Shortly before Christmas, Ronja Robber's Daughter comes to new life in the ARD media library, but WOW focuses on the true and yet spectacular escape story of the quintuple murderer Norman Franz. The overview reveals what streaming highlights the coming week still has in store.
When Ronja was born for the first time on a stormy thunder drum night in the tower of the bare Mattisburg, her real mother was already 74 years old. As one of Astrid Lindgren's latest works, “Ronja the Robber's Daughter” (1981) is also one of her most popular. The 1984 film, directed by Tage Danielsson, is still considered a great classic of children's entertainment today – alongside the old “Michel from Lönneberga” and the “Pippi Longstocking” series with Inger Nilsson, “Ronja the Robber's Daughter” is probably the most popular film adaptation of a Lindgren material at all. Big shoes to fill for a new, more modern Ronja, who is now romping across the screen in the ARD media library. You can find out what WOW, Paramount+ and Co. still have to offer in the next few days in the overview.
“Ronja Robber’s Daughter” – ARD media library
A remake of “Ronja the Robber’s Daughter”? Many children of the 80s will reflexively scold the little rascals in the original film when the young heroes accidentally climbed onto their miniature roof: “Why on earth, why on earth!?” The kids of today, on the other hand, are quickly becoming the new Ronja take to heart. Lovis (Krista Kosonen) in labor, robber captain Mattis (Christopher Wagelin) as the father-to-be in great excitement, plus the wild dogs circling ominously above the tower and then the lightning that splits the castle in half with the birth of the child: the first scenes the miniseries (six episodes, from December 20th, ARD media library) almost seem like a one-to-one copy of the film 1984 – one of several charming nods to the oversized original. But a lot of things turn out differently later on, simply because of the format.
Where in the 120 minutes of 1984 a lot of things seemed very shortened, there is now a lot of space for storytelling. A good thing, after all, Ronja (Kerstin Linden) experiences a lot – from the first trip to the wild Mattis Forest with all its wondrous creatures to the complicated friendship with Birk (Jack Begenholz Henriksson), the son of Mattis' arch-enemy Borka (Sverrir Gudnason). , until the episode when Ronja moves into a bear cave. There is also a bit of embellishment and addition in the approximately 45-minute episodes. The Vogt (Peter Vitanen) and his mercenaries, who are supposed to scare Mattis and Borka and their band of robbers out of the forest, only took place indirectly in previous “Ronja Robber's Daughter” versions. Here they now get their own narrative thread, which brings additional action and excitement to the story (recommended for an audience aged ten and over).
“The Phantom – On the Hunt for Norman Franz” – WOW
Norman Franz has five murders, two prison escapes and 25 years on the run. The Dortmund native is one of the most wanted criminals in German criminal history. With the documentary “The Phantom – On the Hunt for Norman Franz” from December 19th, Sky is taking a look at the brutal and incredible story of the serious criminal. “Anyone who is able to kill several people must have a certain level of cold-bloodedness,” says Mike F., Franz’s son.
The now 26-year-old never consciously got to know his father. She was born in Portugal in 1998. By this time, Norman Franz had already started five murders and started the war from a German prison. “It was the best time of my life,” said Sandra C., Norman Franz’s wife, in the 90-minute film. “They tried to create the life that she never had in her childhood,” confirmed Portuguese investigative journalist João Nuno Assunção.
The exciting true crime film outlines Franz's difficult childhood, his extravagant lifestyle in the 1990s, which he made possible through robberies, smuggling and brand piracy, and finally the five murders with Franz's arrests and his outbursts. Meanwhile, the search for the serious criminal continues. With the help of Sandra C., who denies any contact with her husband in the last 25 years, the authorities are able to get help despite a hint of bitterness (“Someone had to be the stupid one who gave herself to him like I did.” ) probably not hoped for.
“Dexter: Original Sin” – Paramount+
His knife, as the psychopathic title character justified himself in the hit series “Dexter” (2006-2013), hits the right people: criminals who have escaped punishment. Murderer, rapist, kidnapper. The fact that he follows his irresistible killer instinct also ensures justice. The man, who works as a forensic scientist for the Miami police and makes sure that he has enough to do, got his moral compass from his father: Paramount+ will be showing how he works in “Dexter: Original Sin” from December 13th A killer code tries to prevent the worst bloodbaths.
It's a very special father-son relationship between young Dexter (Patrick Gibson) and his dad Harry (Christian Slater): Both know that they can never suppress Dexter's urge to kill. In addition, they must at least control him and establish a code to choose the “right” victims, not to get caught and not to put his family in danger.
With an all-star cast (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Patrick Dempsey) and many young alter egos of the original series staff, the ten episodes take place in the early 1990s. Michael C. Hall, the original Dexter actor, served as an executive producer on the series and serves as the narrator.
“The Secret Life of Animals” – Apple TV+
Between amazing intelligence and impressive adaptability: In the documentary series “The Secret Life of Animals” (from December 18th, Apple TV+), Hugh Bonneville (“Downton Abbey”, “Paddington”) delves into the behavior of 77 animal species in 24 countries. From the orb spider to the wood mouse to the web buzzing frog: they were all followed over a period of three years. Produced by the renowned BBC Studios Natural History Unit, the series highlights extraordinary animal behavior. Each of the ten episodes focuses on a central moment in animal life – from birth, to moving out from the parents, to raising one's own offspring and getting older.
The use of modern technology makes it possible to record unique aspects such as the courtship dance of a jumping spider for the first time. The behavior of the orb weaver spiders is also fascinating, as they create a deceptively real “puppet” of themselves in order to confuse predators.
The Secret Life of Animals is the BBC Studios Natural History Unit's third collaboration with Apple TV+. Matt Brandon will serve as showrunner and Roger Webb will serve as executive producer.
