Very few books in the history of the Federal Republic have been read by more people than ‘When Hitler Stole the Pink Rabbit’, written by the German-British writer Judith Kerr. First published in this country in 1973, the young adult novel is based on the author’s childhood experiences as a refugee from the Nazis of Jewish descent.
The book has been a permanent part of the curricula of most schools here for decades. There is no better way to introduce children in an age-appropriate way to the horrors of Nazi rule and the persecution of Jewish citizens at that time. After the book was adapted for television in 1978, Oscar winner Caroline Link (“Nowhere in Africa”) followed in 2019 with a strong film adaptation. This stays pleasantly close to the original, but still seems surprisingly current given the refugee situation in Europe.
“When Hitler stole the pink rabbitYou can stream it starting today as part of your flat-rate subscription to Amazon Prime Video.
If you’d like to read the original book and/or the two sequels after seeing the film, you can also find them on Amazon:
This is the story of “When Hitler Stole the Pink Rabbit”
Berlin in the spring of 1933: nine-year-old Anna Kemper (Riva Krymalowski) and her slightly older brother Max (Marinus Hohmann) live with their parents and housekeeper Heimpi (Ursula Werner) in a beautiful villa in the heart of the German capital. The children enjoy going to school and have a lot of fun with their friends there. But then suddenly everything has to happen very quickly.
The girl must pack a suitcase in which she can store only a few items of clothing, two books and toys. She chooses her beloved pink cuddly rabbit and the teddy bear, because otherwise they would be inconsolable. Shortly afterwards she is on the train to Switzerland with her mother Dorothea (Carla Juri) and Max. Her father, the journalist Arthur (Oliver Masucci), had secretly disappeared a few days earlier and is waiting for her there.
Although she misses Berlin, Heimpi and her rabbit, the little one quickly gets used to the new environment. Because Arthur can no longer even find a buyer for his anti-Nazi articles in Switzerland, the family’s money quickly runs out. So the Kempers move on to Paris, where they live in a shabby servants’ attic and have to start all over again. And this time Anna doesn’t even understand the language of her new classmates…
Honesty and emotional authenticity in front of and behind the camera
Certainly, little Anna’s story is sad, almost heartbreaking. But it also shows how love and family solidarity can provide strength and hope, even in the worst situations. The official FILMSTARTS review states with four out of five stars: “A successful adaptation of the classic children’s book into a moving family film that does not overwhelm or frighten even younger cinema fans.”
Just like Judith Kerr in her novel, director and co-screenwriter Caroline Link took great care in the film adaptation not only to expect too much from her smaller audience, but above all not to disturb them emotionally. Like the parents in “When Hitler Stole the Pink Rabbit” with their children, Link is always open and honest with the audience about the dangers and horror of the situation. Yet she succeeds leaving the story with a certain innocence and playfulness and even a certain amount of humor.
A great help to the filmmaker was her excellent cast. In addition to the usual beautiful “Dark” and “Schachnovelle” star Oliver Masucci as father and the nuanced Carla Juri (“Wetlands”) as mother A special mention deserves Riva Krymalowski in the role of Anna. It is amazing how natural, how believable and how moving the then newcomer acted in front of the camera. Krymalowski carries the work almost exclusively on her narrow shoulders for a long time, but always remains confident and authentic.
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