Angels of Iron

Crime/Drama, Germany 1981

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A highlight of German-German film history, based on the true story of the youth gang around Werner Gladow at the time of the Berlin Airlift. The debut film by writer Thomas Brasch, who moved from East to West Berlin, was entered in the competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1981 and won the 1981 Bavarian Film Award. During the presentation by Franz Josef Strauß, there is a scandal - because Thomas Brasch thanks the GDR film academy on the big stage. Berlin during the airlift in 1948/49. A city in a state of emergency, where the youth gang around Werner Gladow can rob almost undisturbed at times. Gang leader Gladow knows Gustav Völpel, a former hangman, and uses him to maintain contacts with the police in the eastern part of the city. This provides his gang with information on lucrative stolen goods. The police's jurisdiction ends at the sector border, so the gangsters can easily escape. Werner Gladow (Ulrich Wesselmann) becomes an exceptional figure in Berlin's underworld and plays the gangster boss. His most important partner, Völpel, also benefits greatly – until the Berlin Blockade ends and with it the Gladow gang's almost boundless freedom. Crime boss Gladow is betrayed to the police. In 2013, the film was extensively digitally restored with the help of the FFA.
102 min
HD
FSK 16
Audio language:
German

Awards

German Film Award 1981 Film Ribbon in Gold Performances

Further recommendations

More information

Director:

Thomas Brasch

Cast:

Hilmar Thate (Gustav Völpel)

Katharina Thalbach (Lisa Gabler)

Ulrich Wesselmann (Gladow)

Ilse Pagé (Gerti Völpel)

Karin Baal (Lucie Gladow)

Peter Brombacher (Schäfer)

Klaus Pohl (Gabler)

Hanns Zischler (Ridzinski)

Original title:

Engel aus Eisen

Original language:

German

Format:

16:9 HD, B/W

Ratings:

FBW "valuable"

Age rating:

FSK 16

Audio language:

German