Sehnsucht

Short Summary (English)

Ena lives on a remote Lusitanian farmstead. She is engaged to Mathias, a farmer. One night, in the middle of a thunderstorm, the hydraulic engineer Sieghart appears at her door, saying his car has stuck in the mud. They fall in love, but Ena decides to go ahead with her marriage to Mathias. She has not been able to conceal her feelings from her husband-to-be, however: At the eve-of-wedding party he forces Ena and Sieghart to join him on a murderous ride in a horse-drawn carriage, which plunges into a lake. Mathias' body is never found. Ena marriages Sieghart and moves with him to Paris, where he has a post at an international hydraulics institute. She remains hauntes by memories, and eventually returns to the lake where the accident occurred - in the hope of liberating herself from Mathias.

Film Crew

Director

• Jürgen Brauer

Script

• Jürgen Brauer

Scenario

• Jurij Koch

Camera

• Jürgen Brauer

Film Editing

• Erika Lehmphul

Cast

• Ulrike Krumbiegel (Ena)
• Ulrich Mühe (Sieghart)
• Thomas Büchel (Mathias)
• Martin Trettau (Großvater)
• Katharina Lind (Enas Mutter)
• Benno Mieth (Braschka)
• Thomas Bading (Kollege)
• Dieter Rutnowski (Kollege)
• Wolfgang Kotissek (Musiker)
• Günter Wolfram (Musiker)
• Werner Kreiseler (Siegharts Vater)
• Manfred Thal (Siegharts Bruder)
• Eva Schäfer (Hotelwirtin)
• Lenka Noack (Sängerin)

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Assistant Director

• Evelyn Schmidt (geb. Rauer) (Assistenz-Regie)

Assistant Camera

• Peter Bernhardt
• Waltraut Pathenheimer

Production Design

• Georg Wratsch

Script Editing

• Andreas Scheinert
• Manfred Hocke

Music

• Ralf Hoyer

Sound

• Gerhard Baumgarten
• Wolfgang Staab
• Konrad Walle (Tonmischung)

Musical Performance

• Susanne (Klavier) Stelzenbach
• DEFA-Sinfonieorchester (Leitung: Manfred Rosenberg)

Costume Design

• Christiane Dorst

Make-Up

• Kurt Adler
• Deli Köthke

Props

• Jörg Danneberg

Production Management

• Gerrit List

Unit Production Management

• Dieter Anders
• Dieter Albrecht

DEFA Photography

• Waltraut Pathenheimer

Short Summary (German)

Ena lebt auf einem abgelegenen Hof in der Lausitz. Sie ist mit dem Bauern Mathias verlobt. In einer regnerischen Nacht bleibt der Wasserbauingeneur Sieghart in der Nähe des Hofes mit seinem Auto liegen und findet bei Ena Unterschlupf. Sie verliebt sich in Sieghart, will jedoch mit Mathias die Ehe schließen. Am Polterabend zwingt Mathias die beiden zu einer Kutschfahrt, die mit einem Unfall und dem Verschwinden von Mathias endet…

Short Summary (Other Languages)

Ena, una contadinella che vive in una sperduta fattoria della Lausitz, è fidanzata con il contadino Mathias. In una notte di tempesta, la ragazza offre riparo a Sieghart, un ingegnere idraulico rimasto a piedi con la sua auto. I due s'innamorano, ma Ena decide di sposare comunque Mathias. La sera prima delle nozze, accorgendosi dei sentimenti che Ena nutre per Sieghart, Mathias costringe i due a una micidiale corsa in carrozza, che si conclude con un incidente nel lago. Persa ogni traccia di Mathias, Ena sposa Sieghart e si trasferisce con lui a Parigi. Martoriata dal ricordo dell'ex fidanzato, Ena deciderà di ritornare a quel lago, sperando di staccarsi definitivamente da Mathias. (Italienisch)