Levin Kress

Freddy, a Viennese Jew who emigrated to New York after Hitler's invasion, and Adler, a left-wing intellectual originally from Berlin, return to Austria in 1944 as soldiers in the U.S. Army. Freddy falls in love with the daughter of a Nazi, and Adler attempts to go over to the Communist Zone. But with the advent of the Cold War and continuing anti-semitism, the idealism of both characters is shattered as they find themselves surrounded by cynicism, opportunism, and universal self-deception.

This sociocritical film series in 4 parts is a follow-up to the Alpensaga and depicts the economic and cultural development in Austria after the war. Individual films focus on the themes of individualization and the rise of consume culture as well as the political shift of the dominating social democratic forces from a blue-collar party to more market oriented policies.