A man loves his boat more than his girlfriend. She leaves. He builds railways. East German chaos ensues.
Otto Scheidel (Manfred Krug) has been captain of the Elbe steamer Jenissei for over twenty years, but his ship, the last of its kind, is going to be converted into a floating restaurant. Otto, whose his strong attachment to the ship has already cost him his relationship with his girlfriend Caramba (Renate Krößner), refuses to take another job and instead joins a railway construction brigade.
Acting
Manfred Krug's gruff vulnerability anchors every scene
Direction
Zschoche balances absurdity and genuine loss with deceptive ease
Production
The actual Elbe steamer Jenissei, preserved in cinematic amber
Director
Herrmann Zschoche
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made in the final years of East Germany, this captures the era's anxiety about industrial obsolescence before reunification made it literal. The Jenissei was a real vessel.
Manfred Krug defected to West Germany just two years after this film's release, making his portrayal of stubborn loyalty to a crumbling system unintentionally prophetic.
XG
