Baltic Storm (2003)

User Rating:

3.6/10   

Director:

Reuben Leder

Writers:

Reuben Leder (written by)
Jutta Rabe (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

16 October 2003 (Austria)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

From beyond a watery grave, a story of secrets and lies.

Plot:

A journalist from Berlin, Germany, and a Swedish lawyer discover the truth behind the sinking of the "MS Estonia" in 1994, where more than 850 people drowned.

Plot Keywords:

Ferry | Baltic Sea | Pentagon | Disaster | Press Conference

Cast

Greta Scacchi	...	Julia Reuter
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Erik Westermark
Donald Sutherland	...	Lou Aldryn
Dieter Laser	...	Gehrig
Jürgen Schornagel	...	Jan Peters
Barbara Schöne	...	Ingrid Peters
Rein Oja	...	Captain Arvo Kallas
Herb Andress	...	Juri Roos
Birgit Stein	...	Tiina Ronk
Thure Riefenstein	...	Mika Galt
Francis Fulton-Smith	...	Markus Dackel (as Francis Fulton Smith)
Jürgen Tarrach	...	Gregor Karpatitsch
Andreas Günther	...	Rock Weber (as Andreas Guenther)
Patrizia Moresco	...	Elke Groat
Michael Schreiner	...	Dr. Sergei Raspoff
Jens Neuhaus	...	Ivo Varres
Detlef Bothe	...	Victor Renko
Wolf-Dietrich Berg	...	Captain Valme
Suzanne von Borsody	...	Ms. Sundwall
Axel Milberg	...	Ovaska
Sissi Perlinger	...	Roos' Secretary
Yoshij Grimm	...	Max Westermark
Cort Kibler-Melby	...	Danny Reuter
Peter Gilbert Cotton	...	Guy Reuter (as Peter Cotton)
Gitte Hænning	...	Lou Aldryn's wife
Axel Pape	...	Sven Nyberg
Schota Grandell	...	Ene Kallas (as Chotta Grandell)
Henrik Suttinger	...	Boatswain Andres
Oliver Petszokat	...	Second Officer
Sönke Städtler	...	First Officer
Dietmar Wunder	...	Hospital Spokesperson
Tibor Taylor	...	Coast Guard Spokesperson
Clayton Nemrow	...	Sergeant Werntz
Gundis Zambo	...	Swedish Police Officer
Helje Kaskel	...	Nurse
Joe Bausch	...	Swedish Coast Guard Officer
Timo Merkhofer	...	Reporter
Kaj Holmberg	...	Ticket Taker
Alexander Stahl	...	Functionary
Lena Wintruff	...	Nurse Berlin
Catherine Bollyn	...	Kati Kallas
Christopher Bollyn Jr.	...	Sascha Gehrig
Paul Wuthe	...	Band
Jens Meyer	...	Band
Sascha Otto	...	Band
Anne Schultz	...	Band (as Anne Schulz)
Katarina Holmberg	...	Band
Björn Lindbom	...	Band (as Björn 'Ricky Delin' Lindbom)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Armin Sauer	...	KGB-Agent
Bill Clinton	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Trevor McDonald	...	Himself - TV Newsreader (archive footage) (uncredited)
Jon Snow	...	Himself - TV Newsreader (archive footage) (uncredited)
Boris Yeltsin	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Reuben Leder

Writing credits
Reuben Leder		(written by)
Jutta Rabe		(story) and
Kaj Holmberg		(story) and
Henning Witte		(story)
J.A. Gaudet		first screenplay (as J. Aldric Gaudet)

Produced by
Guy Collins	....	executive producer
Keith Cousins	....	executive producer
Kaj Holmberg	....	producer
Timo Lahtinen	....	associate producer (as Timo T. Lathinen)
Mimi Leder	....	executive producer
David Marlow	....	co-producer
Terence S. Potter	....	executive producer
Jacqueline Quella	....	executive producer (as Jackie Quella)
Jutta Rabe	....	producer
Birgit Stein	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Mauri Sumén

Cinematography by
Nicolas Joray
Robert Nordström

Film Editing by
Alan Strachan

Casting by
Jed Curtis
Birgit Stein

Production Design by
Joris Hamann

Art Direction by
Joris Hamann

Set Decoration by
Frank Herzog
Alexander Schulz

Costume Design by
Tanja Weck

Makeup Department
Lena Lazzarotto	....	makeup artist
Lena Lazzarotto	....	makeup department head
Björn Rehbein	....	hair stylist: Donald Sutherland
Björn Rehbein	....	makeup artist: Donald Sutherland
Sabine Schumann	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Julian Blom	....	unit manager: Wales
Daniel Mattig	....	unit manager
Sabine Renger	....	assistant production manager
Michael Scheel	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paul Goldsmith	....	third assistant director
Juliane Heicken	....	second second assistant director
Thorne Mutert	....	second assistant director
Alexander Stahl	....	first assistant director
Daniel Mattig	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Sabine Havelka	....	property master
Philipp Hübner	....	carpenter
Philipp Hübner	....	swing gang
Daniela Klewitz	....	stand-by props assistant
Dietrich Kraft	....	assistant property master
Markus Leuwer	....	set dresser
Matthias Prange	....	construction manager
Päivi Ravelin	....	stand-by props
Karin Schulz	....	set dresser
Michael Waschnig	....	prop buyer
Wolfgang Wrede	....	stand-by painter

Sound Department
Peter Burgis	....	foley artist
Simon Clement	....	dialogue editor
Andie Derrick	....	foley artist
Mark Ferda	....	sound re-recording mixer
Svenn Ferfer	....	boom operator
Mike Fitchie	....	adr editor
Gareth Hayward	....	foley mixer
Alex Hudd	....	sound consultant: dolby
Alan Paley	....	sound designer

Special Effects by
Lars Hintze	....	special effects technician
Thorsten Hintze	....	special effects technician
Marcus Schmidt	....	special effects technician
Bernd Wildau	....	special effects foreman
Adolf Wojtinek	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Manfred Büttner	....	visual effects producer
Erich Eder	....	digital compositor
Severi Glanville	....	Inferno artist
Risto Jankkila	....	visual effects
Olli Leppänen	....	digital artist
Robert Pinnow	....	visual effects coordinator
Ville-Matti Vasama	....	visual effects
Chris Wallace	....	colourist

Stunts
Armin Sauer	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Reiner Bajo	....	still photographer
Felix Bergander	....	second assistant camera
Timm Brückner	....	gaffer
Birgit Dierken	....	first assistant camera
Nicole Dierken	....	second assistant camera
Eddie Handschak	....	video operator
Glenn König	....	key grip
Alexander Sachariew	....	first assistant camera
Erik Steingröver	....	gaffer
Sopie Vollmer	....	clapper loader
Christian Wehrle	....	video operator

Casting Department
Mechthild Olliges	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nina Brandt	....	assistant costume designer
Carola Raum	....	costume supervisor
Barbara Schramm	....	wardrobe
Annette Weygand	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Anna Kappelmann	....	assistant to editor
Mika Kongas	....	digital film recordist

Music Department
Katarina Holmberg	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Benjamin Dunker	....	driver: Donald Sutherland
Dennis Ernst	....	driver: makeup bus
Julian Henneberg	....	driver: motorhome
Viktor Jakovleski	....	driver: cast and production
Susen Jarmuske	....	driver: cast and production
Susen Jarmuske	....	production driver
Robert Kunz	....	personal driver: Jürgen Prochnow
Uwe Zegnotat	....	personal driver: Greta Scacchi

Other crew
Annette Drees	....	script supervisor
Illtud Llyr Dunsford	....	liaison: film commission
Oliver Fritsche	....	diving coordinator
Daniel Hornich	....	production assistant
Anita Jorns	....	cashier
Ernestine Kahn	....	dialogue coach
Katharina Klemm	....	location assistant
Christian Klempert	....	location manager
Frank Krug	....	location assistant
Joachim Kunzendorf	....	German dialogue
Thomas Lauterkorn	....	location scout
Antti Murto	....	technical supervisor
Jakob Olschewski	....	diver
Roman Prochnow	....	production assistant
Sabrina Reinke	....	production assistant
Marion Richter	....	production secretary
Moritz Scheibler	....	diver
Sandra Speck	....	accounting assistant
Lena Wintruff	....	production coordinator

Thanks
Udo Walz	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Top Story Filmproduktion GmbH

Distributors

• A.B. Film (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• IAC Film (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (Germany)
• EuroVideo (2004) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Digital Film Finland Oy  digital post-production
• Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)  special thanks
• Arte  special thanks
• Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA)  funding
• Filmboard Berlin-Brandenburg (FBB)  funding
• nordmedia Fonds GmbH  funding

Also Known As:

Code: Baltic Storm (Germany) (working title)

Runtime:

Germany:113 min | Germany:110 min (TV version)

Country:

Germany | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 (w)

Filming Locations:

Babelsberg, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

Company:

Top Story Filmproduktion GmbH

Trivia:

The underwater footage really is that of the Estonia, taken during one of Jutta Rabe's expeditions in 2001

Goofs:

Factual errors: None of the ships (except for one scene of the "Seahorse") has its full lights switched on when necessary.

Movie Connections:

Features "Channel 4 News" (1982/I)

This could have been something

To sum up Baltic Storm in a few words you could say: bad acting, terrible script and directing, a ridiculously retro musical score with an important story that shouldn't be treated this badly. You could perhaps complement Baltic Storm on its editing and cinematography. The five minutes or so of actual archive footage from the last days of the Cold War in the beginning of the film is the best part of the whole thing.

To begin with, Jutta Rabe's alter ego Julia Reuter is an incredibly dull person. You've seen these strong women before and when it's done in a professional manner it works but when it isn't it's really bad. Scacchi can act, but the script doesn't allow her to be anything else but a big cliché.

Jürgen Prochnow does what he can with his character but it's not very clever to make Germans play Swedes as well as Estonians when it's done in such an amateurish way. Prochnow has a name, but he doesn't succeed in portraying the Swedish lawyer losing a son in the disaster. This is not his fault, it's the badly written script again.

There are some well-played characters like Dieter Laser's Gehrig and Donald Sutherland's bad American, but it doesn't help much. The film concentrates on the relationship between Prochnow and Scacchi and there's no chemistry there I can tell you that. Their search for the truth is just a ridiculous chase after ghosts in the woods.

The story however is interesting. The producer Jutta Rabe was a very controversial person in Scandinavian media for a while. She wanted to tell the truth and talked of great conspiracies, one that is shown here in the film. She could have done a better job. If not for the audience, so at least out of respect for the people who lost near and dear ones that day. They deserve a better presentation of "facts".