Martin Walser, born 1927, is one of the most famous and most highly reputated contemporary German novelists. He spent his entire life in the Lake Constance region of Southern Germany. This landscape, the people inhabiting it and their mentality are the background of many of Walser's novels. This also applies on his masterpiece "Ein fliehendes Pferd" ("A Horse on the Run"), completed 1978 and first published 1980 - maybe Walser's best novel ever. It was adapted for German public TV under participation of another German novelist, Ulrich Plenzdorf, and filmed in 1984.
A middle-aged married couple, the Halms, spend their holidays, as every year, on the shores of Lake Constance. There, they happen to meet Klaus Buch and his young girlfriend. Klaus Buch is an old, forgotten buddy of Helmut Halm - their friendship dates back to their common time as university students more than 20 years ago. It reveals now, that the two ancient friends have become completely antagonistic individuals: Helmut Halm is now a phlegmatic, melancholic, overweight, frustrated teacher suffering from lack of success in his job and plagued by sociophobic tendencies and deep loneliness at the same time; to that adds his fear of having lost the once soulmate-like connection to his wife whom he calls "the only human being" and who probably is the only person in the world he ever really somehow felt close to. Klaus Buch demonstrates to be an absolutely contrary character: He shows pride of still being able to attract a young, beautiful girlfriend and seems to have conserved a young body and mind - he is sportive, charming, energetic, adventurous and convincing. So, it is little of a surprise, that the appearance of such a Mr. Perfect makes Helmut Halm feel even worse with his supposed loser-life. When Klaus Buch proposes to climb one of the nearby alpine mountains together, Helmut Halm opts for Mount Höchsten instead, which is rather a large, grassy hill. Klaus Buch mocks him for this pathetic and cowardy choice. On the hiking trip, they encounter a horse that has broke free from its pasture. While Helmut Halm is reluctant, Klaus Buch immediately chases and catches it in a cowboy-like manner. So, he is considered to really be some kind of a hero-type guy. This is more than Helmut Halm is ready to bear. He invites Klaus Buch to a sailing trip on Lake Constance in his two-man boat. During the cruise, they get into a heavy thunderstorm and only Helmut Halm makes it back to the shore. Klaus Buch is presumed to have drowned accidentally and his girlfriend stays with the Halms seeking some comfort and company. So, she reveals some details of Klaus Buchs real life: All of his hero-like image is just a lousy arcade and Klaus Buch, contrary to this image, really is mentally broken, depressive and has screwed up his entire life.
This film is really a near-perfect model for how to make a fine movie out of a great novel. The screenplay adaption is a success and the shooting at the original locations wonderful. Best, though, is the cast, which features perfectly selected actors who accurately match their characters - above all famous Vadim Glowna as Helmut Halm.
This is an absolute must-see and I consider it doubtful, if the newly filmed 2007 version will be able to even challenge this masterpiece.
1 out of 2 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink