Cult classic film to screen in Whanganui

Angelica Domrose and Winfried Glatzeder in a scene from East German Film The Legend of Paul and Paula.

Whanganui Film Society is offering a mini German festival this winter starting with The Legend of Paul and Paula (Die Legende von Paul und Paula) on Monday.

The 1973 film has been described as a "cult classic" made in East Germany by director Heiner Carow.

According to Wikipedia, The film was extremely popular on release and had drawn 3,294,985 viewers at a time when the German Democratic Republic had a population at the time of around 17 million.

Due to the film's political overtones it was almost not released however East German leader Erich Honecker personally decided to allow it to be shown and it is now considered one of the best-known East German films.

Winfried Glatzeder plays Paul, a married bureaucrat who begins an affair with single mother Paula (Angelica Domrose), and the film has many tragi-comic moments as their romance unfolds.

The screening will be followed by German films Destiny (Der müde Tod) showing on June 19 and Everyone Else (Alle Anderen) on June 26.

Film society president Helen Marie O'Connell says the trio of films are supplied courtesy of the Goethe Institute and screenings will be open to the public as well as Whanganui Film Society members.

The society recently welcomed its 500th member and celebrated with a cake at the last screening on May 29.

"That is our 500th member since beginning five years ago," says Ms O'Connell.

"We are currently at a healthy 125 members for the 2017 season thus far, and with 20 films still to go we will continue to sign members up until the end of year."

The Legend of Paul and Paula screens at Davis Theatre, Whanganui Regional Museum, Watt St, on Monday, June 12 at 7pm. Free admission for film society members and by donation for non-members.