Smog (1973 film)
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| Smog | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Wolfgang Petersen |
| Music by | Nils Sustrate |
Release date | 1973 |
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
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Smog is a German television film by Wolfgang Petersen, released in 1973.
Plot[edit]
The first day, Elvira Rykalla prepares her husband's breakfast, she cleans the dirty windows of his car and then she goes to work. Her child is restless and cries a lot. The doctor suspects a cold. However, the measuring stations report a sulfur dioxide concentration above 1 mg/m³, so that smog alert level 1 is declared. This initially involves recommendations, but no binding requirements for industry, transport or private households. Life goes on as usual. Mr. Grobeck, director of the fictitious industrial group Globag, has his chauffeur drive him to work every day, and in the evening there is a football match of MSV Duisburg. When several footballers (Bernard Dietz is mentioned by name) collapse on the field out of breath, the match is not interrupted despite the doctor's advice. However, football fans leaving by car should only leave one at a time in order to even out air pollution.
On the second day, the situation worsened: sulfur dioxide values rose to more than 2 mg/m³ in some areas of the Ruhr area. The news reports smog in the Ruhr area, which is mainly the result of an unfavorable inversion weather situation. There is not enough wind to carry the exhaust gases from the cities of the Ruhr area. The Smog Warning Service Board in Düsseldorf finally proclaims Smog Warning Level 2, after speculation that Smog Warning Level 1 would be lifted. Level 2 prohibits the use of private cars in the affected area. Detours around the Essen exclusion zone are set up and the ensuing traffic chaos claims the first fatalities. It is assumed that the cause of death was partly due to smog, although to avoid panic. Demonstrations erupt outside the Globag factory, as the factory was the last green zone in the Ruhr area to be built. Mr. Grobeck warns the people present at the measuring stations of the consequences that possible incorrect measurements of the values could have for them. He wants to prevent his factory from having to stop production.
On the third day, the wheels of the Ruhr area come to a halt and the streets are largely empty, although unreasonable drivers in restricted areas continue to argue with the police. Only highways around restricted areas are congested. Accidents happen again and again, but there are also serious injuries and deaths that can only be transported with difficulty. Hospitals are overrun with people with respiratory problems. A movie studio has to halt filming because overwhelmed hospitals need the studio as an emergency hospital. At Globag, factory management becomes embroiled in an argument with protesters, part of which takes place on camera. The atmosphere is tense on both sides. Meanwhile, Elvira Rykalla worries about her baby's health and goes to the hospital. First she is rejected, but then she can stay. Here the child is examined by a Bundeswehr chief medical officer called in to provide support and a respiratory illness is discovered - whether due to typical childhood illness or smog cannot be determined.
On the fourth day, the newspapers are crammed with obituaries, occupying eight times the usual space. The entire Essen district is still a restricted area, but scientists can give the green light and the crisis management team sees the measures coming to an end soon, even if the weather conditions change. In fact, it's cool and the wind is picking up. Sulfur dioxide concentration drops rapidly in a very short time, so politicians can lift the Level 2 smog warning. It's hard for satisfied decision makers to sum up the days. The exact number of deaths cannot be determined - what is certain is that, unlike the London smog disaster in 1952, it is extremely low - nor can one speak of a specific failure in the answer to the smog problem at the time. Life goes on, with lines of cars, smoking chimneys and planes polluting the air. Only the Rykalla family has to face something dramatic: their baby has died of respiratory disease.
Cast[edit]
- Marie-Luise Marjan : Elvira Rykalla
- Wolfgang Grönebaum : Franz Rykalla
- Heinz Schacht : Opa Rykalla
- Michaela Henner : Andrea Rykalla
- Hans Schulze : Herr Grobeck
- Doris Gallart : Frau Grobeck
- Edda Pastor : Fräulein von Schulz
- Wolff Lindner : Stettner
- Rudolf Jürgen Bartsch : Engelbrecht
- Wilfried Szubries : Timpe
- Konrad Horschik : Plötz
- Alf Pankarter : Steinbrück
- Jakob Gröblighoff : Villarcik
- Jürgen Hilken : Schwind
- C. W. Koch : a presenter
- Hajo Jahn : a presenter
- Hans Werner Conen : a reporter
- Gisela Marx : a reporter
- Werner Sonne : a reporter
- Hermann Lause : Dr. Beiersdorf
- Tana Schanzara : a woman at the window
- Egon Hoegen : a radio announcer
Shooting[edit]
The shooting took place from mid-October to mid-December 1972 at the WDR studios in Cologne. The exterior shots were taken in Essen, Oberhausen, Gelsenkirchen, in the north of Duisburg around the ThyssenKrupp factories (districts of Beeck, Marxloh, area of the former Als Alsum district), in Düsseldorf, Cologne and in Cologne Bonn Airport.
References[edit]
Externals links[edit]
- Smog at IMDb
- Smog at filmportal.de
fr:Utilisateur:80.214.30.211/Brouillon
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