Englad, I dont think anyone quite knows what to say to that.
Perados, not being or speaking german I still dont know what heidewitzka herr kapitän means or what the song is about. Listening to it didnt leave me much the wiser.
I am also curious what people in Germany think about the nazi period now.
The point of the scene in 'cabaret' is that the heroes of the film, an english gay guy, an american lass who likes to party and a German bisexual aristocrat are merrily having fun together (yes) and are out in the country when they come across this charming picnic or beer garden in a pretty village, all very nice and harmless. And then the hitler youth start singing, and then everyone joins in. Our heroes quietly leave. Its the change of something glorious into something ugly.
The clip of the song with the puppets has Thatcherite conservative politicians singing , with the heroes played by a couple of labour politicians. The old man from the original version who is the only person who does not join in with the singing is possibly meant to be a war veteran who has seen how this is all going to end. He is played by a puppet of Ted Heath, former conservative prime minister of an earlier generation who brought Britain into the EU. Incidentally, himself a british officer in WW2.
It was a stunningly apt portrayal of the conservative party. but I think the 'spitting image' TV program from which it comes was made during the period Britains had a conservative government of these people. In that sense the clip did not accurately portray Britain because the country was quite divided betwen those who supported the tories and those who opposed them, but with the tories broadly having more support.
Seeing the clip again now once again draws the comparison between the Nazi and conservative 'England, England above all'. This fanatical part of the conservative party is still there, How's germany doing? I dont think the tories were into overt discrimination against Jews, but they certainly were persecuting and locking up gay men. This is only 20 years ago. Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it.
So what was that about banning certain songs? Is that the first step towards forgetting them and what they meant? I cant believe the conservative are so keen to do it all over again. Just look out there at the bloodbath beginning in europe.
Hey found a German version. or maybe, because i cant tell what the lyrics say.
Der morgige Tag ist mein! - YouTube