Released:
1975-05-15

Overview:
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) was the author of Werther, the romantic novel that was transformed into a play during Goethe's lifetime and which initiated the whole German romantic movement. The book's story tells of young love and suicide. In this East German film, based on a book by Thomas Mann, Lotte (Lilli Palmer) was the woman who served as the model for the heroine in the novel Werther. She comes to Goethe's hometown for a visit, and her experiences there eerily re-create episodes from the book. Goethe comes across as a pompous old bore, and his friends as pandering sycophants, in this very proper communist party-sponsored, anti-heroic movie.

Director:
Egon Günther

Runtime:
2h 5min

Genre:
Drama, Comedy

• Cast:
• 
  Lilli Palmer
  as
  Lotte
• 
  Martin Hellberg
  as
  Goethe
• 
  Rolf Ludwig
  as
  Kellner Mager
• 
  Hilmar Baumann
  as
  August Goethe
• 
  Jutta Hoffmann
  as
  Adele Schopenhauer