Lindenberg! Do Your Thing - Blu-ray

Film: He is one of - if not THE - most successful rock stars in Germany and one of the country's most important musical personalities: Udo Lindenberg. After his beginnings as a drummer in, among other places, the club of a US airbase near Tripoli, the son of a plumber became known as a singer in the early 1970s. Hermine Huntgeburth traces his sometimes very rocky path behind the microphone and into the charts in the rousing biopic "Lindenberg! Do Your Thing". She focuses particularly - from a few flashbacks to Lindenberg's childhood - on his life in the 1960s.

For Huntgeburth, the film is not only an artist's biography, but also a history of the Federal Republic. And indeed, through elements such as an authentic set, the director provides a good look at life in West Germany in the 1950s and 1960s. Nevertheless, the film is overall a typical biopic that makes use of quite conventional stylistic devices. While this doesn't exactly seem new, it works very well here - as it has in similar works like "Bohemian Rhapsody" or "Walk the Line" - again. This is partly due to the music, of course, but also to the great actors, among whom Jan Bülow as Udo Lindenberg naturally stands out.

The good thing about Bülow's performance is that he captures Lindenberg's essence well, but never comes across as if he were imitating him. With a very distinctive personality like Udo Lindenberg, there was a danger that an acting performance could seem too artificial or, in the worst case, parodically overdrawn. But Bülow confines himself to subtle nuances that have a certain recognition value, but still produce something entirely his own. Bülow, who also sings some of the songs in the film himself, is supported by a consistently convincing ensemble, in which Max von der Groeben in particular stands out positively with a very restrained performance.

You don't have to be a fan of Udo Lindenberg to enjoy this film - although it does help, of course. But "Lindenberg! Mach Dein Ding" is also completely independent of whether you like Lindenberg's music or not, a really rousing and entertaining film, which despite a stately running time of almost two and a half hours has no real lengths. If you like good biopics of interesting artists, you should definitely check this one out: Absolutely worth seeing!

Image + Sound: The brightly colored look of the series comes across well on the Blu-ray thanks to the powerful color scheme and very high image sharpness. Also the contrasts and tuning of the black levels can convince. Dialogue and music set the tone for the sound. And of course, due to the genre, some sound effects provide a good utilization of the surround channels. Thus, the DTS-HD mix sounds pleasantly powerful and atmospheric. Good!

Extras: The bonus offerings start with a very listenable audio commentary by director Hermine Huntgeburth and producer Michael Lehmann. The two talk animatedly about the filming, the mix of set design and visual effects, influences of other biopics, and more. There is also a short promo featurette (approx. 3:58 min.), a music video of Udo Lindenberg's film song "Niemals daran gezweifelt" (approx. 3:47 min.), as well as a clip from the film's premiere (approx. 2:36 min.). Interviews with Jan Bülow, Detlev Buck and Udo Lindenberg (approx. 8:43 min.) as well as the trailer and teaser for the film round off the bonus package.

Conclusion: "Lindenberg! Mach Dein Ding" is a rousing biopic about the early days of a great rock star who continues to shape the music scene in Germany today. Superbly acted and very entertainingly directed, this film is a must-see not only for all Lindenberg fans. The Blu-ray can convince on a technical level, the bonus material is particularly convincing informative audio commentary. All in all a clear: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp