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January 30, 2008

Falco The Movie (Finally)

We've been dreaming of the day this biopic would come to life and here it is, Falco: Verdammt, Wir Leben Noch!. Now can someone please tell us what that means? After watching the trailer, we're happy to note Grace Jones plays a key role, but otherwise, it's in Austrian German without subtitles. We, do, though, understand Falco's spiraling downfall into a bed filled with thonged ladies. Remember, dude died when he was hit by a bus. Now we're privy to the most poignant and cinematic of moments (and aviator shades) of the man behind "Rock Me Amadeus." (Via The Playlist via DailySwarm)

Kinda like Control for a one-hit wonder. We kid. Wonder what Thomas Bernhard would've thought of this. We don't kid. As of now, there's no US release date. Can our Austrian readers let us know how much it rocks? So far the comments at YouTube don't help.

Posted at 9:57 AM in
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30 Comments

Ahem. TWO-hit wonder, if you please - or have we all forgotten "Der Kommissar"?

Posted by: Jack Fear at 01/30/08 10:24 AM | Reply
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Damn, we're still alive! (is the translation of the title)

Posted by: Der German at 01/30/08 10:30 AM | Reply
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@ Jack Fear

right you are.

Posted by: scott at 01/30/08 10:35 AM | Reply
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Ha, i have to read an american Blog to know about this movie. Awesome!

Posted by: Der other German at 01/30/08 10:41 AM | Reply
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I was coming here to point out the two stateside hits as well.

I love the face slap in the middle of the trailer. It was a very Yacht Rock face slap. Quick cut, face slap, cut away.

Johnny Depp would make a good Falco.

Posted by: Kurt C. at 01/30/08 10:44 AM | Reply
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Three hit! Don't forget "Vienna Calling"!

Posted by: Cole Moore Odell at 01/30/08 10:48 AM | Reply
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let's be honest, it was After the Fire that gave "Der Kommissar" life in the States. so perhaps it's more accurate to describe Falco as a 1.5 hit wonder. or 1.75 since he wrote the song... 1.8? 1.9999?

an "x -> 2−" hit wonder?

Posted by: EF Matt at 01/30/08 10:54 AM | Reply
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Holy warm leatherettes! Is that Grace Jones I saw? They gotsa gotsta gotsta release a subtitled version of this post haste.

Posted by: Brian Farrelly at 01/30/08 10:54 AM | Reply
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And let's not forget about Jeanny. Four hit wonder.

Posted by: Hera at 01/30/08 10:55 AM | Reply
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Falco is actually historically the best selling white rapper of the 20th century. He beat George Michael to the top of the Billboard R&B charts and Eminem only beat him by two slots in the twenty-first century. And dude, he did a duet with Brigitte Nielsen..

Posted by: irene at 01/30/08 11:12 AM | Reply
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So this isn't about mclusky?

Posted by: oh. at 01/30/08 11:22 AM | Reply
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Wait, are you saying that Joy Division *wasn't* a one-hit wonder?

Posted by: Mr. Cranky at 01/30/08 12:02 PM | Reply
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"I live *through* many lead men"

Posted by: Ian Curtis at 01/30/08 12:15 PM | Reply
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I thought it was a little over the top. It opens with "in Vienna, you'll first have to die in order to be recognized. But then you will be - for a very long time" - something like that. Oh and the movie's subtitle says "dammit, we're still alive". It pretty much sums up the attitude - oh god, we're young, and weird and society doesn't get it. And then there is this song in the background that probably relates to his life in some way but I'm German and Austrian-German isn't really ...ya.. intelligible, let's face it.
"If someone gets in my way, I'll just light a smoke and blow him away." It sounds worse in German. Then they go on about him having trouble with women, this one lady throws stuff at him and the Hitler-like announcer says: the first German-language no.1 hit in American rock history. And for some reason all the Asian kids are just thrilled.
"I sometimes wish to go back being a normal human being". Then he snuggles up to the mad lady and he's all vulnerable. "Decide who you really wanna be". "You can't deal with love." Yeah... And then he goes on saying stuff about wanting to die and it's supposed to.. well, he did die, didn't he. The trailer gives it a sort of cliché enigmatic twist. I guess the one shot with those other three girls is really all there is.

Posted by: armer_junge at 01/30/08 1:00 PM | Reply
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Wow, so many German readers!

If we can get more comments on this than the Vampire Weekend post, that would be amusing.

Posted by: scott at 01/30/08 1:25 PM | Reply
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"Thank you, Taco, for that loving tribute to Falco."

Posted by: Willie Nelson at 01/30/08 3:28 PM | Reply
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Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius

Posted by: edmond at 01/31/08 8:10 AM | Reply
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Actually, the Sound of Music was also a huge hit in Germany and Europe. Also Out of the Dark. So, you americans, stop with all this "one hit wonder" thing. He got to nr 1 raping in german, for god's sake! That's why the 80's were so freaking great. When I was a teenager, I was obsessed with Falco (wet dreams, etc) along with my generation. It meant for us, east europeans, us much as Joy Division for those sad english chaps. I'm going to see this movie!

Posted by: illona at 01/31/08 10:32 AM | Reply
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Wow.
i still have wet dreams about Falco ..;-)
such a wonderful man and such a wonderful music...
too bad he,s gone

Posted by: laura in reply to illona's comment at 04/22/08 5:38 PM | Reply
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The literal translation is apparently

"Falco: Condemned, we lives still!"

which I much prefer. And much more German sounding.

Too bad Heiner Muller's dead, he could have done something very "interesting" and much more boring (i.e., much more Germanic) with Falco's dizzying highs, terrifying lows, and creamy middles.

Posted by: noel at 02/01/08 2:47 PM | Reply
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The literal translation is apparently

"Falco: Condemned, we lives still!"

which I much prefer. And much more German sounding.

Too bad Heiner Muller's dead, he could have done something very "interesting" and much more boring (i.e., much more Germanic) with Falco's dizzying highs, terrifying lows, and creamy middles.

Posted by: noel at 02/01/08 2:48 PM | Reply
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The second song in the background is "Jeanny", an excellent Falco tune sung from the point of view of a guy who's in love with a girl and (presumably) kidnaps and kills her.

The chorus here seems to be in German, but the one on the album I had as a kid had an English chorus, with German verses:

"Jeanny, quit living on dreams
Jeanny, life is not what it seems
A lonely little girl in a cold cold world
There's someone who really needs you"

The song ends with a "Newsflash" about the search continuing for the missing girl.

Posted by: Isaac Priestley at 02/04/08 10:21 PM | Reply
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It looks amazing, EXCEPT for the drug use! The autopsy proved there were no drugs or alcohol in his system, and it was a cover-up to cover the Bus Driver's butt!

Posted by: Shaun at 02/09/08 5:35 PM | Reply
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Okay just so everyone knows, this film is actually very good. If you are some big Falco fan (as everyone is, right!?), you won't learn too much new from it, but it is very fun to watch and Manuel Rubey (singer for Mondscheiner) did an AMAZING job! Hope everyone gets opportunity to see this film!

By the way, Falco was not just a one-hit-wonder. He was so popular in Europe you know.

Posted by: Anneliesl at 02/09/08 7:04 PM | Reply
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in the Philippines, only Rock Me Amadeus and Vienna Calling became hits.

i still remember myself playing the FALCO 3 cassette, over and over and over.

i like that Munich Girls song.

Posted by: lover at 03/03/08 4:16 AM | Reply
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Falco, was not, a one hit wonder, maybe in america but in austria was a superstar with many hits
der komissar
jeanny
out of the dark
rock me amadeus
emotional
junger rome
etc
etc

Posted by: nemirfx at 03/06/08 3:00 PM | Reply
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Ganz Wien
Ist heut' auf Heroin
Ganz Wien
Träumt mit Mozambin
Ganz Wien, ganz Wien
Greift auch zu Kokain

Posted by: Ganz Wien at 03/17/08 9:11 AM | Reply
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US girl here who cried horribly when I read the tiny little blurb in USA Today that Falco had died...

I feel like I'm missing out on so much with the Falco websites- I think I need to hire a translator!

Posted by: Angie at 08/28/08 4:53 PM | Reply
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I wish i can see the movie i love falco. i hope and wish they would make it in english.

Posted by: carol at 05/25/09 4:05 PM | Reply
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just saw this (with subtitles!) at the Austrian Cultural Forum in NYC...drags on and on with the occasional interesting tidbit.....but the actor who plays Hans/Falco is pretty remarkable.

Posted by: randi at 06/12/09 10:21 PM | Reply
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