Falco : Verdammt, Wir Leben Noch!

[Mark Tolch]

Released By: Strand Releasing
Released On: 04/19/2011
Director: Thomas Roth
Cast: Manuel Rubey, Nicolas Ofczarek, Christian Tramitz

The Film:

Sure, it's fashionable to be a fan of 80's music now. But back in the year 1985, having a Falco record carried the same social stigma in some circles as….herpes. Love him or hate him, though, Falco was a massive pop star first in Austria and then America, and was more than the one-hit wonder that people perceive(d) him to be. After a string of hits, peaking with 1985's album “3”, Falco faded into relative obscurity, only to step briefly into the spotlight again in 1998 with his mysterious death in a car crash in the Dominican Republic. Despite his stardom, relatively little was known about Hans “Falco” Holzel. Thankfully, Writer/Director Thomas Roth has brought the life story of Falco to film in the form of Falco : Verdammt, Wir Leben Noch! (Dammit, we're still alive!)

Briefly documenting the beginning of young Hans' musical career, the film opens with the future pop star playing classical piano at a recital in Austria, a display of the gift that would determine his path in life. Suffering from a difficult home life, with a controlling mother and an unfaithful father, Hans escapes reality by skipping school and going to the movies with his friend, Billy. Flashing forward to 1978, we see Hans, now as a teenager, playing in a band behind the local stadium, with an affinity for David Bowie, The Beatles, and other English-speaking musical groups. The seeds of his success are planted in these conversations about his musical idols; why do the German-speaking bands of the day insist on emulating English groups?

After a brief stint in the almost-punk band Drahdiwaberl, Hans reinvents himself by adopting the name of German skier Falko Weisspflogg, cutting his hair, donning a flashy suit and fedora, and dedicating himself to German-language pop music. Another flash forward to 1981, and we see Falco playing before larger crowds, now with his familiar hiccupy-baritone rap style that would later sell millions of records all over the world. Unfortunately, even though the crowds are coming out to see him, the record companies and DJs are still not convinced; until Falco's first single, “Der Kommissar” (later covered in English by After The Fire) reaches #1 in Germany.

Following his initial success, Falco treads the path walked by many stars before him, and takes to drugs, booze, and women like a man possessed. Creatively spent and distracted by his vices, his next album, “Young Romans” sells moderately, but isn't the hit that the record company is hoping for. Falco compensates for his disappointment by drowning himself in more cocaine and whiskey, and ultimately the label decides to bring in successful Dutch songwriters and producers Rob and Ferdi Bolland. They come up with a novelty song in the form of “Rock Me, Amadeus”, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Thomas Roth's script for the film contains just the right amount of factoids and creative flourishes to keep the story interesting for the majority of the running time. After his huge breakthrough in America, Falco's failed marriage, continued substance abuse, controversies and epic decline in popularity are covered in great detail. Roth also suggests that, though it has been somewhat disproven, that Falco's death was a booze and drug-fuelled suicide, a controversial yet more tabloid-esque theory. The most impressive thing about the this movie are the performances; Manuel Rubey, channeling both Johnny Depp and Heath Ledger, not only looks the part of the late pop star, but also sounds just like him, performing most of the musical numbers in the film. Roth's attention to detail in the music is also worth noting, as he recreates Falco's videos from “Der Kommissar”, through the controversial “Jeanny”, all the way up to 1995's bizarre nod to Colombian marching powder, “Mutter, der Mann mit dem Koks ist da” (Mother, The Man With the Coke is Here). The film slows a bit towards the very end as we see the cycle of Falco's abuse, but the repetition only reinforces his commitment to self-destruction. With predominantly German-speaking actors and English subtitles, Falco has an authenticity lacking in most biopics.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Falco comes to DVD from Strand Releasing in a 1.78:1 anamorphic aspect ratio, and the film looks great for the most part. Earlier scenes from the film documenting his childhood in Germany come across as drab and uninspired, while later scenes contain bright flourishes of colour and good, strong black levels. There are some mild interlacing issues, but nothing too drastic. The Dolby Digital 2.0 track could've been made a little stronger with some surround during the musical performances, but is still more than adequate with good bass response and dynamic range.

A Trailer for the film, as well as 4 trailers for other Strand titles are included as extras.

The Final Word:

An interesting look at what happens when pop stars go bad, Falco has some fantastic performances and is definitely worth seeing.

[Mark Tolch]

Steve gave this 3 out of 4 paws. He found that it slowed down a lot toward the end, but the fact that they were speaking his mother-tongue (German) made him feel strangely close to his Daschsund roots.