Figure 1.--Here we see Pünktchen und Anton playing together. They are wearing their summer play clothes.

"Punktchen und Anton" is an Austrian film made in 1953. It is about a rich girl and a poor boy who become fast friends and get involved in stopping a crime. The film is based on a famous children's novel by Erich Kastner that tells the story from the point of view of the children. Punktchen, the nickname for Annaliese, is the neglected daughter of a wealthy surgeon who is reduced to begging because her parents pay little or no attention to her. She becomes the close friend of Anton, who comes from a poor family and who works to support his ailing mother. The children are about 10 or 11 years old. Punktchen's family disapproves of their daughter's friendship with a boy of a lower social class until Anton helps prevent the robbery of their house and gains favor with them. A later version of the film was released in Germany in 1999. The film was directed by Thomas E. Engel. Punktchen was played by Sabine Eggerth and Anton by Peter Feldt.

Filmology

"Pünktchen and Anton" is a based on a popular German children's book. It was a joint German-Austrian production, shot in Austria. The film was directed by Thomas E. Engel. I am not sure to what extent Kastner collaborate with the production. Nor are we sure why the setting was shifted from Berlin to Austria. It may have to do with the financing of the production.

Erich Kastner (1899-1974)

The film is based on a famous children's novel by Erich Kastner Erich Kastner was a famous German writer of children's stories. He is probably best known for his book Emil and the Detectives. He was popular both in Germany and other countries as well. He was drafted at the age of 17 and was apauled both by the brutality of German military training as well as the War itself. Thus he became a life-long pacifist and as the NAZIs appeared on the political landscape, anti-NAZI. Most of his best books were published during the Weimsaar era. He did flee Germany after the NAZI takeicer (1933). Her had his mother to care for and he wanted to chronicle what was happening in Germany. The Gestapo interrogated him, but did not arrest him because he was not involved in active resistance. His books were burned and he was not allowed to publish during the Third Reich. The NAZIs objected to his pacifism. He survived the War, probably because he was able to get out of Berlin before the Soiviet assault. He returned to writing after the War. He was never able to fit into West German society, especially after the German Economic Miracle. He objected to the remilitarization of West Germany. True to his pacifism, he coinsidered militarization a greater threat to Germany than the Soviet threat. He was active as a writer during the post-War period, but is modstly remembered for the children's books he wrote during the Weimar era.

The Book

Pünktchen and Anton is a children's novel written by Erich Kästner. The book was published in 1931. It was set in Berlin.

Setting

The film is set in Vienna.

Chronology

The film was made in 1953. It has a contemporary setting with shots filmed outside, giving us a view of scenes and fashions during 1953.

Characters

The children are about 9 - 10 years old. Pünkchten is the daughter of a rich surgeon and a socialite mother, who neglects her. Pünkchten is the nickname for Annaliese, The family lives in a large house, and the girl wears fashionable clothes at home. Her friend, Anton, is the son of an ailing and poor mother (the father is deceased), who must work late after school to help his parent, who is in financial straits.

Cast

Pünktchen was played by Sabine Eggerth and Anton by Peter Feldt.

Plot

The film is about the close friendship between two children of different classes in the late 1940s or early 1950s in Austria. A rich girl and a poor boy who become fast friends and get involved in stopping a crime. The film follows Kastner's book that tells the story from the point of view of the children. Pünktchen is the neglected daughter of a wealthy surgeon who turns to begging and singing. She disguising herself as a poor girl. For this purpose she wears what she considers a poor girl's clothing, The whole idea is to help her friend Anton and his mother. She becomes the close friend of Anton, who comes from a poor family and who works to support his ailing mother. The children get into trouble when Anton cannot resist stealing a gold cigarette lighter with which he hopes to relieve the poverty of his mother. Pünktchen's family disapproves of their daughter's friendship with a boy of a lower social class until Anton helps prevent the robbery of their house and gains favor with them.

Costuming

Pünktchen wears prim dresses which seems approprisate for a wealthy little girl in 1953. Anton wears shirts and short pants. Anton wears knee siocks. The image here shows him wearing knee socks (figure 1). Anton is is a poor boy, but notice that this is not apparent from the image here. By the 1950s the class differences once detectable in clothing were disappearing. For this reason, Kastner's story does not fil well in a post-World War II setting. Long stockings were still worn in the 1950s, especially the early 50s, but were raspidly gong out of style. I believe they were being seen by the 1950s as rather old fashioned and were probably most common among less-fashionable working class and rural families. A reader writes, "Anon does not wear long stockings. Austrian boys often wore long stockings with short trousers in the 1950s throughout the year, but this was declining in the 1950s." The most prominent feature of Pünktchen's poor girl costume is brown long stockings into which she has deliberately cut large holes. This is the way she imagines poor girls dress. An interesting feature of Punkchten's disguise is the Leibchen that she wears--a sleeveless undershirt with reinforcements over the shoulders and down the front and back with four elastic garters attatched to hold up the stockings. She already has this garment in her wardrobe. The Leibchen is clearly shown in the movie and is the kind of garment also worn by boys. (Another example of the same underwear is shown in anoother film, "Aimee and Jaguar").

Remake (1999)

The original film was released in 1953, then it was restored in 1969 in the black and white original version. A remake produced in Germany was issued in 1999. The 1999 as is the case of most remakes was inferior. The story was upodaed with modern costuming. I have always woindered if modernizing the setting and costuming increased the appeal of classic stories to children. I can undrstand that color filming appeakls to modern children, butWe are less sure about modern settings and costuming. The 1953 version (in black and white) is the classic version.

Created: 3:58 PM 5/14/2007
Last updated: 2:45 PM 8/10/2009