The intertwined lives of people of both Polish and German extraction who live on the pre-World War II border between the two countries are explored in this drama. Valeska is the Polish/German matriarch of a family living on the German side of the border. Her son is involved with the Hitler youth, but nonetheless keeps secret the presence on family land of a Jew who is hiding from the authorities. When the son inadvertently kills a soldier to prevent his sister from being raped, he runs away after borrowing money from the Jewish man. When soldiers come to the family's door looking for the missing soldier who had been billeted there, the Jewish man commits suicide. In another episode, one of the family's daughters marries a German soldier in a ceremony presided over by a Polish priest.
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Cast
30 people
Maria Schell
Valeska Piontek
Known for
White Nights
Superman
Ernst Stankovski
Wondrak
Also in
Radetzky March
The Sweet Pussycats
Klaus Emmerich
Horst Bienek
Lutz Hengst
An Dorthe Braker
Claus Theo Gärtner
Metzmacher
Also in
A Case For Two
Operation Ganymed
Helmut Krapp
Michael Ballhaus
Known for
The Marriage of Maria Braun
Eva Maria Bauer
Lucie
Also in
Die Schwarzwaldklinik
Der König von St. Pauli
Rolf Zehetbauer
Erland Josephson
Leo Maria Piontek
Known for
The Sacrifice
Nostalgia
Klaus Emmerich Director · Helmut Krapp Writer Horst Bienek Author
First release February 28, 1979 · Produced in Germany · Production Neue Deutsche Filmgesellschaft, WDR
Production
Bavaria Film
Production
Neue Deutsche Filmgesellschaft
Production
WDR
Production
Bavaria Atelier
Production
Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Production
Germany
Produced in
Languages
Original title
Die erste Polka
Original language
German
Spoken on screen
German
Release dates
Germany · February 28, 1979
Theatrical
No release date listed for United States.
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Some details come from TheTVDB.