🎬 The film “Der Pfarrer von St. Pauli” will be shown today at the Metropolis movie theater in Hamburg in the presence of the “real pastor”

The film “Der Pfarrer von St. Pauli” will be shown at the Metropolis movie theater (Kleine Theaterstraße 10, 20354 Hamburg) on March 10, 2024 at 5 pm. The classic film conveys the zeitgeist and atmosphere of the 1970s in Hamburg’s Kiez district. Key scenes were filmed in the church of St. Joseph on the Große Freiheit. Curd Jürgens embodies the pastor of St. Pauli very sympathetically in the leading role.

This will be followed by an on-stage interview with the “real pastor of St. Pauli” Karl Schulz. Biographical, theological and socio-political topics will play a role.

“You’ve risen from all the stink – now we’re docking our ship again,” sang Udo Lindenberg in 1990 about the Reeperbahn, which was making a comeback at the time. Resurrection is part of the history of St. Pauli. Even today, the neighborhood needs a resurrection, because Corona had hit the nightlife district in the heart. “The clubs had to close at eleven o’clock,” says Karl Schultz. “But that’s when life starts here. Many didn’t even open. And not all of them will survive.”

Karl Schultz has been the parish priest at St. Joseph, Große Freiheit No. 43 since 2010. The Catholic church was consecrated in 1723 and is part of the neighborhood legend. His book contains many interesting biographical stories. But it is not a whimsical collection of anecdotes. Karl Schultz takes a stand on the issues affecting the church today – a pious man on a sinful mile. The book cover and foreword are by Udo Lindenberg.

His book “Zwischen Kirche und Kiez – Ansichten eines Pfarrers” (English translation: “Between church and neighborhood – views of a pastor“), published by Rowohlt in 2022, is the basis of this conversation.

The film “Der Pfarrer von St. Pauli” (English title: “The priest of St. Pauli“) by director Rolf Olsen, is available in a new 4K scanned and Full-HD restored version on the label U8 Films Berlin by UCM.ONE in cooperation with moviemax. Quoted biblical passages are of a more ethical nature and make it clear that Johannsen (Curd Jürgens) is an exceptional character who also has to endure conflicts with his “superiors”. The crime film is set in the heart of Hamburg’s trendy St. Pauli district.

Summary

World War II: Submarine captain Konrad Johannsen (Curd Jürgens) finds his ship in serious distress after an enemy attack. In desperation, he prays to God. He promises that if he survives this mess, he will dedicate his life to God and become a priest. Over two decades later, Pastor Johannsen has completed his transformation into a clergyman and quickly becomes a fixture in the neighborhood, quickly capturing the hearts of those stranded there.

However, when he is drawn into a murder conspiracy by the confession of a petty criminal, the neighborhood gangsters fake compromising recordings of the clergyman, who is then transferred to a remote North Sea island. But the underworld and the church superiors have not reckoned with the intrepid determination of the former submarine captain…

More information about the movie: The Priest of St. Pauli

More information about the film label: U8 Films Berlin