''Reunion'' is a 1989 British dramatic film based on the 1971 novel of the same name by

Fred Uhlman Fred Uhlman (19 January 1901 – 11 April 1985) was a German-English writer, painter and lawyer of Jewish origin. Biography Fred Uhlman was born in Stuttgart, Germany, into a prosperous middle-class Jewish family. He studied at the Universities ...

, directed by

Jerry Schatzberg Jerry Schatzberg (born June 26, 1927) is an American photographer and film director. Career Schatzberg was born to a Jewish family of furriers and grew up in the Bronx. He photographed for magazines such as ''Vogue'', '' Esquire'' and '' McCalls ...

from a screenplay by Harold Pinter. It stars

Jason Robards Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill, Robards received two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the Cannes ...

. The film was released in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

under the title ''L' Ami Retrouvé'' and in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

as ''Der wiedergefundene Freund''. The story is centred on the "enchanted friendship" of two teenagers in 1933 Germany. Hans Strauss (Christien Anholt) is the son of a Jewish doctor and Konradin Von Lohenburg (Samuel West) is from an aristocratic family. The background is the rise of Nazism. Jason Robards plays the older Hans in the 1970s as he prepares to travel to Germany for the first time since the 1930s. The film was shot on location in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, New York and Stuttgart. ''Reunion'' was nominated for a Golden Palm at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot

American lawyer Henry Strauss (Robards) is preparing to return to Germany for the first time since he left in 1933 following

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

's rise to power. He is seeking to renew an "enchanting friendship" of his youth with aristocrat Konradin Von Lohenburg (West). Strauss was the son of a Jewish doctor and the friends did not see that around them the rise of

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) i ...

would lead to their separation. Their travels together and philosophical discussions against the elegant background of 1930s Stuttgart form the main part of the film, told in flashback. The older Henry's search for his childhood friend leads to a startling revelation as he discovers what became of Konradin after Hitler took power.

Cast

as Henry (formerly Hans) Strauss, as an old man *

Christien Anholt Christien Alexis Anholt (born 25 February 1971) is an English stage, television and film actor best known for portraying Nigel Bailey in the television series '' Relic Hunter''. His earlier notable film roles include Marcellus alongside Mel Gib ...

as Hans Strauss, as a young man *

Samuel West Samuel Alexander Joseph West (born 19 June 1966) is an English actor, narrator and theatre director. He has directed on stage and radio, and worked as an actor across theatre, film, television and radio. He often appears as reciter with orche ...

as Count Konradin von Lohenburg * Françoise Fabian as Countess von Lohenburg, Konradin's mother * Jacques Brunet as Count von Lohenburg, Konradin's father *

Bert Parnaby James Bertram "Bert" Parnaby (4 March 1924 – 30 July 1992) was a British actor who was notable for a string of TV and Film roles from the 1960s through the 1980s. His TV roles included performances in ''Blackadder'', ''By the Sword Divided' ...

as Dr. Jakob Strauss, Hans' father *

Barbara Jefford Mary Barbara Jefford, OBE (26 July 1930 – 12 September 2020) was a British actress, best known for her theatrical performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Old Vic and the National Theatre and her role as Molly Bloom in the 19 ...

as Frau Strauss, Hans' mother *

Shebah Ronay Shebah Ronay (born 1972, London) is a British actress, known for her brief film and television career from 1989 to 1998, including, '' Reunion'' (1989), ''Hollyoaks'' (1995–1996) and ''The Man Who Cried'' (1993). She is married to artist Jonath ...

as Countess Gertrud, as a young woman * Dorothea Alexander as Countess Gertrud, as an old woman *

Maureen Kerwin Maureen is a female given name. In Gaelic, it is Máirín, a pet form of ''Máire'' (the Irish cognate of Mary (given name), Mary), which is derived from the Hebrew Miriam (given name), Miriam. The name has sometimes been regarded as corresponding ...

as Lisa, Henry's daughter * Frank Baker - The Zionist * Tim Barker as Zimmermann, a teacher * Imke Barnstedt as Girl in Tax Building * Gideon Boulting as Prince Hubertus * Alan Bowyer as Bollacher *

Rupert Degas Rupert Joel Degas (born 17 August 1970) is an Anglo-Australian actor. He is best known for his voice work in animation and audiobooks. Since the 1980s, he has worked in audiobooks, film, podcasts, radio productions, television, theatre, and vid ...

as Muller *

Robert Dietl The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

- Gardener at Old Grafin's * Nicholas Pandolfi as Reutter * as Judge Freisler on TV

Critical reception

*'' Time Out'' said of the film - "This moving rendition of Fred Uhlman's novel, about boyhood friendship betrayed under the destructive momentum of Nazism, shows Schatzberg at his (albeit limited) best." "Harold Pinter's tight and unobtrusive script, Trauner's fine production design and Philippe Sarde's muted but expressive score ensure a feeling of all-round professionalism." *''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' said "'Reunion' is gratifying in the small ways most familiar from public-television's depictions of English upper-class behavior. The offhanded elegance of its settings, and the attractive crispness of its schoolboy manners ("Oh, he just rants and raves, doesn't he?" one of the film's cavalier young characters says about Hitler) are a major part of its gently decorative appeal." *

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

said "Nothing in Schatzberg's filmography makes the heart leap, but this film - adapted by Pinter from an autobiographical novel by Ulman - stands out above the rest. It's a quietly decent film that takes place primarily (via a flashback) in the early 1930s."

Notes

External links

* * *
Presentation of the film by Jerry Schatzberg
Festival Lumière, October 2013 {{Pinter 1989 films 1980s buddy drama films 1989 drama films British buddy drama films French drama films West German films 1980s English-language films English-language French films English-language German films Films directed by Jerry Schatzberg Films scored by Philippe Sarde Films set in Germany Films set in West Germany Films set in 1932 Films set in 1933 Films set in the 1970s Films with screenplays by Harold Pinter 1980s British films 1980s French films