The black battalion
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The Black Battalion / The Devil's Battalion |
| Original title | Černý prapor |
| Country of production | Czechoslovakia |
| original language | Czech |
| Publishing year | 1958 |
| length | 85 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Vladimír Čech |
| script | Kamil Pixa , Miloslav Fábera |
| production | Rudolf Hájek |
| music | Šťepán Lucký , performed by the Filmový Symfonický Orchestr under the direction of František Belfín . Viola solo : Ladislav Černý , orchestra: Karel Krautgartner |
| camera | Rudolf Milič |
| cut | Antonín Zolanka |
| occupation | |
| |
The Black Battalion ( Czech : Černý prapor , West German dubbed title: The Devil's Battalion ) is a Czechoslovakian film dubbed by DEFA from 1958 . The film had its premiere on June 13, 1958, the German premiere in the GDR took place on March 13, 1959. The plot is set around 1950 during the Indochina War in a unit of the French Foreign Legion .
action
Expose. Prague Airport 1951
Opening credits (translation from the English subtitle of the DVD edition):
In 1951 the Czechoslovaks who defected to the Vietnamese People's Army as members of the French Foreign Legion return home.
Prague Airport 1951. A radar device circles over the main building. In addition to younger people, an older, careworn woman is waiting for the arrival of a special plane of the Czechoslovak airline from Vietnam . It transports former Foreign Legionnaires who defected to the Viet Minh back to Czechoslovakia. When she cannot find her son Vaclav among the returnees, she turns to two former legionaries who ask her which town Vaclav comes from. She replies, from Pilsen . The legionaries tell her that they only know one legionnaire from Pilsen, Lieutenant Wolf. The woman is startled and repeatedly horrified: "Lieutenant Wolf ...".
Indochina, ca.1950
Indochina, around 1950. A column of newly arrived Foreign Legionnaires drives on trucks through the jungle to their base. Among them is Vaclav, who left Czechoslovakia out of a thirst for adventure and finally joined the Legion. In front of the prison cell at the base, he is asked for a cigarette by the imprisoned German Foreign Legionnaire Gerhard. Vaclav gives him a whole box by which Gerhard recognizes that Vaclav was stationed in Algeria . When Gerhard learns that Vaclav is Czech, he advises him to contact Petr and Tadeusz. They should also look at Gerhard's boots, which are in the shared accommodation.
In the barracks, Vaclav meets Petr and Tadeusz and reports about the boots. In it you will find a compass that Gerhard got to desert with them . Gerhard is imprisoned in preparation for the escape; his superiors want to investigate whether he has accomplices.
The military police (MP) arrive and interrogate Gerhard. The main witness against him is the German Sergeant Storch. Storch observed how Gerhard was in a room owned by Commandant Ketham, and suspected that Gerhard wanted to steal a card there, which he vigorously denied and then referred to Storch as a liar. Storch beats the legionnaire, whereupon Gerhard strikes back and, in response, is beaten up by the MP. The French superiors keep out; one advises the military doctor to take a closer look at Gerhard later in the hospital.
Sergeant Storch plays dice with the British legionnaire "Joker". Storch risks and bets everything and loses. An alarm message from base 3, commanded by Lieutenant Wolf, arrives at the base's radio station. Base 3 is attacked by superior Vietnamese forces, Wolf wants to break out. A Viet Minh penetrates the radio station at base 3 and takes the two radio operators prisoner; the connection to the main base breaks off.
Commandant Ketham raises the alarm. He leads the relief unit. The troupe also includes “Joker” and Storch. Storch demands the return of the prize from “Joker”, but he refuses. Storch then gives a sign to a legionnaire who speaks both German and Czech; he should “take care” of the British. On the way to the deployment area, Vaclav Petr tells that his sister and father were killed by the SS while searching for weapons during World War II .
The legionaries break into a village on the way to base 3 and round up the residents. A legionnaire snatches a medallion from a Vietnamese girl. An old man, possibly her father or grandfather, distracts the legionaries by running away. He is shot, the girl uses the moment to escape into the jungle. Commandant Ketham orders the escaped legionnaires from Base 3 to be approached. Storch asks what should be done with the prisoners. Ketham orders them to be guarded.
Wolf has since been cut off; his two companions were shot dead by the Viet Minh. Vaclav and Petr work their way through the jungle. They meet a python who wants to shoot Vaclav, but is killed by Petr with a machete so as not to warn the Viet Minh. In the confusing terrain, Vaclav finally meets the wounded Lieutenant Wolf alone and helps him. Meanwhile, the "Joker", who was also wounded by the Viet Minh, is being pursued by the German-speaking Czech and another British legionnaire. When he doesn't want to give away the winnings, the German-speaking Czech kills “Joker” with his own Kris , while the Briton holds “Joker”. The murder is observed by Vaclav without the murderers noticing; Wolf carried by Vaclav is unconscious.
When the two murderers encounter the main troop, Ketham fell and Storch took command. The Viet Minh attacks the village. Storch takes the booty from the murderers and orders the prisoners to be "killed" and the village set on fire; "Joker" is officially called fallen. When the prisoners are shot, Vaclav becomes hysterical . On the return journey he wants to shoot himself with his rifle, which Petr prevents. His comrades forcibly pour Ballantine's whiskey into him to calm him down.
When they return to their base, Gerhard has been released from both the hospital and from custody. He continues to prepare to escape, waiting for an opportunity to steal a map. As it turns out, he became “ shanghai ” in Hamburg . He got "full" on the Reeperbahn and only woke up in the Legion.
Lieutenant Wolf takes over the post of the fallen Commander Ketham. He also takes over a little monkey from him . Vaclav tells Petr that “Joker” didn't fall. Petr warns him: If he wants to get out of here, he has to dance along or ... (he makes the cut-off gesture).
Wolf is looking for a new guy. He asks Gerhard, who only answers in French. Wolf doesn't believe that he is French, but that he is German. But Gerhard evades; he was only a legionnaire. Tadeusz to Gerhard: Wolf is also German, like you. Then Gerhard: But a different German than me. I see that at first glance .
Vaclav makes hints towards the German-speaking Czech and Storch; "Joker" fell into his own kris. Before the two can attack Vaclav, Wolf appears and asks about the legionnaire who saved his life. Vaclav answers; as a reward, Vaclav becomes Wolf's new boy and is given the monkey. Gerhard considers Vaclav to be a traitor because of the acceptance of the post. If their planned escape is betrayed, he blatantly threatens his murder.
When Wolf is in the shower, Vaclav sees a strange tattoo on his upper arm . A comrade learns the meaning: It is the blood group tattoo of the SS. Through a conversation with Wolf, he learns that he knows the road by the viaduct in Pilsen, where Vaclav's father and sister were murdered by Lieutenant Wolf. Vaclav is shocked and wants to return to the battalion. Wolf lets him go, but also says that he will still teach him how to set fire to villages.
For a new assignment, Wolf is looking for a volunteer to accompany him on a patrol. Vaclav answers. They go into the jungle together, watching each other with guns.
Epilogue. Prague Airport 1951
Petr gets out of the special machine and meets Vaclav's mother, who speaks to him. Petr denies knowing Vaclav. While the mother continues towards the plane, Petr pulls back his jacket as he leaves. Vaclav's little monkey looks out. The radar device continues to circle above the airport building.
criticism
“It is a“ hard ”material that the authors Faberá and Pixa wrote. It has nothing to do with the romanticism and disparagement of horror with which the directors of West Germany and capitalist abroad work when dealing with this topic in order not to hurt their allies in NATO . "
"A film of often oppressive intensity that, in a cool documentary style, condemns the war and imperialism with western influences."
publication
The Black Battalion was produced in 1958 by the Czechoslovak State Film in the Barrandov Film Studios and had its premiere on June 13, 1958.
The German editing in the GDR was done by VEB DEFA-Studio for synchronization , distribution was taken over by VEB Progress Film-Verleih . The German premiere was on March 13, 1959.
Other dub titles were Battaglione nero ( Italy ), To marvo tagma ( Greece ) and The Black Battalion ( United States ).
The film was edited in 2006 by the Czech company Filmexport Home Video on DVD with English subtitles. As a bonus, there is an interview with the Czech film historian Pavel Taussig (born 1949) on the DVD . The German dubbed version is probably in the film archive of the Federal Archives in Berlin .
backgrounds
- Expert advice was provided by Ervin Paleš, Yvette Dubois and Colonel František Nevěřil. The buildings were created by Jan Zázvorka.
- Günther Simon, actor of Gerhard Richter, was filming at the same time in the DEFA studio in Potsdam - Babelsberg Geschwader Fledermaus , whose plot is also set in the Indochina War. Simon was therefore flown to the tightly scheduled shooting.
literature
- They became friends. Conversations with Günther Simon about the filming of “The Black Battalion” , in: Filmspiegel , No. 19/1958, p. 3.
- Short note The Black Battalion in: Filmspiegel No. 6/1959, p. 11.
- Progress film program 20/59, The Black Battalion .
Web links
- The black battalion in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Entry in the Kabel Eins film lexicon
- Progress advertising brochure at flimmerkiste.de
