Margret’s Corner

The camera observes five women. For 25 years they have sold women’s clothing in a shop in Munich: the junior manager, the senior manager and their three saleswomen. Their customers are women from the neighbourhood.
In the tradition of the German “Heimatfilm.”

“Everything for the lady...lots for the gentleman...” promises the neon writing outside of the little department store. Built into the hillside, the display window shrinks from a normal height to a small slit, which has consequences for the display: on one end, bathing suits and brassieres at ankle-level, in the large windows, a colourful cross-section of the ample assortment. The price tags allure with phrases such as “snappy blouse” or “young skirt”.

Inside, in the middle of an abundance of textiles, which without a doubt fulfil the promise of the neon writing, one meets the five ladies who work together here: Margarethe Dittrich, the senior manager, her daughter Margret, the junior manager and her three salesladies, Mrs. Bartsch, Mrs. Klonder and her daughter Petra.

“The two young men are making a couple studies here”, Margret had always declared to her customers when we appeared with the camera. She quickly made us part of her team and so made our presence possible in many situations. Once in this world, you don’t come back out of it so fast. It wasn’t any different for us than for the ladies from the neighbourhood who came regularly to refresh their wardrobe.

The five ladies, all coming from different directions, met each other in Munich many years ago. If you spend a little time in their shop, you begin to understand why they have never separated since.

Crew

Writer, Director, Sound: Jens Schanze
Camera: Volker Gerling
Production manager: Henning Patzner
Editing advisors: Gisela Castronari, Manuela Stacke
Sound mixer: Gerhard Auer
Graphic designer: Peter Rosenwanger
Production management: Evi Stangassinger
Kindly supported by: Kodak Munich, Geyer Copyworks Munich, FGV- Schmidle, HFF Potsdam
Producer: University for Television and Film Munich

Production Notes

Country: Germany
Year: 1999
Shooting format: 16 mm, colour
Screening format: 16 mm 1x1.37 or Digibeta
Sound: Magnetton, stereo
Running time: 44 minutes