The Scorpions Film

"We are not going somewhere in the Altersheim." Rudolf Schenker begins the film "Forever and a Day" at an international press conference, revealing that the boys are not ripe for a convalescent home. With a broad smile, he continues, "We stay in music. Music is our life."

It's the summer of 2011, and the Scorpions' guitarist is 62. The band faces a dilemma: On one hand, rock stars should quit while they're ahead. On the other, the guitarist is talking about his life's work. "Professional musician" isn't your run-of-the-mill job description. Especially not if you happen to be playing in the most successful German rock band ever. Scorpions have sold more than 100 million discs and have toured nearly every country on the globe.

After 50 years, the hard rockers from Lower Saxony wanted to say farewell to their fans with dignity, so they recorded "Sting in the Tail," their 17th studio album, and scheduled a three-year "farewell tour" to begin in 2010. DW proposed sending a camera team along on various appearances: in Thailand, Lebanon, Russia, France and the US - up to the finale in Munich. Director Katja von Garnier (known for her work on "Bandits" and "Abgeschminkt," among other films), opted for a simple dramaturgical device: a countdown with blackboards indicating how many months remain until the last concert.

Parallel sequences show historic films, some from Scorpions' private archives, while the musicians narrate the band history. It's mainly the oldest members who speak: Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine - lead singer since 1969 - and Matthias Jabs, who's played guitar with the rockers since 1978. The other two are relatively new additions. American drummer James Kottak has been on board since 1996, and Polish bass player Pawel Maciwoda only as recently as 2003.

Scandal-free zone

Scorpions' career is less sensational than one might expect from hard rockers. That might have to do with the fact that they come from Hanover, not Los Angeles. The band seems much more down to earth than comparable acts like Guns N' Roses and Mötley Crüe. While their American counterparts have inflated their egos nearly to the point of irrelevance, the Germans continue to attract young people to their concerts.

With Scorpions, it's less about sex and drugs, but always about rock 'n' roll. "Forever and a Day" tells how much work, sobriety and endurance have gone into that unparalleled career. About the beginnings in the Lower Saxon backwaters as part of the long-haired counter culture in the 1960s. About the dream to tour abroad, which meant singing texts in English. About the problem with Klaus Meine's voice, which nearly aborted the band's career. And about the risk they took by playing in what was then the Soviet Union in the late 1980s.

Wrong decisions

There have been some ups and downs, however. While some of Scorpions' albums have sold in the millions, they've also taken wrong turns. They talk openly about how the dance remix by Mousse T., the otherwise very successful German-Turkish music producer, flopped with rock fans. And about having turned down Andy Warhol's offer to design an album cover because the price was too high.

Even if Scorpions have been celebrated abroad for decades, both their image and their way of making music have long been scorned in Germany. The outfits too shrill, the ballads too kitschy, the sound too 80s are some of the most frequent gripes. Recognition for their musical achievements has come in their homeland only in recent years. The film, whose images also give non-fans goosebumps, does its part.

Band and camera in close collaboration

Viewers see the band members discussing various career steps and soberly thinking them through before stepping into the public eye in full agreement. No mudslinging in the media with Scorpions. As thorough media professionals, they seldom show deep emotion. The film, however, gets as close to them as possible. The trust that's grown between the band and the film crew is evident in Moscow when one sees Klaus Meine whistling "Wind of Change" while walking through Gorky Park - the place where he got the inspiration for that world-famous ballad 27 years ago. That pretty much sums it up.

While Scorpions give it one last go at the important sites in their career, something happens: They discover that they haven't had enough after all. So while their school friends reach retirement age, Meine, Schenker, Jabs, Kottak and Maciwoda decide to go on. Scorpions' next big tour begins in 2015, and their next album, "Return to Forever," is scheduled for release in March. Anyone who's seen "Forever and a Day" will know why the show must go on.