Das Geräusch rascher Erlösung

The Sound of Fast Relief
After a flirtatious encounter, a young man finds it difficult to organise the hoped-for reunion with the object of his desire. Calls remain unanswered and he is left with only a drink, his bed and images of soldiers in combat to fill his inner void. Meanwhile, the boundaries between imagination, reality and dream dissolve, and a cinematic chess game ensues in which queer identity is pitted against patriarchal violence.
One of Wieland Speck’s first works enshrines much of what would go on to inform his decades-long work as Panorama curator: to understand courage and imagination as a political opportunity to develop a space for alternatives in a heterosexualised world. Zazie de Paris as a hostess and Kurt Hübner in the role of an officer provide the film with its sharp sense of irony.
by Wieland Speck
with Reiner Hirsekorn, Andreas Bernhardt, Kurt Hübner, Jan Willem Tellegen, Eschi Rehm, Zazie de Paris, Claudio, Bernd Hildenbrand, Leffy Flamingo, Réné, Wolfgang Bott, Walter Schörling, Andreas Richert, Peter Wolz
Germany 1982 German 28’ Colour

With

  • Reiner Hirsekorn (A)
  • Andreas Bernhardt (B)
  • Kurt Hübner (Officer)
  • Jan Willem Tellegen (Partisan Leader)
  • Eschi Rehm (Guardian)
  • Zazie de Paris (Landlady)
  • Claudio (Bartender)
  • Bernd Hildenbrand (Partisan)
  • Leffy Flamingo (Partisan)
  • Réné (Partisan)
  • Wolfgang Bott (Partisan)
  • Walter Schörling (Equestrian)
  • Andreas Richert (Soldier)
  • Peter Wolz (Soldier)

Crew

Written and Directed by Wieland Speck
Cinematography Wieland Speck
Editing Wieland Speck
Music Eschi Rehm, Robert Görl, Jo Schablowsky
Sound Design Wieland Speck
Sound Jo Schablowsky
Art Director Wieland Speck, Jo Schablowsky
Make-Up Detlef Pleschke
Assistant Director Jo Schablowsky
Location Manager Jo Schablowsky
Producers Wieland Speck, Walter Schörling, Andreas Richert

World sales

Speck & Schörling Filmproduktion

Produced by

Speck & Schörling Filmproduktion

Wieland Speck

Born in 1951, he grew up in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany but has lived in Berlin since 1972. He studied German, theatre studies and ethnology at the Freie Universität Berlin. In 1974, he founded the mann o mann publishing house which published material on male and gay emancipation. He created video works and also appeared as an actor and performer. Between 1979 and 1981, he studied film at the San Francisco Art Institute. In 1982, he became assistant to programme head Manfred Salzgeber and provided curatorial support for the Panorama section. In 1992, he became programme head himself and in 2017 consultant of the Official Programme of the Berlinale. He lectures at the Freie Universität and at film schools and has been a jury member and programme consultant for numerous international film festivals.

Filmography

1980 David, Montgomery und ich; short film; Panorama 1981 Bei uns zuhaus - Chez Nous; picture video installation 1982 Das Geräusch rascher Erlösung (The Sound of Fast Relief); short film; Panorama 1985 Westler 1988 Safer Sex Promotion; 6 videos 1991 Zimmer 303; short film 1994 Unter Männern (Among Men); short film retro 2000 Flucht ins Leben/Escape to Life - Die Erika und Klaus Mann Story (Escape to Life: The Erika and Klaus Mann Story); co-director: Andrea Weiss; Neue Deutsche Filme 2009 Berlin Off/On Wall; video installation

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2019