Aren't We Wonderful?

The city of Neustadt an der Nitze is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Leipzig. The event is attended by patriotic groups and all of the Kaiser’s faithful citizens. There are even plans for the flight of a hot-air balloon to mark the special day. Fifteen-year-old schoolboys Hans Boeckel and Bruno Tiches intend to smuggle themselves into the balloon’s basket. Boeckel is caught and punished, but Tiches remains undiscovered. Ten years later, Tiches speculates successfully on the stock-market while the working student Boeckel sells newspapers for a living. In 1933, while Tiches wears the Nazi uniform and is enjoying a successful career, Boeckel has lost his job at the.

After the end of the war, Boeckel – in an altered soldier’s coat – exchanges his last carpet for something to eat. Tiches is doing much better as a business magnate, but is attacked in the newspapers by his childhood friend Boeckel – now a journalist – who criticizes his opportunism. Tiches demands that Boeckel revoke his accusations. But for the first time, Boeckel stands his ground… —german films