Nina Hagen = Punk + Glory

NinaHagen was born in East Berlin in 1955, migrated to the West in the mid-70's and became a New Wave Punk rock star in 1978, singing in a screechy growl that shaded into an operatic coloratura. Nina Hagen was born in East Berlin in 1955, migrated to the West in the mid-70's and became a New Wave Punk rock star in 1978, singing in a screechy growl that shaded into an operatic coloratura. Although she was an enormous European star in the 80's, the movie makes it clear why she never found a commercial foothold in the United States. The connections between opera and rock that seem natural to European audiences had no resonance in the United States. —Ulf Kjell Gür