The last act (1955)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The last act |
| Country of production | Germany , Austria |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1955 |
| length | 113 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Georg Wilhelm Pabst |
| script |
Fritz Habeck , Erich Maria Remarque , Michael A. Musmanno (novel) |
| production | Carl Szokoll |
| music | Erwin Halletz |
| camera |
Günther Anders , Hannes Staudinger |
| cut | Herbert Taschner |
| occupation | |
| |
The last act is an anti-war film shot in black and white from 1955, which describes the last days of the war in Berlin , especially the situation in the Führerbunker . The basis was the book In ten days comes the death (original title: Ten Days to Die ) by Michael A. Musmanno .
action
Captain Richard Wüst, who was awarded the Knight's Cross but was critical of the Nazi regime , was sent by his general to the Führerbunker in April 1945 to report directly to Adolf Hitler about the situation at the front and to request reinforcements, but failed several times in an attempt to to be able to speak to the Führer. Just when Hitler orders the S-Bahn tunnels to be blown up in order to stop the Red Army (of the Soviet Union) on their advance (but so that the lives of thousands of Berliners who have sought refuge in the tunnels are sacrificed), Wüst is admitted to the Führer .
background
The last act - 10 years after the fall of Nazi Germany, the first ever German / Austrian feature film to portray Hitler, is still causing controversy today . He vividly depicts the collapse of the Reich and Hitler himself. However, the portrayal of Hitler himself was viewed in parts of contemporary criticism as too unrealistic and one-sidedly exaggerated.
The film was only shown in German cinemas for a short time. The film evaluation board denied him the title “particularly valuable” because he portrayed Hitler in a “historically not entirely overlookable area” and was also a “deliberate control of opinion”. The film was more successful in other countries and sold in 52 countries.
The script for the film - written by Fritz Habeck - is based on the book by Michael A. Musmanno , who was among other things a judge at the Nuremberg trials . He had interviewed survivors and eyewitnesses, including Traudl Junge , the private secretary of the "Führer". She was also on set to advise director Pabst. However, she asked not to be portrayed by an actress in the film, as she feared that as the only one from Hitler's narrow circle who was not in prison, was in Soviet captivity or was already dead, problems would still arise to get. Your wish was respected. It was not until 1981 in Der Bunker that Traudl Junge was first portrayed in a feature film.
The last act was filmed in Baden near Vienna and Vienna .
Prequel
Historically, before The Last Act , but filmed afterwards in 1955, the film It happened on July 20 was made under Pabst , which reconstructs the Hitler attack of July 20, 1944.
Of the actors, only Willy Krause kept his role as Goebbels. Erik Frey , who played General Burgdorf in The Last Act , portrayed General Friedrich Olbricht in the prequel .
Reviews
“Film based on a film novella by Erich Maria Remarque, with which Pabst reflected on his pacifist beginnings; The authentic events, filmed in a quasi-documentary style, are staged, but ultimately connected too inconsistently with elements of the storyline that are similar to popular stories. A morally and politically convincing argument does not take place as a result. "
literature
- Michael A. Musmanno : Death will come in ten days. Eyewitnesses report the end of Hitler. Authentic representation of the dramatic events of the last few weeks in the leadership bunker of the Reich Chancellery (original title: Ten Days to Die ). Droemer, Munich 1950, 432 pp.
Web links
- The last act in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The last act - a film , article from April 28, 1955 by Paul Hühnerfeld for Zeit Online
- ↑ Verena Friederike Hasel: Hitler, a media career , accessed on May 14, 2009.
- ^ The last act. In: Lexicon of international film . Film service , accessed October 15, 2017 .