Zuckerbaby (1985)

Director:

Percy Adlon

Writers:

Percy Adlon (writer)
Gwendolyn von Ambesser (additional writer)

Release Date:

1 October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

In a large city lives a lonesome, 38-year old woman. Without friends, she has indulged in food and candy too much and has become a bit overweight...

Plot Keywords:

Outsider | Obesity | Subway | Train

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Marianne Sägebrecht	...	Marianne
Eisi Gulp	...	Huber
Toni Berger	...	Mortician
Manuela Denz	...	Mrs. Huber
Will Spindler	...	Train Conductor
Hans Stadlbauer	...	Train Conductor
Meret Burger	...	Girl in the Train
Werner Zeussel
Christiane Blumhoff
Dietrich Kerky
Peter Weiß
Michele Tichawsky
Paul Wuerges	...	Himself - Leader of his Combo

Also Known As:

Sugarbaby

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:11 | UK:15 | West Germany:12 (w)

Filming Locations:

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR)

Movie Connections:

Remade as Babycakes (1989) (TV)

Very sad and funny German relationship comedy

The German 1984 comedy "Zuckerbaby" ("Sugarbaby") is the debut film of American director and German resident Percy Adlon who became famous with his following productions like like "Out of Rosenheim" (1987) and "Rosalie goes shopping" (1988), all of them featuring actress Marianne Saegebrecht. In this very sad, bleak but also very touching Bavarian comedy Saegebrecht plays a lonely, over-weight woman in the big city of Munich in her late thirties who works as an udertaker. Her life consist of her sad work, watching TV and eating loads of sweets and cakes. One day, she's falling in love with the voice of a subway driver (played by popular comedian Eisi Gulp), announcing the train stations. She stalking him until he falls in love with her, but their intense romance is only short-lived.

Together with Doris Doerrie's "Maenner" ("Men"), released the same year, "Zuckerbaby" was a blueprint for the very popular German movie genre of the "Beziehungskomoedien" (relationship comedies) in the eighties and nineties. It is shot in a typical colorful 1980's neon style, reflecting the bright lights and loneliness of modern life in the big cities. There are not much dialogues, and the real conversations only start with the beginning of the romance in the middle of the film. There is also a creepy, sad atmosphere of death, loneliness and the longing for love, but the movie works perfect as a human drama as well as a campy love comedy.

The actors are doing a great job, and the minimal harmonica tunes in the background are adding a great atmosphere to the picture. By the way, "Zuckerbaby" was a famous German Rock'n'Roll song from the fifties by Peter Kraus which is constantly played during the movie. If you want to watch one of the best German films of the eighties, "Zuckerbaby" is a good example to recommend.