Marianne and Juliane

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Marianne and Juliane
Directed by	Margarethe von Trotta
Produced by	Eberhard Junkersdorf
Written by	Margarethe von Trotta
Starring	Jutta Lampe Barbara Sukowa
Release date(s)	1981 (former West Germany)
Running time	106 min.
Language	German
IMDb profile

Marianne and Juliane is a 1981 film directed by Margarethe von Trotta. Its original German title is Die bleierne Zeit, which can be translated as "the heavy times"; it has also been released in the UK as The German Sisters. The screenplay is a fictionalization of the life of Christiane and Gudrun Ensslin.

[edit] Plot summary

Two sisters, both committed to women's civil rights, fight for the same cause in very different ways. The story is interspersed with flashbacks to the sisters' childhood.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Juliane was a tomboy and ignored her father's request to wear skirts and dresses, while Marianne was a daddy's girl.

Juliane grows up to be a reporter for a woman's magazine, while Marianne becomes a leader of the Baader-Meinhof and commits acts of terrorism. Marianne is arrested, and Juliane visits her in jail whenever she can. Marianne is tried in the media, with Juliane's magazine being the only one to counter the general perception.

When Marianne is reported to have committed suicide in jail, Juliane is convinced that she was executed. Marianne's son is almost killed by burning, and Juliane adopts him.

[edit] Awards

At the 1981 Venice Film Festival, Trotta won the Golden Lion and the FIPRESCI award, while the actresses who played the title sisters tied for Best Actress. In 1982 the film won for Outstanding Feature Film in West Germany, and Trotta received a special award commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Federal Republic of Germany.