The First Polka

The First Polka — Plot

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.

• Release date
• February 28, 1979
• Runtime
• 96 min
• Genres
• Drama
• Director
• Klaus Emmerich

The First Polka — Cast

Maria Schell Valeska Piontek Ernst Stankovski Anwalt Wondrak Claus Theo Gärtner Feldwebel Metzmacher Eva Maria Bauer Tante Lucie Erland Josephson Leo Maria Piontek Guido Wieland Herr Montag

R

René Schell Josef Piontek

M

Marco Kröger Andreas