Blood Brothers (1975)

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Movie
Original title Blood brothers
Country of production German Democratic Republic
original language German
Publishing year 1975
length 92 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Werner W. Wallroth
script Dean Reed
Wolfgang Ebeling
production Gerrit List
music Karl-Ernst Sasse
camera Hans Heinrich
cut Helga Emmrich
occupation

Blood Brothers is a DEFA Indian film from 1975 directed by Werner W. Wallroth . The tenth part of the Gojko Mitić Indian film series was based on a script by the American actor Dean Reed , who also plays the leading role. The world premiere took place on July 18, 1975.

action

Subject

Harmonika (Dean Reed) experienced the Sand Creek massacre in the winter of 1864 as a standard bearer , during which an Indian camp on Big Sandy Creek believed to be under the protection of the American flag was attacked by soldiers. He then deserted from the army and was finally taken in by the Cheyenne . There he becomes friends with Harter Felsen (Gojko Mitić) and marries his sister Rehkitz (Gisela Freudenberg). When this is murdered, he leads the fight against the soldiers together with the Indians.

introduction

The soldier harmonica is the standard bearer of an American cavalry squad. In the winter of 1864 they attacked a defenseless Indian village near Sand Creek, killing most of the women, children and old men there. At the sight of this massacre, the harmonica breaks the American flag. He is then captured.

Bulk

The following night, under the leadership of Harter Felsen, the Cheyenne retaliate by raiding the soldiers' fort. In the turmoil of the fight, Harmonika escapes with two other soldiers. On their escape, the three former soldiers meet an Indian woman and an Indian boy. Before the harmonica can intervene, one of his companions shoots the Indians, then both of them flee. When the harmonica sees that the Indian woman is still alive, he takes her with him and nurses her back to health.

The next morning, however, it disappeared. Instead, accordion is surrounded by Cheyenne warriors. He is captured by them and taken to their village. But Rehkitz, that's the name of the Indian woman he rescued, stands up for him. So the chief decides that Harmonica has to fight for his life together with Harter Felsen. During the fight, Hard Rock falls while climbing, and Harmonica brings him back to the village.

This is enough for the chief as evidence of the honesty of the harmonica, and he is a free man. Harmonica decides to stay with the Indians and slowly settles into the community. In doing so, he gradually wins the friendship of Harter Felsen. And Rehkitz shows even more than friendship towards him. So they finally get married and Rehkitz is expecting a child from him.

But the next stroke of fate lies ahead of the Cheyenne village. While the warriors are unsuccessful on the hunt for buffalo because the white settlers shot them down in large numbers, the village is again attacked by soldiers. Fawn dies in this massacre. For the first time, the peace-loving harmonica feels hatred and wants to avenge the death of his wife by finding the murderer. As a clue, he uses a chain that the murderer has torn off.

Harmonica leaves the Indian village and goes in search of the murderer. Finally he finds it in a saloon. He then follows him to his hut. But when he sees that he has a wife and children, he cannot shoot the man.

The harmonica then breaks and gives in to the alcohol. A former soldier with whom he escaped from the fort becomes aware of him. This now blows up harmonica's story that the Indians tortured harmonica. The Indians are dubbed "savages" by the newspaper. Nobody wants to know that harmonica insults the whites as the "real savages".

Enough

In the meantime the Indian village has been finally defeated and the Indians are to be deported to the reservation. When Harmonica sees the Indians being transported, he decides to act. At night he frees Harter Felsen and the other remaining Cheyenne. Together they now attack other Indian transports to save them from being reserved. In the end, Harmonica and Harter Felsen become blood brothers and continue their fight.

analysis

construction

The introduction of the film begins with long landscape shots that come to the group of soldiers who are preparing for the attack. Harmonica can be seen briefly as the standard bearer, but he is not yet recognizable as the main actor. The Indians are only shown during the massacre and initially remain just as anonymous as the soldiers.

Only with the main part does the plot focus entirely on the harmonica and its further fate. So Harter Felsen, the most important minor character, first appears briefly when his path of life briefly crosses with that of Harmonika during the attack on the fort. Later, the fate of the two later blood brothers is examined together, until their paths in life separate again, until Harmonika frees Harter Felsen, and then both go together to fight the soldiers.

people

Harmonica is a peace loving patriotic American. When he realizes the injustice that the American army has perpetrated against the Indians, he turns against the army. He made connections with the Indians, but initially held on to his American character until he finally took the side of the Indians.

Hard Rock is a Cheyenne Indian who grew up entirely in the traditions of his tribe. Like his tribe, he sees himself affected by the changes that the white settlers bring with them. The Indians are repeatedly betrayed by the whites because contracts are not kept. So he sees all whites as his enemies until he finally realizes that there are good and bad people on all sides.

Reviews

Video.de:
“ One of the Defa-Westerns of the GDR, which aimed for historical accuracy and considered ethnic peculiarities. 'Blood Brothers' suffers from dialogues that oscillate between child and adult language and is quite folkloric. Interesting for genre fans: the actor duel between Gojko Mitić, who became a star through Defa-Western ('Apaches'), and Dean Reed, American actor and singer, who also wrote the screenplay. Mitić was awarded the film prize of the youth magazine New Life for the role. "

Others

Co-leading actor Gojko Mitić had previously appeared in Karl May films . The American lead actor Dean Reed had lived in the GDR since 1972 and was only to shoot four more after this film.

Reed consciously used a few motifs from successful westerns. "Harmonica" was the name of the hero in Play Me a Song of Death . The blood brotherhood as well as the marriage with the chief's daughter and her death are borrowed from Winnetou 1st part .

literature

Web links