Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Der Seewolf" is a German television mini-series from almost 45 years ago. Fittingly, the title character is not the main protagonist of the movie, but the second lead character played by Raimund Harmstorf. No offense to Edward Meeks who was decent too, but Harmstorf's character was just far more memorable. This also shows in the fourth part when he is out of the picture for the most time and this is the weakest part. I rate it 2/5 and parts 1-3 I rate 3/5. The whole thing is basically the story of two men, a ruthless, cold-blooded captain and the main character who works on the captain's ship for the most time. "For the most time" means that, in the final chapter, the action is set on an island and it's just not as atmospheric anymore as before. I have to say, for the most part, I enjoyed watching this and it did not drag really very often which is a good achievement as the total runtime is no less than 6 hours. I also liked the narration and if you are a German native speaker, you will realize that people today are not really talking this way anymore. I recommend watching it and you may have seen Harmstorf also in the films of Bud Spencer if you are as much of a fan of these just like myself. Give it a go if you like seafaring tales or if you simply enjoy impressive character studies. Good job on the writing here also I must say. Thumbs up.
Werner
I was 10 years old when this originally aired almost 40 years ago and i always loved it. This is still one of the finest hours of German (public) TV with a great script (discard the confusions about the mix of stories, i felt that it added something to the core Seawolf Story) and a strong direction. I had the chance to see it again several times and it doesn't have lost anything. None of actors came to any great fame, even R. Harmstorff remained in the shadow of his role until his death, but sometimes the whole is truly more then the sum of its parts. Wolfgang Staudte deserves special praise. It compares well even with todays best provided from HBO.
H-Volke
Admittedly, this film is well done. It narrates the story of a ship under the leadership of Rolf Larssen, a violent, mentally-ill man. When a ship wreckage of another ship happens, the survivors are taken aboard, and the unholy cruise begins. Harmstorf, a bad actor, who in his career was allowed only to play scumbacks, muggers and robbers, does not play Larsson, he is Larson. Once in a while, his furious attacks of mental pain are so real and scary, that the movie gets a realistic touch that goes far beyond imagination. But, it also plays to the gallery by showing a seaman crawling around after his legs having been bitten off by a shark, with all other seamen standing around, cheering and laughing. Although such scene of graphic violence are rare, the movie is not for children. Harmstorf, who committed suicide after a long and drawn-out suffering of Alzheimer, sets down a figure that is so real that we can deduce from that his real nature : a lone, psychopathic man, prone to violence.
