus
  • Hans-Dieter Asner
  • Gerhard Wollner
  • Henning Harmssen
  • František Smolík
  • Olga Kennleitner
  • Hans Noever
  • Gabriele Esche
  • Klaus Wübben
  • Ado Riegler
  • Wilhelm Grasshoff
  • Ernst Kuhr
  • Manfred Fürst
  • Robert Klupp
  • Armand Gurian
  • Hans-Thilo Theilen
  • Hans Ohly
  • Robert Azderball
  • Klaus Dierig

Production company

  • Haro Senft Filmproduktion (München)

Producer

  • Haro Senft

Unit production manager

  • Hans von der Heydt

Location manager

  • Josef Hadrawa
  • Csaba von Ferenczy
Duration:
2423 m, 89 min
Format:
35mm
Video/Audio:
s/w, Ton
Censorship/Age rating:

FSK-Prüfung (DE): 03.04.1967, 37172, ab 16 Jahre / feiertagsfrei

Screening:

Uraufführung (DE): 25.05.1967, Bremen, Gondel

Titles

Additional titles
  • Originaltitel (DE) Der sanfte Lauf

Versions

Original

Duration:
2423 m, 89 min
Format:
35mm
Video/Audio:
s/w, Ton
Censorship/Age rating:

FSK-Prüfung (DE): 03.04.1967, 37172, ab 16 Jahre / feiertagsfrei

Screening:

Uraufführung (DE): 25.05.1967, Bremen, Gondel

Awards

1968
  • Bundesspielfilmprämie
Source-URL: https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/der-sanfte-lauf_ea43d4a78a7a5006e03053d50b37753d