A journey through four decades of popular culture that spans a broad musical arc, but also reflects on "entertainment" and ideology.
Composer Michael Jary and lyricist Bruno Balz were the most productive and successful duo in German-language pop and cinema for over 40 years. Their songs such as "Ich weiß, es wird einmal ein Wunder gescheh'n" and "Davon geht die Welt nicht unter" (both 1942) made Zarah Leander a musical world star. The 250 films to which she contributed music range from elegant comedies of the Weimar period to ambivalent melodramas in the Third Reich and films in the years of the economic miracle. "Im Schatten der Träume" tells the story of the eventful lives of the two artist friends - two biographies that could themselves provide the script for a melodrama. As a gay man, Balz was persecuted by the Nazi regime and only escaped the concentration camp through the intervention of Jary, who stated that without his lyricist he would not have been able to deliver the songs required by the Ministry of Propaganda for the film "Die große Liebe" (1942).
Director Martin Witz combines scenes from well-known feature films with private photographs, rare interviews and memories of contemporary witnesses. Experts such as music historian and entertainer Götz Alsmann explain the stories behind the creation of the world-famous songs and films in a knowledgeable and profound way - and why the music of Jary and Balz is so astonishingly timeless.
A journey through four decades of popular culture, spanning a wide musical arc with swing, cheeky Berlin chansons and love songs, but also critically reflecting on "entertainment" and ideology in a political and social context.
Switzerland/Germany 2024, 90 minutes, FSK 12
Directed & written by Martin Witz
With Götz Alsmann, Manfred Herzer, Micaela Jary, Claudio Maniscalco, Rainer Rother, Klaudia Wick, Bibi Johns, Carol Schuler (vocals)
