The First Polka

Story

Synopsis

The intertwined lives of people of both Polish and German extraction who live on the pre-World War II border between the two countries are explored in this drama. Valeska is the Polish/German matriarch of a family living on the German side of the border. Her son is involved with the Hitler youth, but nonetheless keeps secret the presence on family land of a Jew who is hiding from the authorities. When the son inadvertently kills a soldier to prevent his sister from being raped, he runs away after borrowing money from the Jewish man. When soldiers come to the family's door looking for the missing soldier who had been billeted there, the Jewish man commits suicide. In another episode, one of the family's daughters marries a German soldier in a ceremony presided over by a Polish priest.

Director

Klaus Emmerich

Writers

Helmut Krapp, Horst Bienek

Language

German

Country

Germany

Release date

28 February 1979

Ensemble

Cast

• 

  Maria Schell

  Valeska Piontek

• 

  Ernst Stankovski

  Anwalt Wondrak

• 

  Claus Theo Gärtner

  Feldwebel Metzmacher

• 

  Eva Maria Bauer

  Tante Lucie

• 

  Erland Josephson

  Leo Maria Piontek

• 

  Guido Wieland

  Herr Montag

• René Schell

  Josef Piontek

• Marco Kröger

  Andreas

• 

  Jan Biczycki

  Archpriest Pattas

• Regine Lamster

  Irma