September 24, 2004
seen: 4th remake - Emil and the Detectives
Last weekend I saw the the 4th remake of the classic children’s tale, Emil and the Detectives (by Erich Kaestner, 1929). I was expecting to see the original movie (1931), but was delighted to see the most recent version (2000). It had been modified and updated to reflect contemporary society (e.g., single parents, minorities, hip hop soundtrack, skateboarding, cell phones, and parental strife).
It was in German with English subtitles. I saw it at the Goethe Institute in DC. (The quasi-governmental German cultural organization has offices in Chinatown.)
I was drawn to the film because I have a mild interest in Kaestner. I saw an exhibit on him in Berlin about 5 years ago. He was a pacifist, who remained in Germany during WWII, despite the fact that he’d seen his own books burned by the Nazis.
I’d first read (or tried to read) one of his novellas (Conference of the Animals / Die Konferenz der Tiere) many years ago for my high school German class. The story (published in 1949) is illustrated in the most charming manner by Walter Trier, as you can see below (Click on picture to magnify it.):
