''Alles auf Zucker!'' () is a German

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

, released internationally in 2004. It can be seen as part of the " Ossi- Wessi" confrontation within Germany. Directed by Dani Levy, the cast includes Henry Hübchen, Hannelore Elsner, Udo Samel, Gołda Tencer and Steffen Groth. Director Dani Levy, himself

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish, has made an ironic comedy about modern

Jewish identity Jewish identity is the objective or subjective sense of perceiving oneself as a Jew and as relating to being Jewish. It encompasses elements of nationhood, "The Jews are a nation and were so before there was a Jewish state of Israel" "Jews are ...

in present-day Germany. Henry Hübchen stars as Jaecki Zucker.

Cast

* Henry Hübchen as Jakob "Jaeckie Zucker" Zuckermann * Hannelore Elsner as Marlene Zucker * Udo Samel as Samuel Zuckermann * Gołda Tencer as Golda Zuckermann * Steffen Groth as Thomas Zuckermann * Anja Franke as Jana Zuckermann * Sebastian Blomberg as Joshua Zuckermann * Elena Uhlig as Lilly Zuckermann * Rolf Hoppe as Rabbi Ernst Ginsberg * Inga Busch as Irene * Andreas Herder as Gay male nurse * Renate Krößner * Klaus Wowereit as Himself

Plot and details

Jakob Zuckermann alias Jaeckie Zucker is Jewish. But he says he's got nothing to do with "that club", ever since his mother and his little brother left him behind the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

when he was young. Therefore, when he learns of the death of his mother, he does not care. However he has to care. His younger brother pays him a visit with his family, because according to Jewish tradition, they have to observe the seven-day Shiv'ah period of mourning, and their ''Mamme's'' will requires them to reconcile in the presence of the

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

and the family. If they fail, her assets will be bestowed upon the Jewish community of Berlin, and not them. Most of the scenes were shot at Tegel Airport, Karl-Marx-Allee, Alexanderplatz, Oranienburger Straße and the Jewish Cemetery Weißensee in Berlin. The Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit makes a

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

as himself. Polish actress Golda Tencer does not speak German, even though she spoke her own lines fluently. She had the German text written down on small pieces of paper, hidden in her purse. During the movie she can sometimes be seen looking down into her purse. The soundtrack by Niki Reiser is light and jovial, featuring some '' klezmer'' music as well.

Overview

The movie was co-funded by the television channels

Arte Arte (, , ; ' ('), sometimes stylised in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European Union, European public service Television channel, channel dedicated to culture. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based Europea ...

and the WDR. It is one of the very few movies about German Judaism that does not have the Shoah in the centre, but is a comedy about the crazy twists and turns of fate that befall a family that finds itself again. The two Jewish families are more symbolic of the current problems and past tragedies of the division of Germany between East and West, and how the country and its people are struggling to find to each other again. This division affected every German, regardless of their religion. The film depicts in a comic manner the divisions within Judaism between a secularised Jew from the former GDR who has to reconcile himself with his Orthodox brother from the West. The film has been termed "an audacious, politically incorrect, self-ironical Jewish comedy". It was critically acclaimed in Germany and won a number of awards, most notably the 2005

Deutscher Filmpreis The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the Cinema of Germany, German film industry. Besides being ...

in several categories.

References

External links

*
DVD
at artfilm.ch {{DEFAULTSORT:Alles Auf Zucker! 2004 films Films set in Berlin 2000s German-language films Films about Jews and Judaism 2004 comedy films German comedy films Films directed by Dani Levy Cue sports films 2000s German films Films scored by Niki Reiser