The executioner's brother

Movie
Original title	The executioner's brother
Country of production	GDR
original language	German
Publishing year	1979
length	84 minutes
Rod
Director	Walter Beck
script	Walter Beck Brigitte Kirsten
production	DEFA , KAG "Berlin"
music	Günther Fischer
camera	Günter Heimann
cut	Use Peters
occupation
Frank Grunwald : Christoph Gunter Friedrich : Joß Thomas Wolff : Hieronymus Holger Mahlich : Executioner Jakob Fred Delmare : Octavio Walter Lendrich : Herlinger Rita Feldmeier : Maria Brigitte Krause : Elsa Joß Gisela Leipert : Herlingerin Jens Leubner : Tobias Hans Klering : Lukas Gerry Wolff : Härtel Ottofritz Gaillard : old bailiff Quint Kaspar Eichel : Till Jürgen Huth : Jaspar Leon Niemczyk : Berner Waltraut Kramm : Beate Hans-Eberhard Gäbel : Cornet Veit Helmut Schreiber : Beggar Osbert Günter Rüger : Father Johannes Jürgen Sebert : Eilmar Frank Ciazynski : Knight Scharfenstein Eckhard Bilz : Reisiger Raban Pedro Hebenstreit : Reisiger Bertram Uwe Wardeck : Reisiger Klaus Joachim Schönitz : Landlord Alfred Steinbrenner : Mandes Manfred Ott : Philipp Jörg Gillner : Zacharias Gunter Sonneson : Niklas Alfred Lux : Farmer Hilbrecht Michael Christian : Farmer Vincent Evamaria Heyse : Farmer Ziska Peter Friedrichson : Farmer Lee Toralf Schulz : Karsten Detlef Bierstedt : journeyman executioner Klaus-Dieter Klebsch : Journeyman Peter Pauli : Dietram Irmgard Bringer : old woman Kurt Götz : City soldier Friedrich Oberhof : City soldier Hannes Stelzer : Hangman Luzius

The Hangman's Brother is a DEFA children's film by Walter Beck from 1979 based on the novel of the same name by Hanna-Heide Kraze from 1956.

action

In the 16th century, on the eve of the Peasants' War, the impoverished Herlinger farming family lived in a village in Thuringia . Since they have nothing left to eat, their father wants to go to the next town to sell a cow. Nobody wants to do business with them in their own town, because the older son works as an executioner for the rulers. Since the cow is already very weak, the younger son Christoph goes after his father to help him. When they pass a tavern , the father goes in and gets drunk. Since he can not pay the bill , he gives the cow as payment.

The two carters, Joß and Hieronymus, were also sitting in the restaurant and wanted to bring Father Herlinger home because he was no longer able to walk. On the way they get into a trap set up by the followers of the lord of the castle von Scharfenstein. Although they are targeting a rich merchant who has the same route, the carters were there sooner. They successfully defend themselves against the attack and take the count's son hostage. Christoph is given the task of preventing him from escaping with a knife by his neck. The Scharfensteiners therefore take revenge on the Herlinger family by burning down their property, where Christoph's parents also perished.

Joß and Hieronymus take the boy in and try to train him to be a farmer. But he also has to learn to read and write as well as fencing , because his teachers are leading members of the farmers' secret society. Christoph is also included in this. When Jerome tries to get a flag from a hiding place, which is supposed to be the symbol for the start of the uprising, Christoph learns that Octavio, who is everywhere, is supposed to be a spy and rides after Hieronymus to warn him. But he comes too late and can only watch as he is arrested. So he fetches the flag himself, but is placed on the way back by the people of the lord of the castle Scharfenstein. Here the lord's son recognizes him and challenges him to a fight. Since Christoph has now learned to fight, he wins and kills his opponent. Now he is captured and taken to the city to be executed.

In the dungeon he meets Hieronymus again, who has been tortured and tortured and is dying. But he also sees his brother Jakob, the executioner, again. He is upset about which side his little brother is fighting on. But he is also shocked by the fate of his parents. He secretly lets Christoph run and he brings the flag to the secret society, the uprising can begin.

production

The hangman's brother was filmed on ORWO color by the Berlin Artistic Working Group and had its world premiere on February 2, 1979 on the occasion of the first national children's film festival, the Goldener Spatz, in the Panorama-Palast in Gera . The general theatrical release took place on February 9, 1979 on the occasion of the opening event of the national children's film festival in Berlin's Colosseum cinema . The first broadcast in the first program of the GDR television took place on March 29, 1980 as part of the Flimmerstunde series .

Some of the exterior shots were shot in and around Arnstadt . The scenario comes from Brigitte Kirsten and Gudrun Deubener .

criticism

Horst Knietzsch wrote about the film in Neues Deutschland that the director tried very hard to convey positive forms of behavior. However, there was sometimes a lack of sensitivity to give historical events a passionate, also emotionally more touching dimension.

The Lexicon of International Film states that this socially critical film depicts the class differences of the feudal era in a drastic and enlightening way.

Web links

• Executioner's brother in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• The executioner's brother at filmportal.de
• The executioner's brother at the DEFA Foundation

Individual evidence

1. ^ New Germany on February 7, 1979, p. 4
2. ↑ The executioner's brother. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .