- Hell on Earth (1931 film)
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Hell on Earth Directed by Victor Trivas
George Shdanoff[citation needed] (uncredited)Written by Leonhard Frank (dialogue)
Leonhard Frank (story and adaptation)
George Shdanoff[citation needed] (uncredited)
Victor Trivas[citation needed] (uncredited)Starring See Cast list Music by Hanns Eisler Cinematography Georg Stilianudis
Alexander von LagorioEditing by Brian King
Walter S. SternRelease date(s) 10 December 1931 Running time 93 minutes
66 minutes (1969 restored version)Country Germany Language French
English
Yiddish
GermanHell on Earth (German: Niemandsland) is a 1931 German film directed by Victor Trivas.
The film is also known as No Man's Land in France.
Contents
Plot summary
The film centres around a dugout, formed from a basement, in no-mans land between the trenches and forward lines during the First World War.
A ruined house is found by a soldier stranded between the lines who discovers an injured man trapped beneath some woodwork in the basement. The man has no uniform and is rescued by two men who we finally realise are from different sides. The injured man cannot speak and is helped by the other two. They try to leave and return to their own lines but are fired upone by both sides and so return to the shelter of the basement.
Eventually more soldiers find the safe haven in between all the firing and death with the credits listing the characters as The Englishman, The Frenchman, The Russian Jew, The Vaudevillian and The German. The storyline follows the arguments and discussions and ends with them marching out together with a final commentary declaring the sentiment of peace "Marching forward. Defying their common enemy - WAR."
Cast
- Ernst Busch as Ernst Kohler
- Vladimir Sokoloff as Lewin
- Renée Stobrawa as Frau Kohler
- Elisabeth Lennartz as Lewin's Bride
- Hugh Douglas as Charles Brown
- Louis Douglas as Joe Smile
- Zoe Frank as Mrs. Brown
- Georges Péclet as Charles Durand
- Rose-Mai as Frenchman's Sweetheart
Soundtrack
References
- Knight, Arthur. The Liveliest Art: A Panoramic History of the Movies, Macmillan, New York, 1957. Page 196.
External links
- Niemandsland at the Internet Movie Database
- Niemandsland is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
Categories:- 1931 films
- German films
- French-language films
- English-language films
- Yiddish-language films
- German-language films
- Black-and-white films
- Western Front films (World War I)
- War film stubs
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