Cast: Ulrich Noethen, Ben Becker, Heino Ferch, Heinrich Schafmeister, Max Tidof, Kai Wiesinger, Meret Becker, Katja Riemann
Director: Joseph Vilsmaier
Producers: Hanno Huth, Reinhard Klooss, Danny Krausz
Screenplay: Klaus Richter based on a story by Jürgen Büscher
Cinematography: Joseph Vilsmaier
Music: Harald Kloser
U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films
In German with subtitles
The year was 1927. The country was Germany. The musical group was called the Comedian Harmonists. If not for the rise of the Third Reich, many speculate they would have surpassed the Beatles as the most influential musical group of the century. And, even though the Nazis' anti-Semitism squashed the Comedian Harmonists six years into their existence, the group's influence stretched far beyond its life span. On the eve of a new millennium, the work of the Comedian Harmonists is receiving renewed interest. Not only is Miramax Films releasing Joseph Vilsmaier's The Harmonists in North America, but the last few years have seen the openings of two plays about the group ("Band in Berlin" and the Barry Manilow-written musical, "Harmony"), and a number of retrospective CDs are available.
The Comedian Harmonists' musical style - five singers in perfect harmony with a piano accompanist - was not unique (in fact, the group was heavily influenced by The Revellers, an American group of the era), but their approach to entertaining the audience was. The Comedian Harmonists frequently performed popular songs with singular arrangements that relied heavily on comic riffs. The singers also had an uncanny ability to mimic musical instruments. Their rendition of the overture to Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" sounds like it's being played by a small orchestra.
The Harmonists opens in December 1927, when Harry Frommermann (Ulrich Noethen) begins recruiting members for a new a capella singing group. In addition to himself, there are five others: Robert Biberti (Ben Becker), Roman Cycowski (Heino Ferch), Erich Collin (Heinrich Schafmeister), Ari Leschnikoff (Max Tidof), and pianist Erwin Bootz (Kai Wiesinger). After more than six months of rehearsals, they make their public debut and are an instant success. Their fame and popularity spread like wildfire. By 1934, The Comedian Harmonists are known across the world, and they wrongly believe that their fame will spare them from the Hitler's racist policies, even though three members are Jewish. In the end, however, they are banned from performing and half the group must flee Germany or risk being sent to concentration camps.
One of the most fascinating aspects of The Harmonists is the way it dissects German culture during the late-'20s and early-'30s. When the group is assembled, Hitler is just one of many vying for power, and there is no sense that the Jews are in any particular danger. But, as the years pass, the growing tension becomes palpable. Those members of Hitler's staff who enjoy the group's music eventually turn their backs on Frommermann's sextet. Vilsmaier (the director of Stalingrad and Brother of Sleep) makes effective use of the size of the swastika to emphasize this point. In the beginning, it's small and innocuous. By the time of the Comedian Harmonists' final performance in Munich, it has become a huge eyesore - an ominous backdrop to the entire stage.
The Harmonists is not all about the political climate in Nazi Germany. In fact, that's just one aspect of a diverse storyline. We are also presented with sometimes-fictionalized snippets from the six members' private lives. Two of them - Frommermann and Biberti - are in love with the same girl, Erna (Meret Becker). The Aryan piano player, Bootz, is married to a Jewish woman, and, as the tide of anti-Semitism grows, he becomes fearful that his connection with her will place his life and prosperity in danger. And another, Cycowski, convinces his non-Jewish girlfriend (Katja Riemann) to convert so they can be married. Then, of course, there's the music. We are treated to numerous rehearsals and several concerts, with Vilsmaier making liberal use of actual recordings of the Comedian Harmonists.
The cast members do solid jobs. Ulrich Noethen, who plays Frommermann, the film's lead character, shows an aptitude for both comedy and drama (and looks a little like Roberto Begnini). As Biberti, Ben Becker has the most challenging performance -- his role requires him to function as both a friend and an adversary to Frommermann. And Meret Becker (Ben's sister) is more than merely charming as the object of both Frommermann and Biberti's affections. While it's clear that Erna's heart belongs to Frommermann, she is aware that, because he's a Jew, choosing him as a husband could doom her to exile.
The secret to the success of The Harmonists (or any tale of persecution during the Third Reich) is the subtle manner in which the political story is gradually folded into the intimate, individual tales. For a while, it seems as if this is going to be a fairly traditional exposé of the rise and fall of a popular musical group. Only when we delve deeper into the material does it become apparent that the director has a more ambitious agenda, and that agenda makes The Harmonists a satisfying experience.
© 1999 James Berardinelli