“It's a portrait of a house, one of those large, roomy townhouses in Frankfurt's West End built at the turn of the century for the well-to-do families. But on a deeper level it's the fate of a Jewish doctor's family that survived two wars in the figure of the house's oldest, memory laden occupant: the 89-year-old daughter of a famous physician who never left the house through thick and thin. It's a superb historical documentary by one of German TV's finest directors.” -Ronald Holloway, Variety.

“The people who live in (the house)... are witnesses to German history in the making.... This human dimension raises the story to the level of autobiographical literature, in the manner of Thomas Mann's ‘Buddenbrooks'.... There is joy and tragedy, humor and pain, some insights into courage and determination, some misconceptions as to the seriousness of the times.
“Fechner uses spatial relationships... to place the important figures, the two sisters, in a cross-fire of dialogue... and encourage(s) a free flow of relevant information before the camera. Every measure is taken to coax a story into telling itself.” -Goethe House, New York