The tv documentary “Udo!” is paying homage to Udo Jürgens | EUROtoday

Am 14. Dezember 2014 gab Udo Jürgens in Zürich sein letztes Konzert, und kurz vor Weihnachten starb er dann im Alter von 80 Jahren. In nur knapp einer Stunde Sendezeit sowohl an sein Werk, das mehr als 1000 Lieder umfasst, als auch an sein recht verwickeltes Familienleben erinnern zu wollen ist kühn – aber die Dokumentation „Udo!“ von David Kunac und Sebastian Dehnhardt versucht das.

Angesichts der Kürze zu erwägen ist freilich, sofern man noch in Kategorien des linearen Fernsehens denkt, dass viele sich direkt vor ihrer Ausstrahlung womöglich auch schon die mehr als zweistündige „große Eurovisions-Musikshow“ mit dem Titel „Udo Jürgens Forever“ angeschaut haben werden. Darin sollen Michelle Hunziker, Howard Carpendale, Wencke Myhre, Vanessa Mai, Conchita Wurst und viele andere die Musik von Udo Jürgens neu interpretieren. Beide Formate zusammen bilden einen „Udo Jürgens-Tribute Abend“ der ARD.

Die Doku bietet neben Konzertaufnahmen, Musikvideos und Urlaubsfilmen von Udo Jürgens am Strand und im Motorboot vor allem Interviews mit seinen Kindern Jenny und John, seinem Bruder Manfred und seiner ersten Ehefrau Panja. Zusammengefasst, kann man sagen: Er hat ihnen allen viel abverlangt. John Jürgens fragt: „Papa, wo warst du?“, als er Bilder von dessen großer Tournee „Udo 70“ aus dem Jahr 1970 anschaut; Jenny erzählt, wie sie und ihr Bruder erst viel später von ihrer unehelich geborenen Schwester erfahren haben, der später noch eine zweite folgte, Manfred erklärt, sein Bruder sei trotz großer Beliebtheit immer einsam und letztlich ein Autist gewesen, und Panja schließlich berichtet von der „totalen Ohnmacht des Verlassenwerdens“, die sie damals aus der Bahn geworfen habe. Nach einer Zeit im Modus der „Patchworkfamilie“ hatte der schon seit seinen frühen Erfolgen als Schürzenjäger bekannte Udo Jürgens sich 1989 scheiden lassen und später noch mal geheiratet.

With the story of how Jürgen Udo Bockelmann grew up, who took on his stage name Udo Jürgens in the 1950s, these assessments of his character by those close to him fit somewhat together: The picture that emerges is of a basically introverted person who always has great stage fright and… He was afraid of failure, but on the other hand he really enjoyed the fame and took full advantage of it. One can still follow the psychologization that the previously unhappy and sickly child, who had middle ear infections fourteen times, still wanted and had to convince his parents as an adult star that he had really become an artist.

The work history part, however, is partly at odds with this somewhat intimate family saga, and it simply comes up short. With the two lyricists Michael Kunze and Oliver Spiecker, the people who are crucial to this chanson work have their say, but a rather lofty assessment such as Spiecker’s that Udo Jürgens has “set the history of the Federal Republic” and “all of our lives to music” stays then one thing hangs within the air. Much extra proof would have been wanted for this. At least a brief passage about Jürgens’ connection to the protest motion is attention-grabbing – however from round 1968 a textual content that appeared unusual, if not unintentionally humorous, like “Dear fatherland (…), the youth is waiting for your hand” would have had considerably extra important sparks can beat.

As far because the archive materials in “Udo!” is anxious, a few of it was already identified from the movie “The Man Who Is Udo Jürgens” by Hanns-Bruno Kammertöns and Michael Wech, which was launched ten years in the past to mark his eightieth birthday. With a enjoying time of 90 minutes it was additionally a bit extra balanced. Nevertheless, this movie additionally exhibits nice finds. These embrace scenes from a form of music video in mattress with Françoise Hardy and the spouse Panja’s evaluation that her husband and Hardy had been “both victims of a situation”. And additionally the important evaluation of a musicologist on the radio on the query of whether or not Jürgens is “a fairytale aunt of capitalism”. In Theodor Köpl’s opinion, “Udo Jürgens’ success was built on the misfortune and dissatisfaction of his audience.” The singer primarily addressed those that “came under the wheels of our emotion-poor, over-technical, rational time.”

Udo Jürgens as a fairytale aunt: The man who at all times strived for a picture of most sincerity, whether or not on stage or in discuss exhibits when discussing his life, would hardly have favored that himself. But it matches in fairly properly along with his songs, from “Greek Wine” to “Dream Dancer”, even in his eager for immaterial happiness – and in the present day one may nearly interpret it as reward.

„Udo!“on December twenty third at 10:35 p.m. on Erste