The Great King
| The Great King | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Veit Harlan |
| Written by |
Veit Harlan Gerhard Menzel Hans Rehberg |
| Starring | Otto Gebühr |
| Cinematography | Bruno Mondi |
| Edited by | Friedrich Karl von Puttkamer |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | Nazi 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] It was part of a popular cycle of "Prussian films".
The film is a depiction of the Führerprinzip, with the analogy to Adolf Hitler being so clear that Hitler sent a print to Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Goebbels warned against the drawing of the comparison in print, in particular because of 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]
Cast
- Otto Gebühr as Friedrich II.
- Kristina Söderbaum as Luise Treskow
- Gustav Fröhlich as Treskow
- Hans Nielsen as Niehoff
- Paul Wegener as General Czernitscheff
- Paul Henckels as Grenadier Spiller
- Elisabeth Flickenschildt as Spiller's Wife
- Kurt Meisel as Alfons
- Hilde Körber as Elisabeth
- Claus Clausen as Prinz Heinrich der Ältere
- Klaus Detlef Sierck as Prinz Heinrich der Jüngere
- Herbert Hübner as Graf Finkenstein
- Franz Schafheitlin as Oberst Bernburg
- Otto F. Henning as General von Finken
- Reginald Pasch as 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. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
- 1 2 3 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