Es geschah am 20. Juli (1955)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Georg Wilhelm Pabst

Writers:

Hans W. Hagen (book)
Gustav Machatý (writer)

Release Date:

19 June 1955 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | History | Thriller | War

Plot:

A dramatic reconstruction of the July 1944 attempt by German Army Officers to assassinate Hitler with...

Plot Keywords:

German | Nazi | German Army | German Officer | Plot

Cast

Bernhard Wicki	...	Oberst Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg
Karl Ludwig Diehl	...	Generaloberst a.D. Ludwig Beck
Carl Wery	...	Generaloberst Friedrich Fromm
Kurt Meisel	...	SS-Obergruppenführer
Erik Frey	...	General Friedrich Olbricht
Albert Hehn	...	Major Otto Ernst Remer
Til Kiwe	...	Oberleutnant Werner von Haeften
Jochen Hauer	...	Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel
Annemarie Sauerwein	...	Frau Olbricht
Jaspar von Oertzen	...	Oberst Kerst von Quirnstein / Oberst Albrecht Ritter Mertz von Dürnstein
Willy Krause	...	Joseph Goebbels
Lina Carstens	...	Frau des Küsters
Gernot Duda	...	Leutnant in der Wolfsschanze
Ernst Fritz Fürbringer	...	Generalfeldmarschall Erwin von Witzleben
Peter Lühr	...	1. General

Also Known As:

Aufstand gegen Hitler (West Germany) (working title)
Drei Schritte zum Schicksal (West Germany)
It Happened on July 20th (USA)
Jackboot Mutiny
Was geschah wirklich am 20. Juli 1944? (West Germany) (working title)

Runtime:

Germany:75 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Spain:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Coburg, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Arca-Filmproduktion GmbH

Movie Connections:

Version of The Plot to Kill Hitler (1990) (TV)

Fast moving film is as about as straight as you can get it

This is one of famed director Pabst's final films and is available under the title "Jackboot Mutiny" although it is actually titled "It Happened on July 20th." Anyway, as a film it is more or less a docudrama, with little characterization or style. It looks like it could've been directed by any hack, much less the renown G.W. Pabst. Expect nothing stylish or atmospheric, cinematically, but do expect an expert re-telling of the events that unfolded on that day that a cabal of German officers attempted to kill Hitler and end the war. I've checked the details the film includes and they are right on the money. Much of the dialogue is lifted straight from historical records and there are no fictional characters added. The actor playing Goebbels looks much like him and the film intelligently dispenses with presenting an on-camera Hitler, therefore eliminating the obvious distraction. Wicki plays the true-life hero Stauffenberg and is excellent. An interesting opportunity to see one of Germany's most capable post-WW2 directors acting for a change (Wicki directed the outstanding film 'The Bridge' and also helmed the German sections of 'The Longest Day.') The weaknesses of this film include the lack of suspense and hysteria inherent in the enterprise of killing Hitler and trying to take over the German state. That's a heck of a story and it is told honestly, but without any dramatic oomph. It is also confusing, and with a running time of only 74 minutes, it certainly could have spent a little extra time sorting some things out. As it is, you can't make out at times who is who and doing what. That may be historically accurate but it is unhelpful to a viewer walking in on this story. Still, as a piece of history it is educational and, as I mentioned before it is a rather short film, so it moves very fast without a single slow moment.