Lena - Love of my Life Vol. 1 - DVD

Content: It begins highly dramatically: the young composer David Graf von Arensberg (Max Alberti) staggers through the crowd at a party, falls into a pool whose water immediately turns red. David has obviously been shot. But by whom? And will he survive? To get the answers to these questions, the inclined viewer must look back in time, six months to be exact. David has just arrived from L.A. and on his flight home begins an affair with the attractive Vanessa (Janina Flieger), with whom the young man has more in common than he realizes. Vanessa is the mistress of David's father Rafael (Urs Remond). Both try to get Rafael's resolute mother Amelie (Johanna Liebeneiner) into an old people's home so that they can finally sell off the family's country estate. It's just too bad that the old countess meets the charming Lena Sander (Jessica Ginkel) and hires her as her new companion. And as soon as David meets the young woman, her smile has him instantly enchanted. But Lena is taken and so there seems to be no future for a relationship between the young count and the girl from a simple family.Or is there?

"Lena - Love of my life" clearly follows the rules of every telenovela and soap. Anyone who has even once looked into a series of a similar nature will be able to speak quite a few dialogues and see dramaturgical twists miles in advance. So it's hardly surprising that in the first 15 episodes included in this box set alone, there are intrigues, secrets, pregnancies, crimes, budding romances, ending relationships, betrayals and, of course, languishing glances between the main characters galore. Of course, Lena's boyfriend Tony (Kostas Sommer) has several dark secrets at once, and of course one of them is very closely related to the Arensberg home. Of course David's chance acquaintance from the airplane toilet is his father's mistress. And of course Lena's father has fathered a child out of wedlock with his colleague at the very moment his underage son has impregnated his girlfriend, making his moral lectures seem arguably hypocritical.

Of course, such coincidences can only exist on television. Intrigue, such as that currently being spun by David's father, has been a staple of every dysfunctional TV family at least since J.R. Ewing's goings-on in "Dallas". So a series like "Lena - Love of my Life" doesn't really have anything to offer in the way of realism. But the viewers at whom this telenovela is aimed want exactly that. They want the long, languorous glances between David and Lena that make many a viewer's toenails curl up. And, it has to be admitted to the series, for a daily series with nearly 45 minutes per episode after all, the production is quite respectable in terms of craftsmanship.

"Lena - Liebe meines Lebens" may not be big head television, not particularly sophisticated TV entertainment, but for lovers of daily soaps and telenovelas there are enough good reasons to tune in. The cast is decent, especially the supporting roles are sometimes well cast (among others with Thomas M. Held and Mirco Peseg from the sketch comedy "Sechserpack", the theatre actress Johanna Liebeneiner or Udo Jürgens` daughter Jenny Jürgens). The dramaturgy is built up according to the genre and quickly captivates viewers who are inclined to the subject. And exactly these viewers will be pleased that the next two "Lena" boxes are already in the starting blocks.

Picture + Sound: On DVD, the series presents itself in good TV quality. While the stereo mix of the sound remains rather front-heavy and - which is quite appropriate for the subject matter - rather unspectacular, the clean picture features good colors and decent overall sharpness. However, some scenes look a little washed out, though this is probably a stylistic device used deliberately.

Extras: On the first DVD there is a just under 7-minute compilation of reports from the program "Leute heute", in which among other things.a. the friendship between Jenny Jürgens and Isabell Varell, the visit of Udo Jürgens on the set, as well as the guest appearance of model Marcus Schenkenberg are thematized. DVD 2 then has an 11-minute compilation of features from "Hallo Deutschland" to offer, in which the shooting on the outdoor set, the former residence of the Kelly Family, an interview with the two main actors, as well as a day on tour with Max Alberti and his band are shown. Finally, the third disc features a few more DVD picks.

Conclusion: "Lena - Love of my life" is a telenovela, as they can actually only wish fans of the genre. Beautiful actors, great romance, lots of drama and even a touch of suspense - what more could the viewer's heart desire? The first 15 episodes of the ZDF series are presented on DVD in good picture and sound quality, for fans there are also a few nice TV features as an encore. Certainly not highbrow entertainment, but for the target audience definitely a recommendation with a high addiction factor!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp