German Cinema: Buddenbrooks

Home » What's On Glasgow West End: cinema, clubs, theatre, music, events, festivals, community and more » Cinema » German Cinema: Buddenbrooks

Thursday 26 June, 2025 6 p.m.

Goethe-Institut Glasgow, 3 Park Circus Glasgow G3 6AX

Framed by impressive documentary footage from the Lübeck harbor, the silent first film adaptation of Thomas Mann’s 1901 novel focuses on several episodes from the literary original, especially the fates of the siblings Thomas, Christian, and Tony Buddenbrook. As the eldest son, Thomas leads the business of the long-established merchant family. Not without reservations, the Senate of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck entrusts him with the handling of a large grain trade. If delivery is not made on time, a high penalty could be imposed, which could mean ruin. Thomas’ younger brother Christian, more of a bon vivant than a businessman, is then called back into the company by their mother; a decision that proves economically fatal. Their sister Tony, meanwhile, is married against her will to the shady insurance agent Bendix Grünlich, while Thomas marries Gerda, the daughter of the respected merchant family Arnoldsen; a liaison that is supposed to pay off for both families.

Germany 1923 | Director: Gerhard Lamprecht | Screenplay: Alfred Fekete, Luise Heilborn-Körbitz, Gerhard Lamprecht based on the novel by Thomas Mann | 106 mins | Feature Film | Cast: Peter Esser, Mady Christians, Alfred Abel, Hildegard Imhoff, Mathilde Sussin, Franz Egénieff, Ralph Arthur Roberts

Picture credit: Film still of Buddenbrooks
Filmmuseum Berlin – Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek
Alfred Abel, Charlotte Böcklin, Ralph Arthur Roberts (left to right)

More information: Goethe-Institut Glasgow Event Page.

Book tickets – free event