A Touch of America - DVD

Content: The Second World War is over, but its effects can still be felt and seen every day. This is also the case in the small town of Kaltenstein in Rhineland-Palatinate. Here, the American occupiers are not only seen as saviors and bringers of peace. While the mayor's daughter Erika (Franziska Brandmeier) in particular sees the Americans as a great chance to escape small-town life, the family of her best friend, the farmer's daughter Marie Kastner (Elisa Schlott), sees things quite differently. It's bad enough that her dog falls victim to an exploding unexploded bomb of the occupying forces and the Americans ruin the family's harvest with their tanks. Then her father (Aljoscha Stadelmann) is also supposed to cede his land to the Americans. But the family's financial situation forces the girl to put her anger and dislike behind her and accept a job on the base. Here she not only learns a whole new view of the world, but also develops feelings for the soldier George Washington (Reomy D. Mpeho), who suffers from constant discrimination. Of course, her fiancé Siegfried (Jonas Nay), who has returned from war captivity, doesn't like this - but this is where Marie's problems really begin.

The six-part mini-series "A Touch of America" tells the story of two friends who take two completely different paths in life in post-war Germany. On the one hand, Marie, who comes from humble beginnings and finds access to a whole new world through her new job and forbidden love for George. On her way there, she succeeds more and more in emancipating herself and gaining a strength that she will need to dare the all-decisive step into a new life in the end. On the other side is Erika, who outwardly enjoys life, but is so caught up in the conventions of her time that she ultimately threatens to break.

You can tell that the miniseries has been approached with quite a bit of passion and good intentions here. The set is really great and the topics that are dealt with here are unfortunately still very current. But unfortunately the script gets lost again and again in clichés, in plot twists that seem too contrived and in dialogues that sound like recited calendar sayings. Again and again it lacks the necessary naturalness, whereby also exactly the authenticity is lost, which was built up so carefully by equipment and costumes.

Bespecially negatively all this makes itself felt with the relationship between Marie and George. The great love that develops between them just isn't felt. It all seems too "acted" to be believable. The actors and actresses can't be blamed for this, though. The ensemble is absolutely convincing and does its best to play against the weaknesses of the script. Only, unfortunately, this does not always succeed.

"Ein Hauch von Amerika" is entertaining despite everything, even if it comes in the course of the six episodes to some lengths and tough moments, where gladly the scissors could have been applied. Those who like elaborately staged German TV dramas with a historical touch will undoubtedly get their money's worth here. And therefore, despite all justified criticism, there is also a decent: worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The image of the DVD offers in addition to a decent overall sharpness also still a coherent color scheme, which is particularly noticeable in the brighter Auenaufnahmen very positive. Contrasts are well matched and no real weaknesses are apparent. All in all, the whole thing is like the rather unspectacular Dolby Digital 2.0 mix on a good TV level.

Extras: On the first DVD there are as a bonus about 25 minutes of interviews with cast and director. The whole thing has a very strong promo character and unfortunately never really goes into depth. Who wants to know more about the production, but at least gets some info supplied.

Conclusion: "A Touch of America" tells a partly rousing story full of topicality, which is, however, repeatedly stifled by clichés and too thickly applied moments. The convincing ensemble and a coherent set, however, provide some consolation for the dramaturgical weaknesses of the multi-part series. The DVD presents the six episodes in good picture and sound quality. The bonus material, consisting of promotional interviews, remains too superficial to offer any really interesting insights into the production. Those who like German TV dramas with a historical flavor will definitely get their money's worth here. Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp