The White Ribbon (2009)
“Das weiße Band – Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte”
Drama, History, Mystery |
The White Ribbon is a black-and-white German-language drama film written and directed by Michael Haneke. The film darkly depicts society and family in a northern German village just before World War I and, according to Haneke, “is about the roots of evil. Whether it’s religious or political terrorism, it’s the same thing.”
The film premiered at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in May 2009 where it won the Palme d’Or, followed by positive reviews and several other major awards, including the 2010 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The memories of an unnamed elderly tailor form a parable from the distant year he worked as a village schoolteacher and met his fiancée Eva, a nanny. The setting is the fictitious Protestant village of Eichwald, Northern Germany, from July 1913 to 9 August 1914, where the local pastor, the doctor and the baron rule the roost over the area’s women, children and peasant farmers.
The puritanical pastor leads confirmation classes and gives his pubescent children a guilty conscience over apparently small transgressions. He has them wear white ribbons as a reminder of the innocence and purity from which they have strayed. When under interrogation, his son confesses to ‘impure’ touching; the pastor has the boy’s hands tied to his bed frame each night. The doctor, a widower, treats the village children kindly but humiliates his housekeeper and also sexually abuses his teenage daughter…
Director: Michael Haneke
Writers: Michael Haneke
Stars: Christian Friedel, Ernst Jacobi, Leonie Benesch, Ulrich Tukur, Ursina Lardi, Fion Mutert, Michael Kranz
►Cast:
| Christian Friedel | … | The School Teacher |
| Ernst Jacobi | … | The School Teacher as an Old Man (voice) |
| Leonie Benesch | … | Eva |
| Ulrich Tukur | … | The Baron |
| Ursina Lardi | … | The Baroness |
| Fion Mutert | … | Sigi |
| Michael Kranz | … | The Tutor |
| Burghart Klaußner | … | The Pastor (as Burghart Klaussner) |
| Steffi Kühnert | … | The Pastor’s Wife |
| Maria Dragus | … | Klara (as Maria-Victoria Dragus) |
| Leonard Proxauf | … | Martin |
| Levin Henning | … | Adolf |
| Johanna Busse | … | Margarete |
| Thibault Sérié | … | Gustav |
| Josef Bierbichler | … | The Steward |
| Gabriela Maria Schmeide | … | The Steward’s Wife |
| Janina Fautz | … | Erna |
| Enno Trebs | … | Georg |
| Theo Trebs | … | Ferdinand |
| Rainer Bock | … | The Doctor |
| Susanne Lothar | … | The Midwife |
| Roxane Duran | … | Anna |
| Miljan Châtelain | … | Rudolf (as Miljan Chatelain) |
| Eddy Grahl | … | Karli |
| Branko Samarovski | … | The Farmer |
| Klaus Manchen | … | The Farmer (voice) |
| Birgit Minichmayr | … | Frieda |
| Sebastian Hülk | … | Max |
| Kai-Peter Malina | … | Karl (as Kai Malina) |
| Kristina Kneppek | … | Else |
| Stephanie Amarell | … | Sophie |
| Bianca Mey | … | Paula |
| Aaron Denkel | … | Kurti |
| Mika Ahrens | … | Willi |
| Detlev Buck | … | Eva’s Father |
| Anne-Kathrin Gummich | … | Eva’s Mother |
| Luzie Ahrens | … | Schoolchild |
| Gary Bestla | … | Schoolchild |
| Leonard Boes | … | Schoolchild |
| Felix Boettcher | … | Schoolchild (as Felix Böttcher) |
| Sophie Czech | … | Schoolchild |
| Paraschiva Dragus | … | Schoolchild |
| Selina Ewald | … | Schoolchild |
| Nora Gruler | … | Schoolchild |
| Tim Guderjahn | … | Schoolchild |
| Jonas Jennerjahn | … | Schoolchild |
| Ole Joensson | … | Schoolchild |
| Gerrit Langentepe | … | Schoolchild |
| Lena Pankow | … | Schoolchild |
| Sebastian Pauli | … | Schoolchild |
| Franz Rewoldt | … | Schoolchild |
| Kevin Schmolinski | … | Schoolchild |
| Alexander Sedl | … | Schoolchild |
| Nino Seide | … | Schoolchild |
| Marvin Ray Spey | … | Schoolchild |
| Malin Steffen | … | Schoolchild |
| Lilli Trebs | … | Schoolchild |
| Paul Wolf | … | Schoolchild |
| Margarete Zimmermann | … | Schoolchild |
| Carmen-Maja Antoni | … | Bathing Midwife |
| Christian Klischat | … | Gendarm |
| Michael Schenk | … | Detective |
| Hanus Polak Jr. | … | Detective |
| Sara Schivazappa | … | The Italian Nanny |
| Marisa Growaldt | … | The Maid |
| Vincent Krüger | … | Fritz |
| Rüdiger Hauffe | … | Workman |
| Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey | … | Farmer |
| Florian Köhler | … | Farmer |
| Sebastian Lach | … | Foreign Harvester |
| Marcin Tyrol | … | Foreign Harvester |
| Sebastian Badurek | … | Foreign Harvester |
| Krzysztof Zarzecki | … | Foreign Harvester |
| Sebastian Pawlak | … | Foreign Harvester |
| Lilli Fichtner | … | Girl at Harvest Feast |
| Amelie Litwin | … | Girl at Harvest Feast |
| Paula Kalinski | … | Girl at Harvest Feast |
| Matthias Linke | … | Band Musician |
| Vladik Otaryan | … | Band Musician |
| Peter Mörike | … | Band Musician |
| Hans-Matthias Glassmann | … | Band Musician |
| Nikita Vaganov | … | Band Musician |
| Mercedes Jadea Diaz | … | Eva’s Sister |
| Simon Pawlowsky | … | Villager |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia