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Missile from the East

The story of East German motorcycle racer Ernst Degner, who, at the height of the Cold War and on the cusp of achieving his life ambition to win the world championship, fled East Germany with his family in a heart-stopping escape.

Director

Justin Stokes

Year

Genre

Box Office

N/A

Production

N/A

Awards

3 wins total

Gerda Degner

Aliona Baranova

Self - Interviewee

Ernst Degner

Jimmy Matsumiya

Walter Kaaden

Self - Interviewee

Self - Interviewee

Self - Interviewee

Self - Interviewee

Self - Interviewee

Self - Interviewee

Self - Interviewee

Stromhardt Kraft

Self - Interviewee

Christian Steiner

Self - Interviewee

Self - Interviewee

James Matsumiya

View All Cast

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Explore 298 Clips

[jimmy Matsumiya][ernst Degner]

A hundred thousand people there.
Didn't register. - Missile from the East

A hundred thousand people there. Didn't register.

The concentration levels
are so high - Missile from the East

The concentration levels are so high

By accepting death,
you lose the fear of it. - Missile from the East

By accepting death, you lose the fear of it.

[STROMHARDT KRAFT]: - Missile from the East

[STROMHARDT KRAFT]:

But he definitely thought - Missile from the East

But he definitely thought

[LOADING AND PLAYING AUDIO
CASSETTE] - Missile from the East

[LOADING AND PLAYING AUDIO CASSETTE]

[DISTANT SOUNDS OF WARFARE] - Missile from the East

[DISTANT SOUNDS OF WARFARE]

[ROCKETS BEING LAUNCHED] - Missile from the East

[ROCKETS BEING LAUNCHED]

[ERNST DEGNER]:
We went to East Germany, - Missile from the East

[ERNST DEGNER]: We went to East Germany,

I wouldn't have wanted to be
an orphan in East Germany - Missile from the East

I wouldn't have wanted to be an orphan in East Germany

All those eastern countries
were bombed and bashed - Missile from the East

All those eastern countries were bombed and bashed

[OLAF]: I could see that he had
a very tough childhood. - Missile from the East

[OLAF]: I could see that he had a very tough childhood.

His father was extremely strong. - Missile from the East

His father was extremely strong.

He tried to educate Ernst
by beating him. - Missile from the East

He tried to educate Ernst by beating him.

I think this is a very dark
part of his life. - Missile from the East

I think this is a very dark part of his life.

[WARPLANES FLYING OVERHEAD] - Missile from the East

[WARPLANES FLYING OVERHEAD]

[ARCHIVE REPORTER]:
Nikita Khrushchev made it clear - Missile from the East

[ARCHIVE REPORTER]: Nikita Khrushchev made it clear

Even if there were only
one communist - Missile from the East

Even if there were only one communist

[ARCHIVE REPORTER]: The Soviet
Union launches Sputnik One - Missile from the East

[ARCHIVE REPORTER]: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik One

[TREMENDOUS SOUNDS OF ROCKET
LAUNCH] - Missile from the East

[TREMENDOUS SOUNDS OF ROCKET LAUNCH]

Eastern bloc athletes
competing in the west - Missile from the East

Eastern bloc athletes competing in the west

The communist regimes
were very intent - Missile from the East

The communist regimes were very intent

[MURRAY WALKER]:
MZ was an East German - Missile from the East

[MURRAY WALKER]: MZ was an East German

If you were an East German - Missile from the East

If you were an East German

[ROBB]: Walter Kaaden was
an exceptional engineer. - Missile from the East

[ROBB]: Walter Kaaden was an exceptional engineer.

He was probably the person
who advanced 2-strokes - Missile from the East

He was probably the person who advanced 2-strokes

[HAMMER TAPPING] - Missile from the East

[HAMMER TAPPING]

[WALKER]: He harnessed the
harmonics of the exhaust system, - Missile from the East

[WALKER]: He harnessed the harmonics of the exhaust system,

The materials they used
weren't the best materials - Missile from the East

The materials they used weren't the best materials

[ROBB]: Ernst I could tell
admired Kaaden greatly, - Missile from the East

[ROBB]: Ernst I could tell admired Kaaden greatly,

When you were watching them
together - Missile from the East

When you were watching them together

[OLAF]: They saw that he is not
only a good racer, - Missile from the East

[OLAF]: They saw that he is not only a good racer,

[ANDERSON]: The innovation
was absolutely incredible. - Missile from the East

[ANDERSON]: The innovation was absolutely incredible.

[TROOPS MARCHING] - Missile from the East

[TROOPS MARCHING]

[FUNDER]:
East Germany was a small nation - Missile from the East

[FUNDER]: East Germany was a small nation

An extreme system of repression
of its own people. - Missile from the East

An extreme system of repression of its own people.

The GDR was an extraordinarily
intrusive - Missile from the East

The GDR was an extraordinarily intrusive

[WALKER]: There was
an organisation called the Stasi - Missile from the East

[WALKER]: There was an organisation called the Stasi

Everybody in East Germany was
informing on everybody else - Missile from the East

Everybody in East Germany was informing on everybody else

[RITA PERRIS]: "Shut your mouth.
Don't speak." - Missile from the East

[RITA PERRIS]: "Shut your mouth. Don't speak."...

You could do nothing without
having it reported back - Missile from the East

You could do nothing without having it reported back

They wanted to keep everything
literally under control - Missile from the East

They wanted to keep everything literally under control

[OLAF]: My father was observed
by the Stasi all the time. - Missile from the East

[OLAF]: My father was observed by the Stasi all the time.

If my father was meeting
a known or unknown, - Missile from the East

If my father was meeting a known or unknown,

[CLICKETY-CLACK OF OLD
TYPEWRITER] - Missile from the East

[CLICKETY-CLACK OF OLD TYPEWRITER]

[FUNDER]: People tried to
live a normal life - Missile from the East

[FUNDER]: People tried to live a normal life

[OLAF]: He had a very special
status in East Germany. - Missile from the East

[OLAF]: He had a very special status in East Germany.

He enjoyed getting
special treatments. - Missile from the East

He enjoyed getting special treatments.

[OLAF]: They also gave my mother
a job at MZ - Missile from the East

[OLAF]: They also gave my mother a job at MZ

He had a better car
than everybody else, - Missile from the East

He had a better car than everybody else,

But compared to what he saw
in West Germany - Missile from the East

But compared to what he saw in West Germany

[TRAVELLING MUSIC] - Missile from the East

[TRAVELLING MUSIC]

[ROBB]:
For Ernst then to come back - Missile from the East

[ROBB]: For Ernst then to come back

I remember them feeling
very out of place. - Missile from the East

I remember them feeling very out of place.

Chelira and Mondal and MV - Missile from the East

Chelira and Mondal and MV

[WALKER]: MZ were hardly known
and little thought of - Missile from the East

[WALKER]: MZ were hardly known and little thought of

They were persona non grata - Missile from the East

They were persona non grata

He came over
as Suzuki's representative. - Missile from the East

He came over as Suzuki's representative.

My name is James Akira
Matsumiya. - Missile from the East

My name is James Akira Matsumiya.

I had to bring
Suzuki's performance up, - Missile from the East

I had to bring Suzuki's performance up,

[OLAF]: He won by inches against
the Italian hero Ubbiali - Missile from the East

[OLAF]: He won by inches against the Italian hero Ubbiali

[JIMMY MATSUMIYA]:
I was trying very hard - Missile from the East

[JIMMY MATSUMIYA]: I was trying very hard

This high speed missile - Missile from the East

This high speed missile

The name Degner and the name MZ
were becoming rapidly known. - Missile from the East

The name Degner and the name MZ were becoming rapidly known.

Hand-beaten aluminium bikes - Missile from the East

Hand-beaten aluminium bikes

Ernst Degner was projected
into a world - Missile from the East

Ernst Degner was projected into a world

I believe that Degner, - Missile from the East

I believe that Degner,

So seeing people like
Jim Redman, Tom Phillis, - Missile from the East

So seeing people like Jim Redman, Tom Phillis,

[ROBB]: He would've liked to
have been in the west - Missile from the East

[ROBB]: He would've liked to have been in the west

He would love to
have been with us - Missile from the East

He would love to have been with us

Not being watched.
Not being kept back. - Missile from the East

Not being watched. Not being kept back.

That life on the other side of
the curtain - Missile from the East

That life on the other side of the curtain

I think this was a time when
they started to think about - Missile from the East

I think this was a time when they started to think about

[LIVELY MUSIC] - Missile from the East

[WALKER]:
The Isle of Man TT - Missile from the East

[WALKER]: The Isle of Man TT

[ROBB]: The hazards were
the fact that you had hedges, - Missile from the East

[ROBB]: The hazards were the fact that you had hedges,

And he said, "Jimmy, we must win
the motorcycle racing in Europe. - Missile from the East

And he said, "Jimmy, we must win the motorcycle racing ...

Then people will recognise that - Missile from the East

Then people will recognise that

To try to bring
Suzuki's performance up to - Missile from the East

To try to bring Suzuki's performance up to

[ROBB]: At the TT, I was staying
in the same guest house, - Missile from the East

[ROBB]: At the TT, I was staying in the same guest house,

He was determined
to get Suzuki to the top. - Missile from the East

He was determined to get Suzuki to the top.

He said,
"You, you spoke German!" - Missile from the East

He said, "You, you spoke German!"

[ROBB]: In those days, they had
a chief commissar with them, - Missile from the East

[ROBB]: In those days, they had a chief commissar with them,

And he had the ability to stop
that race meeting for them - Missile from the East

And he had the ability to stop that race meeting for them

[COMMENTATOR]:
These East German 2-strokes, - Missile from the East

[COMMENTATOR]: These East German 2-strokes,

[ROAR OF MOTORBIKE] - Missile from the East

[ROAR OF MOTORBIKE]

[WALKER]: The BBC did the TT
in the Isle of Man... - Missile from the East

[WALKER]: The BBC did the TT in the Isle of Man...

And I used to go round
all the individual camps - Missile from the East

And I used to go round all the individual camps

And he certainly had a lot
inside his head - Missile from the East

And he certainly had a lot inside his head

[MOTORBIKE ROARS PAST] - Missile from the East

[MOTORBIKE ROARS PAST]

Missile from the East poster

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The story of East German motorcycle racer Ernst Degner, who, at the height of the Cold War and on the cusp of achieving his life ambition to win the world championship, fled East Germany with his family in a heart-stopping escape.

User Rating: 0.0 (0 ratings)

Director: Justin Stokes

Writer: Ray Battersby, Justin Stokes

Production: N/A

Genre: biography

Year: 2022

MetaScore: N/A/100

ImdbRating: 7.6

BoxOffice: N/A

Released: 24 Sep 2021

Awards: 3 wins total

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