Kesslers Expedition - DVD

Content: After successfully driving the Berlin night taxi for the rbb, actor and comedian Michael Kessler hopes for a corresponding appreciation on the part of the station in the form of a big Saturday night show. It's no longer enough for him to parody the big names in show business, he finally wants to get into the big spotlight himself. But rbb is not so easily convinced by Kessler's qualities. Instead of the show stage, he is first sent on Kessler's expedition. On three tours so far, Kessler has been allowed to explore the country and people of the broadcasting area, so to speak, as Gernstl of rbb, which has been very exhausting for him at times, but extremely entertaining for the viewer.

DVD 1: ON THE SPREE TO BERLIN

The first expedition takes Kessler (Switch Reloaded) on the Spree from the source over 400 kilometers to Berlin. In three episodes, the two-week tour is presented, which Kessler must complete equipped only with a rubber dinghy, a tent, a fishing rod and a smartphone. In the process, he gets to know the most diverse people from all over Germany, who often show him extreme hospitality, letting him briefly share in their lives. Very nice is the harsh contrast Kessler encounters when entering Berlin at the end of the tour, when he is immediately greeted by a gentleman with his middle finger raised and the words Seid Ihr von Google Earth?

DVD 2: MIT DEM ESEL ZUR OSTSEE

Again, nothing with the big Saturday night show. Although Michael Kessler had hoped that the rbb would give him a big show after the success of his first expedition, he is instead sent on a new journey with the donkey Elias, which takes him for 14 days from Berlin through the Schorfheide and the Uckermark to the Baltic Sea. 200 km on foot, at the side of a donkey that is not always obedient and sometimes escapes, Kessler is once again pushed to his physical limits, but at the same time is allowed to learn once again how beautiful the region is and how lovable its inhabitants are. And by the end, Elias has grown very fond of him, too.

dvd 3 + 4: with the raft on the HAVEL

And another expedition. This time the journey takes Kessler together with parrot Lori on a raft for 309 km on the Havel from Wesenberg to the mouth of the Elbe. A tiny cabin, a small outboard motor and a parrot that likes to interrupt the relaxed tranquillity by imitating mobile phone rings and cheerful greetings are not exactly what one imagines by luxurious travel conditions. But even on the third expedition, it's the country and its people that make Kessler's hardships bearable.

Since Michael Kessler is primarily committed to comedic roles as an actor, and since he is a parodist who always makes people laugh, it was to be expected that he would not present a docu-series like Kessler's Expedition completely without humor. What's very enjoyable, though, is that Kessler hasn't made a pure one-man comedy show out of the format. When appropriate, he shows his humorous side. But he can also take himself completely back, can open up to his interviewees and give them space to tell their stories. Sometimes chummy, sometimes empathetic, but always extremely likeable, Kessler approaches people. This creates some very amusing moments, but also many just plain interesting moments that make this series so entertaining.

In addition, there are always interesting snapshots and insights that Kessler and his accompanying team around cameraman Sören offer. The visit to a privately built GDR museum, for example, the insight into the living space of a bargeman, various lovingly and sometimes amazingly elaborately designed weekend homes on land or on water, a nice children's farm in Pankow and much more Kessler shows the interested viewer, who thus also gets to see many things off the usual tourist paths. It is really worthwhile to go with Michael Kessler on this likeable, funny, exciting and simply beautiful journey of discovery. Absolutely recommendable not only for people from the rbb broadcast area!

Picture + Sound: The picture is clean and very sharp in the moments when the camera stands still or performs quiet movements. Only during faster camera pans is there a visible dragging effect. The sound is rather unspectacular, but the atmospheric ambient sounds have been mixed very coherently, as have the conversations Kessler has had on his travels with the various people who have crossed his path. Very good!

Extras: Extras include short filming reports on the first two expeditions, a talk with Michael Kessler in the zibb summer garden on DVD 1, a 10-minute interview with donkey owner Katrin van Zwoll on DVD 2, and an amusing Lori ringtone. Plus, there's a sticker included with the box. Not mind-blowing much, but entertaining and worth watching!

Conclusion: Kessler's Expedition is a beautiful as well as amusing journey through Saxony, Berlin, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, presented by Michael Kessler sometimes humorous, sometimes thoughtful, but always deeply human and extremely entertaining. The good technical realization and the clear, but quite nice bonus material are the icing on the cake, which makes this DVD box absolutely recommendable for friends of entertaining documentary series. Even if Michael Kessler would have earned his hoped-for Saturday night show after these three expeditions, the viewer would actually be wished that the rbb sends him on many more journeys of this kind!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp