Le Jeune Karl Marx

Das Filmfest is certainly a worthy platform based on the cinema of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In the past, I have often been inspired and have welcomed, for example, a new film by Susanne Wuest or a biography of Egon Schiele. This year I went to see The Young Karl Marx, and I am extremely pleased with the result. The adjective young is very well chosen. The film doesn't continue on the wave of biographies of the moment, in which a mere fraction of this or that person's life is described (see My Week with Marilyn), as it is much closer to the concept of Marie Antoinette without the necessary climax of the queen's execution under the guillotine. The Young Karl Marx delves into the first years after his meeting with Engels and the founding of the Communist Party and culminates in the anticipation of the revolutionary events of 1848. It is devoted to portraying Marx’s personality, learning about his world, his knowledge, his character, his background, his opinions, his opponents, and his supporters. Nowadays, it is very much necessary to go back to the 19th century to understand today in order to know the influences that shaped the explosive upheavals of the 20th century. I would love to see The Young Karl Marx in wider distribution and in subsequent discussions, but I doubt that will happen. (22.10.2017)