Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Pedestrian

Original title: Der Fußgänger
  • 19731973
  • PGPG
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
234
YOUR RATING
The Pedestrian (1973)
  • Drama
When a German businessman causes a car accident with deadly consequences, the papers start digging into his past to find scandals. What they find causes him to reevaluate his own past during... Read allWhen a German businessman causes a car accident with deadly consequences, the papers start digging into his past to find scandals. What they find causes him to reevaluate his own past during WW2 when he was in Greece.When a German businessman causes a car accident with deadly consequences, the papers start digging into his past to find scandals. What they find causes him to reevaluate his own past during WW2 when he was in Greece.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
234
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Maximilian Schell
  • Writers
    • Dagmar Hirtz
    • Maximilian Schell
    • Franz Seitz(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Gustav Rudolf Sellner
    • Peter Hall
    • Maximilian Schell
Top credits
  • Director
    • Maximilian Schell
  • Writers
    • Dagmar Hirtz
    • Maximilian Schell
    • Franz Seitz(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Gustav Rudolf Sellner
    • Peter Hall
    • Maximilian Schell
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 6User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 4 wins & 2 nominations total

    Photos6

    First Love (1970)
    Peggy Ashcroft, Elisabeth Bergner, Lil Dagover, Johanna Hofer, and Françoise Rosay in The Pedestrian (1973)
    Dagmar Hirtz and Gustav Rudolf Sellner in The Pedestrian (1973)
    Gila von Weitershausen in The Pedestrian (1973)
    The Pedestrian (1973)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gustav Rudolf Sellner
    • Heinz Alfred Gieseas Heinz Alfred Giese
    Peter Hall
    Peter Hall
    • Rudolf Hartmannas Rudolf Hartmann
    Maximilian Schell
    Maximilian Schell
    • Andreas Gieseas Andreas Giese
    Gila von Weitershausen
    Gila von Weitershausen
    • Karinas Karin
    Peggy Ashcroft
    Peggy Ashcroft
    • Lady Grayas Lady Gray
    Gertrud Bald
    • Henriette Markowitzas Henriette Markowitz
    Elisabeth Bergner
    Elisabeth Bergner
    • Frau Lilienthalas Frau Lilienthal
    Lil Dagover
    Lil Dagover
    • Frau Eschenlohras Frau Eschenlohr
    Käthe Haack
    Käthe Haack
    • Frau von Rautenfeldas Frau von Rautenfeld
    Ruth Hausmeister
    • Inge Marie Gieseas Inge Marie Giese
    Dagmar Hirtz
    • Elke Gieseas Elke Giese
    Johanna Hofer
    • Frau Bergedorfas Frau Bergedorf
    Silvia Hürlimann
    • Hildeas Hilde
    Christian Kohlund
    Christian Kohlund
    • Erwin Gotzas Erwin Gotz
    Walter Kohut
    • Dr. Rolf Meinekeas Dr. Rolf Meineke
    Alexander May
    • Alexander Markowitzas Alexander Markowitz
    Herbert Mensching
    • Reporteras Reporter
    Peter Moland
    • Reporteras Reporter
    • Director
      • Maximilian Schell
    • Writers
      • Dagmar Hirtz
      • Maximilian Schell
      • Franz Seitz(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
    7.0
    The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
    Days of Wine and Roses
    7.8
    Days of Wine and Roses
    Angi Vera
    7.1
    Angi Vera
    The Wings of the Dove
    7.1
    The Wings of the Dove
    The Candidate
    7.0
    The Candidate
    The Hunt
    7.5
    The Hunt
    The Crowd
    8.1
    The Crowd
    The Ox
    7.2
    The Ox
    The Hireling
    6.7
    The Hireling
    The Pornographers
    7.2
    The Pornographers
    Day for Night
    8.0
    Day for Night
    Calculated Risk
    6.4
    Calculated Risk

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Margarete Schell Noé (Frau Buchmann) was the mother of the writer, director and star Maximilian Schell (Andreas Giese).
    • Connections
      References A Man Escaped (1956)
    • Soundtracks
      Symphonie Nr. 7
      Written by Ludwig van Beethoven

      Played by the Berliner Philharmoniker

      Conducted by Herbert von Karajan

    User reviews6

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    THE PEDESTRIAN (Maximilian Schell, 1973) ***
    Initially it was my intention to dedicate my month-long Oscar marathon to catching up solely with winners but the sudden passing of Austrian actor/writer/director Maximilian Schell on its very first day soon dispelled those plans! Schell, already an acting Oscar winner at the start of the 1960s, went behind the camera towards the end of that same decade and his directorial debut – FIRST LOVE (1970) which, sadly, is unavailable for viewing at this juncture – immediately earned him a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination; the film under review is his sophomore effort and it was equally recognized by the Academy and, even though it lost out to François Truffaut's delightful film-making classic DAY FOR NIGHT (1973) on this occasion, it emerged victorious at the Golden Globes.

    Bringing former Nazi officials to justice has been an ongoing worldwide quest ever since the 1947 Nuremberg trials; it is perhaps not coincidental that Maximilian Schell not only won his sole acting Oscar for a fictional, star-studded reenactment of that infamous event but that he tackled the subject again when he became a director. Curiously enough, while he does appear as an actor in THE PEDESTRIAN, his is only a star cameo as the dead son of a German industrialist targeted by his surviving Greek subjects 30 years after the retaliatory massacre of their village populace. However, Schell did appear as hunted ex-Nazis in such Hollywood indictments as THE ODESSA FILE (1974) and THE MAN IN THE GLASS BOOTH (1975; which garnered him another Best Actor nod and a viewing of which will follow presently) before essaying yet another proud Nazi officer in Sam Peckinpah's CROSS OF IRON (1977).

    The central character of THE PEDESTRIAN – so called because his reckless steering costs him his driving license and the life of his son (Schell) – is played by Gustav Rudolf Sellner and, although it is the first time I have heard of him or seen his work (in fact, this was his screen debut in that capacity as he is also a director of TV movies), his sensitive portrayal is a quietly impressive one that was recognized at that year's German Film Awards; typically, he is shown leading a double life even on a personal level by keeping a much-younger mistress! Amusingly, at one point, Sellner's younger, rebellious, hippie son is also shown catching a TV screening of the classic Bolivian film BLOOD OF THE CONDOR (1969). Schell's treatment of the somber material (including potentially disturbing footage of road accident victims which the felonious drivers are forced to watch as part of their 'rehabilitation' process!) is predictably heavy-going if occasionally brilliant, relying on several flashbacks to the all- important WWII and car crash episodes. Even so, the unexpected highlight of the film turns out to be a couple of sequences set in an old people's home where Sellner's wife reminisces with her elderly friends that are (unaccountably but delightfully) played by such acting veterans as Peggy Ashcroft, Elizabeth Bergner, Lil Dagover and Françoise Rosay! ...
    helpful•4
    1
    • Bunuel1976
    • Feb 4, 2014

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 6, 1973 (West Germany)
    • Countries of origin
      • Switzerland
      • West Germany
      • Israel
    • Languages
      • German
      • French
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Der Fußgänger
    • Filming locations
      • Jaffa, Israel
    • Production companies
      • Alfa Film
      • Braun
      • Braun Entertainment Group
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Pedestrian (1973)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Pedestrian (1973) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies Coming This Summer
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in June
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.