Marianne and Juliane

Marianne and Juliane
German film poster
Die bleierne Zeit (Germany)
Directed byMargarethe von Trotta
Written byMargarethe von Trotta
Produced byEberhard Junkersdorf
StarringJutta Lampe
Barbara Sukowa
Release date
  • 1981 (1981)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryWest Germany
LanguageGerman

Marianne and Juliane (German: Die bleierne Zeit; lit. "The Leaden Time"[1] or "Leaden Times"[2]), also called The German Sisters in the United Kingdom,[3] is a 1981 West German film directed by Margarethe von Trotta. The screenplay is a fictionalized account of the true lives of Christiane and Gudrun Ensslin. Gudrun, a member of The Red Army Faction, was found dead in her prison cell in Stammheim in 1977. In the film, von Trotta depicts the two sisters Juliane (Christine) and Marianne (Gudrun) through their friendship and journey to understanding each other. Marianne and Juliane was von Trotta's third film and solidified her position as a director of the New German Cinema.

Marianne and Juliane also marked the first time that von Trotta worked with Barbara Sukowa. They would go on to work on six more films together.

  1. ^ Brockmann, Stephen (2010-01-01). A Critical History of German Film. Camden House. ISBN 9781571134684.
  2. ^ Sloan, Jane (2007-03-26). Reel Women: An International Directory of Contemporary Feature Films about Women. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9781461670827.
  3. ^ Clarke, David (2006-01-01). German Cinema: Since Unification. A&C Black. ISBN 9780826491060.