VORSTADTKROKODILE(The Crocodiles)

Director: Christian Ditter, 98 minutes, Germany, 2009

LEARNING RESOURCE

Then study pack is written by the Goethe Institut Glasgow and produced by Glasgow Film Theatre with support from our partners:

1. WHAT IS THE FILM ABOUT?This film is an exciting detective-story set in the Ruhrgebiet in Western Germany. It involves a young gang called The Crocodiles and their summer adventures. In the beginning, we witness a ‘test of courage’ which everyone who wants to be a member of the gang has to accomplish. Later the Croco-diles help the police to catch a group of burglars using their cleverness and bravery.

One of the main characters in the story is Kai, a paraplegic boy who is new to the area and who wants to make contact with others his own age. One day he meets Hannes from the Crocodiles and eventually becomes a member of the gang himself. Not all of the group’s members are keen on bring-ing a disabled boy into their gang. However, due to Kai’s cleverness and wit, he is accepted. Eventu-ally, the boys and the one girl member, Maria, become good friends and appreciate one another.

The movie The Crocodiles is based on Max von der Grün’s novel Vorstadtkrokodile.

Christian DitterThe movie’s director and screenwriter is Christian Ditter. He was born in 1977 in Gießen and com-pleted his studies at the Academy of Television and Film in Munich. Many of his TV-series’, films and short films like Verzaubert (2000), Grounded (2003) and the internationally supported movie Französisch für Anfänger (2006) received high admiration and won several awards. His movie Vorstadtkrokodile won the German kids-media-award “Weißer Elefant”, as well as the screenwriting award “Kindertiger”.

What can you find out about the sequel, Vorstadtkrokodile 2, on the film’s web page?Internet source - http://vorstadtkrokodile.film.de

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Fill in the missing casebook details

2. DETECTIVE’S CASEBOOK: THE CROCODILES GANG

Gang identity: HannesAge:

Appearance:Personality:

Notes: Supports his mother who is a student.

Gang identity: KaiAge:

Appearance:Personality: Independent

Notes: Wheelchair (= Rollstuhl) user.

Gang identity: OlliAge:

Appearance:Personality:

Notes: Sister = Maria. Gang leader.

Gang identity: MariaAge:

Appearance:Personality:

Notes: Only female in group.

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3. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

RuhrgebietThe Ruhrgebiet (colloquial: Ruhrpott, Kohlenpott, Pott or Revier) is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia in the west of Germany. It is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany and it consists of several large, formerly industrial cities bordered by the rivers Ruhr to the south, Rhine to the west, and Lippe to the north.

Due to its industrial background, after World War II it became home for many immigrants, mainly from Italy, Yugoslavia and Turkey. Since the fall of communism in the Eastern countries, lots of people from those countries (e.g. Albania and Poland) have also immigrated to the Ruhrgebiet in order to work there.

Recently, many of the factories and coal mines in the area were closed. Many people lost their jobs and now live in quite poor conditions. This can be difficult for everyone, including the foreign citizens. Often, it is they who are viewed as the cause for other people’s poverty and seen as the villains responsible for crimes committed in the area. Sometimes they have to deal with prejudice and racism, as is depicted briefly in the movie where people are shown to believe that the ‘Albanian kids gang’ have committed the burglary.

One positive thing about the closure of the factories is that now those buildings host interesting museums and cultural centers. Essen is Capital of Culture (= Kulturhauptstadt) 2010.

• What can you find out about the Ruhrgebiet and North Rhine-Westphalia?• How similar is the Ruhrgebiet to where you live?

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• What is your opinion on integrated schools?

Friendship and groupsThe Crocodiles shows how important peer groups are for many young people. The Crocodiles gang has its own rules, rituals and signs, which make it and its members special and distinguishable from other groups. The Crocodiles stick together and are loyal to one another. They are ‘the same’ but also different: Kai is ‘the brain’, Olli is the one who keeps the group together and who organises activities, Maria is the ‘good soul’ and Hannes is the ‘fighter’. In some ways, the Crocodiles gang mirrors mod-ern society.

• Do you consider yourself to be part of a group or gang? • Are gangs a good thing?

DisabilityIn Germany, children with disabilities often attend specialised schools (=Sonderschulen) which offer special support according to their needs. The downside of this, is that it can be harder for disabled young people to integrate with others their own age without disabilities.

• Why does Kai not want to go to the school suggested by his parents?

An integrated school system, on the other hand, where all kids attend the same school with the same curriculum, seems favourable to many. The ‘integrativen Schulen und Kindergärten’ (= integrated schools and kindergartens) are increasingly popular.

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Different family modelsIn The Crocodiles we are shown different family models. The film presents both a ‘traditional’ house-hold (Kai and both his parents live together) and a ‘single-parent’ family (Hannes’ mother lives alone with her son).

Around 83% of all German families with children fit into the first category with two parents raising their children together in the same home. 7.5% of these families are parents living together but not married to each other. Nearly every fifth family in Germany is a single-parent-household.

• What do you think about the families in The Crocodiles?

• What are the different challenges faced by Kai’s and Hannes’ parents?

• Do you think the parents are represented fairly in the film?

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EXERCISES1. A Little Quiz

Wer bringt Kai zu den “Krokodilern”?Wer hat eine Schwester?Was finden die “Krokodiler” in der alten Ziegel-Fabrik?Hat der Film “Vorstadtkrokodile” ein Happy End?Womit sieht Kai die Mutprobe von Hannes?

2. Gang rulesThe Crocodiles have important rules. Here you can find those rules in a secret, cryptographic Crocodile-language. Try to crack the code and write down the 3 rules; which letter is hidden behind the “x”?

2. The CrocodilesMatch the characteristics in the box with the various members and fill in the table below:

Sie ist ein Mädchen.Er ist Marias Bruder.Er macht eine Mutprobe.Er sitzt im Rollstuhl.

Hannes

Kai

Olli

Maria

Ja

Teleskop

OlliHannes

das Lager der Diebe

Dix Bandxnrxgxln

Xin Krokodilxr muss auf Bäumx und Dächxr klxttxrn könnxn

Xr muss vixlx gutx Idxxn habxn

Xr muss xin Fahrrad habxn und damit fahrxn könnxn

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4. The BookThe film, as you know, is based on a novel by Max von der Grün. Here you can see an extract from the book. And although this is a German text and maybe a little tricky to read, you will surely under-stand some things by just going over it and by trying to read as much as you can.

• Find all the names in the text and underline them and then

• See if you can find additional information regarding the characters

• Match the additional character information with the English translations in the box below the German text. Add the name of the actual gang-member to their description. (Note that Olli is called Olaf in the book!)

A taster from the book “Vorstadtkrokodile”: “Hannes Mutprobe” (= Hannes’ test of courage)(page 13)

„Du traust dich ja doch nicht! Du Angsthase!“, rief Olaf, ihr Anführer. Und die Krokodiler riefen im Chor: „Traust dich nicht! Traust dich nicht!“ Nur Maria, Olafs Schwester, dreizehn Jahre und damit ein Jahr jünger als ihr Bruder, hat nicht mit gerufen. Sie hatte soviel Angst um Hannes, dass sie wegsah. Die neun Krokodiler standen in einem Kreis vor der Leiter und sahen zu, wie Hannes langsam die Leiter hochkletterte, um seine Mutprobe abzulegen. Sie nannten Hannes “Milchstras-se”, weil er so viele Sommersprossen im Gesicht hatte. Die Mutprobe war Bedingung für die Auf-nahme in die Krokodiler. [...]

English German Name of the Crocodilethe (gang-)leadersisterthirteen years oldone year youngerfearmilky-way

4. KaiAnswer these questions about Kai (tick the right one):

• What does Kai do in his spare time? Er kocht Er liest Bücher und sieht durch sein Teleskop Er fährt auf seinem Fahrrad

• Which of these applies to Kai? Er kann nicht fernsehen Es kann kein Buch lesen Es ist schwer für ihn, Freunde zu finden

• Why do the Crocodiles change their minds about Kai and his membership to the group? Weil Kai mutig und intelligent ist und er wichtig für die Krokodiler ist Weil Kai allen Eis kauft Weil Kais Vater es will

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4. Important Locations This map shows the outskirts of Dortmund, where the film is set.

Answer the following questions:

Wer wohnt neben Olaf?In welcher Strasse wohnt Hannes?Wer wohnt neben der Feuerwache?Wie heißt der Park neben dem Minigolfplatz?Wohnen Olaf und Maria in einem Haus?

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