BASED ON THE ACCLAIMED NOVEL
THE TOWER: TALES FROM A VANISHED LAND
The Complete Television Miniseries Arrives on DVD November 4
“The Tower reminds us that the slogan “the personal is political” applies more than ever in a world where privacy has all but vanished, and any intrusion can be justified in the interests of security.”
- Stephen Holden, THE NEW YORK TIMES
“‘The Tower’ offers solid performances and stories that hold interest. The film laudably manages the brave feat of delivering characters of imperfect character.” - Doris , FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL
Source: Music Box Films
Chicago, IL (October 9, 2017) THE TOWER, a sweeping, monumental look at the decline of Communist East Germany in the 1980s as seen through the eyes of one privileged suburban family, makes its North American home entertainment debut from Music Box Films Home Entertainment as a two-part television miniseries.
Directed by Christian and based on Uwe acclaimed novel The Tower: Tales from a Vanished Land, which won the 2008 German Book Prize and was heralded by the German national weekly newspaper Die Zeit as “one of the most important books of European post-War literature,” THE TOWER casts its gaze on the Hoffman family of suburban Dresden. But even for the cultivated few living in the villas of Dresden’s noble suburbs, the growing cracks in their repressive police state’s façade begin to take their toll in 1982.
Under pressure against increasingly tense climate and the secret police lurking around, the Hoffmann family make difficult choices with unsettling repercussions. As the 1980s come to a close and East Germany’s citizens publicly clamor for more freedom (arriving in the form of the Peaceful Revolution of 1989), the Hoffmann family must come to terms with the lives they’ve lived and have been forever changed.
This November, Music Box Films Home Entertainment will release the complete German television broadcast version of THE TOWER on DVD as a two-part miniseries on November 4, 2017.
An epic production of the highest order—richly detailed, outstandingly acted and smartly directed—THE TOWER is an unflinching portrait of a pivotal time in modern German history and an indispensable examination of a society staggering towards its end.
More information on THE TOWER can be found on the MUSIC BOX FILMS website at http://www.musicboxfilms.com/thetower
Synopsis – The Tower:
A searing look at Communist East Germany in its final decade, The Tower reveals the intimate realities of life behind the Berlin Wall. Based on Uwe acclaimed novel The Tower: Tales from a Vanished Land, which won the 2008 German Book Prize and was heralded by Die Zeit as “one of the most important books of European post-War literature”, this riveting series introduces viewers to respected senior surgeon Richard Hoffmann, his wife Anne, their teenage son Christian, and their community of privileged intellectuals in suburban Dresden.
Their story unfolds in 1982, when the cracks in the repressive police state’s façade are beginning to surface. Despite the restrictions, the educated few still enjoy some advantages under the system. ‘The ‘ gather often with family and friends for warm dinner parties rich with derisive political banter, live classical music, and spirited discussions, holding out for a better future. But even as Richard has high hopes and strict demands for studious Christian, he hides a passionate double life and shocking secrets that come back to haunt him. Against this tense climate of fear and mistrust, with the secret police lurking ominously in the background, choices are made and actions taken that have devastating repercussions. Starring Jan Josef (The Baader Meinhof Complex) and Claudia Michelsen (Fay Grim) in flawless performances, The Tower is an unflinching portrait of a pivotal time in modern German history.
THE TOWER
Music Box Films Home Entertainment
DVD RELEASE DATE: November 7, 2017
Pre-book Date: October 3, 2017
Director/Writer: Christian
Cast: Jan Josef , Sebastian , Claudia Michelsen, Nadja Uhl
Running Time: 180 min.
Format: 16:9 widescreen
Sound Format: Stereo
Rating: NR
Country: Germany
Language: German with English subtitles