Under the Pavement Lies the Strand

Under the Pavement Lies the Strand (German: Unter dem Pflaster ist der Strand) is a 1975 West German black and white drama film directed by Helma Sanders-Brahms. This low-budget film was her first feature film.[1] Prior to making the film, Sanders-Brahms had little to no distinct contact with the women's rights movement.[2]

Under the Pavement Lies the Strand
DVD cover
Directed byHelma Sanders-Brahms
Produced byHelma Sanders-Brahms
Eckart Stein
Written byHeinrich Giskes
Grischa Huber
Helma Sanders-Brahms
Narrated byHelma Sanders-Brahms
Music byWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
CinematographyThomas Mauch
Edited byElfie Tillack
Production
company
Helma Sanders-Brahms Filmproduktion GmbH
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen
Release date
14 January 1975
Running time
106 minutes
CountryWest Germany
LanguageGerman

Plot

The film deals with the aftermath of the 1968 student rebellions in Germany as experienced by two fervent participants. Though the country experienced sweeping reforms in the years following, two radicals-turned-successful Berlin stage actors and lovers are grappling with their growing insignificance and the demands of adulthood. After a night of intense debate about the past and their future, the couple begins garnering support to fight a new abortion bill. However, their rekindled zeal is soon complicated by an unexpected pregnancy.

Cast
  • Grischa Huber as Grischa
  • Heinrich Giskes as Heinrich
  • Ursula von Berg as Berlin Woman
  • Gesine Strempel as Berlin Woman
  • Traute Klier-Siebert as Berlin Woman
  • Barbara Finkenstädt as Berlin Woman
  • Heinz Hoenig
  • Günter Lampe

Release

The film was released on DVD by Facets Multi-Media in 2008.[3]

Reception

Wendy Ellen Everett and Axel Goodbody, the editors of Revisiting Space: Space and Place in European Cinema, wrote that this film "became a cult film in the German feminist movement."[1] The film's main actress and actor won the Deutscher Filmpreis (Filmband in Gold) in 1975[4] and it was recently called one of Sanders-Brahms' best films by Salon critic Andrew O'Hehir.[5] PopMatters critic Stuart Henderson has also referred to the film as a "revelation" and a "fascinating and important film."[6] The Philadelphia City Paper stated that the film was "hailed" as a "cult film for the feminist movement" and noted that it is still being screened in repertory cinemas[7] and it has also been called a "film still of vital interest."[8]

References
  1. "Helma Sanders-Brahms: Film and National Identity" (Editors' Introduction). In: Everett, Wendy Ellen, and Axel Goodbody (editors). Revisiting Space: Space and Place in European Cinema (Volume 2 of New Studies in European Cinema, ISSN 1661-0261). Peter Lang, 2005. ISBN 3039102648, 9783039102648. p. 157.
  2. Möhrmann, Renate. Die Frau mit der Kamera. Carl Hanser Verlag, 1980. ISBN 3446131604, 9783446131606. S. 145. (in German)
  3. "Under the Pavement Lies the Strand". Facets Multi-Media. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  4. "Unter dem Pflaster ist der Strand". Film Portal (in German). Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  5. O'Hehir, Andrew (2 February 2011). "DVDs You Should Have Seen — But Didn't: Beat the Winter Blahs!". Salon. Retrieved 31 December 2013..
  6. Henderson, Stuart (11 September 2008). "Under the Pavement Lies the Strand". PopMatters. Retrieved 31 December 2013..
  7. "Repertory Film". Philadelphia City Paper, p. 44. 19 March 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  8. "Under the Pavement Lies the Strand". Kinowelt International. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
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