Friendship of Men (2018)

overview : In this docudrama Rosa von Praunheim looks into Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s sexual orientation, especially into his erotic experiences during his travels in Italy. Contrary to the common belief, von Praunheim argues that Goethe was not a heartbreaker and conqueror after all. It was only in Italy, that he had diverse sexual experiences, not least with men. Von Praunheim bases his assumption on letters written by Goethe to his friend Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi about these sexual encounters. Some of the content of these letters is re-encated in the film. At the same time, historians and linguists analyse and classify the letters into their historical context.

Release Date : Dec 13, 2018

Runtime : 1h 25m

Genre : Documentary  Drama  

Companies : Rosa von Praunheim Filmproduktion, MDR, ARTE, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung

Countries : Germany

Keywords : weimar, germany, german poetry, gay history, german culture