Kolberg (1945)

Director:

Veit Harlan

Writers:

Alfred Braun (writer)
Veit Harlan (writer)

Release Date:

5 October 1953 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

During Napoleon's victorious campaign in Germany, the city of Kolberg gets isolated from the retreating Prussian forces...

Plot Keywords:

Germany | Napoleonic Wars | Period Piece | Propaganda

Cast

Heinrich George	...	Bürgermeister Nettelbeck
Kristina Söderbaum	...	Maria
Paul Wegener	...	Stadtkommandant Loucadou
Horst Caspar	...	General Gneisenau
Gustav Diessl	...	Leutnant Schill
Otto Wernicke	...	Bauer Werner
Irene von Meyendorff	...	Königin
Kurt Meisel	...	Claus
Claus Clausen	...	Frédéric-Guillaume III
Jaspar von Oertzen	...	Prinz Louis Ferdinand
Jakob Tiedtke	...	Reeder
Paul Bildt	...	Rektor
Franz Schafheitlin	...	Fanselow
Hans Hermann Schaufuss	...	Zaufke
Paul Henckels	...	Major in Königsberg

Also Known As:

Burning Hearts
Kolberg - Der 30. Jannuar 1945 (Germany) (rerun title)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 (re-release) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Kolberg, Pomerania, Germany

Company:

Universum Film (UFA)

Trivia:

The film was first shown to German troops in Occupied France (La Rochelle).

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene at the Sylvester evening the camera shows the sky and it's snowing, but there are just a few clouds in the sky so it can' really snows.

Quotes:

Bürgermeister Nettelbeck: 50 years I lives in there, an now it's burned down. Alas life goes on

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Das Leben geht weiter (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Ein Volk steht auf

good story with deeper message

Kolberg is one of those more timeless tales, of a small town besieged by a vast, greedy enemy. It is a story of the small people holding to their honour and duty, and ultimately triumphing over the mighty. The movie is set in the Napoleonic Wars, but the message is for the people of Germany just as they are being invaded by the Red Army and the American and British armies.

Goebbels film studios managed to film and distribute this movie just as the final battles of World War II were being fought. Its message of defiant defense in the face of hopeless odds was meant to rally the severely demoralised Germans as their homes were being threatened by the enemy. The songs and vivid colours were meant to entertain and raise morale as life became darker and darker.

Technically, its a masterpiece, and makes use of all kinds of modern shots, angles, and special effects. Its colours were terrible, though, but I trust it was the copy I saw. Of course, it might have been a result of the war constraints.

Seen in this context, this film is even more interesting than the entertaining story it presents.

Jurched