Jan on the Barge
Germany at the end of 1933: 13-year-old Jan, who has lost his mother, grows up with his aunt. He has been in correspondence with his father Karl for a year and finally sets off to meet him in Bitterho…
Jan on the Barge
Germany at the end of 1933: 13-year-old Jan, who has lost his mother, grows up with his aunt. He has been in correspondence with his father Karl for a year and finally sets off to meet him in Bitterholm. His father wants to pick him up at the train station, but he doesn't show up. Nobody opens the door at his father's address and a neighbor suggests that Jan's father has received what he deserves. When Jan realizes that a man he has already seen at the station is following him, he escapes to the nearest police station. There it becomes clear that the man following him belongs to the police. Jan's father is wanted by the police because he is suspected of murdering an SA man on December 16. His trail is lost at the water's edge, where his jacket was found, containing Jan's last letter. Jan returns to his aunt shortly before Christmas, who is now being watched suspiciously in the village as her brother is suspected of being the murderer. Jan's mother was Czech, his father a communist and Jan is therefore considered an outsider by the young people loyal to Hitler. Only the older boy Max, who is in a resistance group and helps persecuted people escape to the East, supports Jan. He is also the one who makes it clear to Jan that his father could not have been a murderer: When the murder took place, his father was not even in the city, but was helping to bring a persecuted man to safety. The SA wanted to cover up a murder in its own ranks and frame a communist. Jan could only tell Hermann, the man on the Zille, more about his fate or whereabouts. As Jan remains skeptical, Max goes against the rules and takes him to the man his father had rescued and hidden in a forest hut near the Czech border. He confirms Max's report. A short time later, the hiding place is surrounded by SA men. The man and Max are shot, while Jan manages to escape. He goes to the Elbe, where he thinks he sees the man described on the Zille. While attempting to transfer to the Zille Erika, Jan's boat sinks and he is pulled onto the barge by the boatman. Jan only regains consciousness days later. Sitting at his bedside is the girl Erika, daughter of the ship owner Wiese, who is loyal to Hitler. The bosun in turn introduces himself to Jan as Martin Liebig, but when asked about Hermann, he states that his name is Hermann Martin Liebig. The ship's crew is considered to be loyal to the line and so the police do not search it in their search for Jan. Wiese, who comes on board later, wants to betray Jan, but Martin makes it clear to him that he and Erika will also be betrayed. Jan remains on board as Martin's supposed nephew, but learns nothing more about his father except that he is a good man. When the mysterious professor comes on board to tutor Erika, Jan thinks he might be able to help him. He has previously heard that Martin is not the wanted man on the Zille and was only pretending to the boy out of pity. The professor, however, seems to have good connections. He is in fact a communist who was turned into an informer by the Nazis. The alcoholic finally gets drunk on board when the Zille is anchored in Magdeburg and threatens to betray everyone on board to the police. The Zille casts off and Jan finally pushes the drunk into the Elbe; the professor drowns. Wiese and Martin want to spread the word that the alcoholic went overboard without the others noticing. Jan ends up confiding in another tugboat he had seen earlier. He turns out to be a contact who takes him to his father on another ship. He ends up traveling back upriver with him.
Jan on the Barge
Drama,War
Film Details
Germany at the end of 1933: 13-year-old Jan, who has lost his mother, grows up with his aunt. He has been in correspondence with his father Karl for a year and finally sets off to meet him in Bitterholm. His father wants to pick him up at the train station, but he doesn't show up.
Nobody opens the door at his father's address and a neighbor suggests that Jan's father has received what he deserves. When Jan realizes that a man he has already seen at the station is following him, he escapes to the nearest police station. There it becomes clear that the man following him belongs to the police.
Jan's father is wanted by the police because he is suspected of murdering an SA man on December 16. His trail is lost at the water's edge, where his jacket was found, containing Jan's last letter. Jan returns to his aunt shortly before Christmas, who is now being watched suspiciously in the village as her brother is suspected of being the murderer.
Jan's mother was Czech, his father a communist and Jan is therefore considered an outsider by the young people loyal to Hitler. Only the older boy Max, who is in a resistance group and helps persecuted people escape to the East, supports Jan. He is also the one who makes it clear to Jan that his father could not have been a murderer: When the murder took place, his father was not even in the city, but was helping to bring a persecuted man to safety.
The SA wanted to cover up a murder in its own ranks and frame a communist. Jan could only tell Hermann, the man on the Zille, more about his fate or whereabouts. As Jan remains skeptical, Max goes against the rules and takes him to the man his father had rescued and hidden in a forest hut near the Czech border.
He confirms Max's report. A short time later, the hiding place is surrounded by SA men. The man and Max are shot, while Jan manages to escape.
He goes to the Elbe, where he thinks he sees the man described on the Zille. While attempting to transfer to the Zille Erika, Jan's boat sinks and he is pulled onto the barge by the boatman. Jan only regains consciousness days later.
Sitting at his bedside is the girl Erika, daughter of the ship owner Wiese, who is loyal to Hitler. The bosun in turn introduces himself to Jan as Martin Liebig, but when asked about Hermann, he states that his name is Hermann Martin Liebig. The ship's crew is considered to be loyal to the line and so the police do not search it in their search for Jan.
Wiese, who comes on board later, wants to betray Jan, but Martin makes it clear to him that he and Erika will also be betrayed. Jan remains on board as Martin's supposed nephew, but learns nothing more about his father except that he is a good man. When the mysterious professor comes on board to tutor Erika, Jan thinks he might be able to help him.
He has previously heard that Martin is not the wanted man on the Zille and was only pretending to the boy out of pity. The professor, however, seems to have good connections. He is in fact a communist who was turned into an informer by the Nazis.
The alcoholic finally gets drunk on board when the Zille is anchored in Magdeburg and threatens to betray everyone on board to the police. The Zille casts off and Jan finally pushes the drunk into the Elbe; the professor drowns. Wiese and Martin want to spread the word that the alcoholic went overboard without the others noticing.
Jan ends up confiding in another tugboat he had seen earlier. He turns out to be a contact who takes him to his father on another ship. He ends up traveling back upriver with him..