Since it happens in Germany, and starts around 1927, you are certain to have some misgivings about the course of events. Yes, you are justified in those misgivings, because Joseph Vilsmayer brings it all out into the open, from the first racial harassments of the partly Jewish group, (three of them were Jews, wholly or partly, and the pianist had a Jewish wife,) to the direct political persecutions, forcing the most loved and successful singing group of Europe at that time to split and break up, as they were forbidden to perform in Germany.
They were six, but one of them was only a pianist, and three of them were tenors, the other two being a baritone and bass. Yet they all six played more or less the lead in every song they presented, the pianist being vital for accompaniment, rhythm and direction, the first tenor crowning every performance with his very characteristic brilliance, the bass always entering with very efficient solos, and so on - they were six musicians in an entity constituting a perfect musical unity, all indispensable and extremely musical - they're practically all vocal virtuosos.
The story is gripping, and the more so for being true, and there are some scenes you will never forget, some party scenes, especially the Jewish wedding, the hilarious American tour, perhaps the peak of their success - and after the split-up three of them returned to America to try a fresh career over there, but once they had split they never found each other again, and their special musical magic was lost forever. Fortunately most of their recordings are still available, and Joseph Vilsmayer, who also shot the German "Stalingrad", has made a miraculous job of quality in restoring the epoch, the magic, the irresistible good humour and the musical transcendence of this immortal and nowadays legendary group.
Review of The Harmonists
