Emil und die Detektive
Ein
2001 gedrehter Film von
(Materials
for the classroom prepared by Buck Lyon-Vaiden,
The film can be shown alone or after the
original story by Erich Kästner has been read. In the latter case, there
is a table for students to fill out with features of the story which can then
be compared to those in the film. (I have expanded upon a table originally
written by Beverly Harris-Schenz of the University of Pittsburgh.) Before
viewing the film students should read through the “Wie steht’s bei dir?” questions
as an introduction to much of the action encountered in the film. I have divided
the film into nine episodes and I would suggest showing one episode per week.
That way the interest of the students is kept without using almost two full
consecutive weeks of classes. There are content and discussion questions for
the student to see as well as additional questions and observations which
the teacher may use as desired. On this page is also a summary of the action
for each episode. Additionally, there is a table with answers, an extensive
vocabulary, answers to the student questions and suggestions for “Rollenspiele”.
The film can be purchased either as a PAL VHS cassette or a DVD from amazon.de
One advantage of the DVD version is that there are subtitles in German (for
the hearing impaired) which students can view along with hearing the sound
track. There are also numerous behind-the-scenes features of the DVD version.
Cast of Characters
Emil Tischbein…12 year old
main character who lives with divorced dad
Knut Tischbein…Emil’s dad who
is unemployed
Hassouna……….Emil’s classmate
Herr Hummel…...Emil’s teacher
Max Grundeis…..Thief
Frau Hummel…...Herr Hummel’s
widowed sister who is a pastor in Berlin
Gustav…………..Frau Hummel’s
son, nerdy loner
Pony Hütchen…..Leader of
group of kids in
Kebab…………..Member of group,
Türkish breakdancer
Krummbiegel….. Member of
group, only reads comics, speaks comic language
Fee & Elfi……....Members
of group, homeless twin sisters
Flügel…………...Member of group,
athletic & fast runner
Dienstag……….. Member of
group, both parents have careers & are rarely at home
Lotti…………….Dienstag’s dog
Gypsie………….Member of group,
has 13 siblings of Roma family, great story teller