- The Great King
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The Great King Directed by Veit Harlan Written by Veit Harlan
Gerhard Menzel
Hans RehbergStarring Otto Gebühr Cinematography Bruno Mondi Editing by Friedrich Karl von Puttkamer Release date(s) 3 March 1942 Running time 118 minutes Country Germany Language German The Great King (German: Der große König) is a 1942 German drama film directed by Veit Harlan and starring Otto Gebühr.[1] It depicts the life of Frederick the Great, who ruled Prussia from 1740 to 1786. It received the rare "Film of the Nation" distinction.[2]
The film is a depiction of the Führerprinzip, with the analogy to Hitler being so clear that Hitler sent a print to Mussolini, and Goebbels warning against the drawing of the comparison in print, in particular because the pessimistic mood that opens the film.[3] After a sergeant gives an unauthorized order, the king orders him promoted and punished; his decision to desert after this results in his death, because no disobedience is justified.[2] Goebbels declared that the parallels were not a matter of propaganda but an obvious result of the parallels of history.[4]
Goebbels also regarded as it instructing that their current sufferings would strengthen them.[5]
Goebbels had some difficulty with the Army High Command over this film, because it depicted the king left in a lurch by his general, and complained that the army felt that any depiction, however historical, reflected badly on them.[2]
Contents
Cast
- Otto Gebühr - Friedrich II.
- Kristina Söderbaum - Luise Treskow
- Gustav Fröhlich - Treskow
- Hans Nielsen - Niehoff
- Paul Wegener - General Czernitscheff
- Paul Henckels - Grenadier Spiller
- Elisabeth Flickenschildt - Spiller's Wife
- Kurt Meisel - Alfons
- Hilde Körber - Elisabeth
- Claus Clausen - Prinz Heinrich der Ältere
- Klaus Detlef Sierck - Prinz Heinrich der Jüngere
- Herbert Hübner - Graf Finkenstein
- Franz Schafheitlin - Oberst Bernburg
- Otto F. Henning - General von Finken
- Reginald Pasch - General Manteufel
Awards
- Director Veit Harlan won the Mussolini Cup for "Best Foreign Film" at the 1942 Venice Film Festival.
References
- ^ "New York Times: The Great King". NY Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/13299/Der-Grosse-K-246-nig/overview. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
- ^ a b c Erwin Leiser, Nazi Cinema p116 ISBN 0-02-570230-0
- ^ Erwin Leiser, Nazi Cinema p113-4 ISBN 0-02-570230-0
- ^ Pierre Aycoberry The Nazi Question, p10 Pantheon Books New York 1981
- ^ Cinzia Romani, Tainted Goddesses: Female Film Stars of the Third Reich p93 ISBN 0-9627613-1-1
External links
- The Great King at the Internet Movie Database
- The Great King is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
Categories:- 1942 films
- German films
- German-language films
- 1940s drama films
- Black-and-white films
- Films directed by Veit Harlan
- German film stubs
- 1940s film stubs
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