Figure 1.-- Here are the three Bertini boys (Cesar,Roman, and Ludwig) in their Hamburg flat. This is 1933 and they are showing interest in the room where their Christmas presents and the room with the decorated tree is locked up so they will be surprised on Christmas morning. Notice Cesar's brown sweater which zips half way down his chest and the dark gray short trousers and gray long stockings. This shows the older boys before they begin to attend their gymnasium (secondary school). They are represented here as being about 12 and 11 years old. Their younger brothef Ludwig is only about 8 at this point.

There are quite a number of characters as the series as it covers the Bertini family saga over about a 50-year perod, including two World Wars. Giacomo Bertini and his Swedish wife Emma decide to stay in Hamburg. Rudolph Lehmbe marries the young Jewish girl Recha Seelmann. Then flash forward 20 years. The two families fate is conected when Alf Bertini, Giacomo's son, falls in love with Lea, Rudolph's daughter, and the two marry. The characters include the three Bertini boys (figure 1). We meet Cesar, the oldest boys, at the age of 13 years. At the same time Roman is 12, Ludwig is about 9 or 10. The three boys are played respectively as boys by Till Dunckel (Cesar), Sebastian Eble (Roman) and Aslak Maiwald (Ludwig). Older teenagers subsequently play them as during the World War II era.

Created: 7:58 PM 12/20/2008
Last updated: 7:58 PM 12/20/2008