Herbst der Gammler (1967)

Peter Fleischmann interviews unemployed young people living on the streets of Munich, commonly known as “Gammler” (some of them call themselves that, while others consider the label derogatory and use the term “Beatniks” instead). The conversations reveal that the Gammler live on the streets for very different reasons: for some it is a matter of political and idealistic convictions, for others a spirit of adventure, and for still others necessity and pragmatism. The reasons they give include doubts about the bourgeois way of life and the purpose of hard work, a desire for a more intense life, conflicts with their families, escape from a youth home, or being called up for military service. The Gammler are by no means a homogeneous group; they also steal from one another and often form arrangements of convenience rather than close friendships. Some who have been “gamming” for longer and live permanently on the streets call themselves the “real” Gammler, since many people live on the streets only briefly before returning to their parents. The Gammler are shown in various everyday situations, such as visiting Oktoberfest or sleeping in a park at night. Police checks become more frequent after the Gammler have become a political issue. The film repeatedly shows conversations between passersby and the Gammler, with Fleischmann taking a moderating tone. The passersby’s reactions—many are older, but some are younger—range from skeptical incomprehension to outright hostility. Some citizens do not approve of the Gammler but still invoke the freedom afforded by democracy. Other passersby say that foreign guest workers would not be needed if the Gammler would only work, and even call for compulsory work by law. Fundamental conflicts emerge between Munich’s citizens, who hold fixed ideas about the right way to live and work ethic and sometimes voice anti-democratic sentiments, and the Gammler. One relatively young Oktoberfest visitor even says she would most like to put the Gammler in a labor camp and that Adolf Hitler would already have dealt with them. With the onset of winter, some Gammler return to their parents’ homes; others who have a little money travel to the warmer Mediterranean region, while others continue to get by in Munich.