Fridericus Rex films
As Fridericus Rex films are in the strict sense four historical movies around the person of Prussian King Frederick II. Called, which were produced in Germany from 1920 to 1923. In a broader sense, the name includes all the feature films about Friedrich II that were made in Germany up to 1942.
The double film Fridericus Rex , which was elaborately staged by Ufa and told the life of the Prussian King Frederick II in loosely connected episodes and without historical accuracy, was a classic historical film. The film shows how the submission of the initially youthful rebellious Friedrich to the will of his strict father leads to the character of the future ruler, who ultimately uses his absolute power wisely for the good of the people and elevates little Prussia to a great power through successful wars.
At the time the film hit theaters - four years after the lost World War I and the fall of the monarchy - one reading was the idea that a new absolute ruler would not only form a bulwark against rising socialism, but the country which in large parts felt humiliated, would also lead to new greatness.
Although the film aroused violent protests in the liberal and left-wing press due to the euphoric reactions of the audience, it was extremely successful commercially and inspired a whole series of imitations that were produced by various film companies up into the 1930s. The pattern of the original film was always more or less faithfully adopted, and Otto Fee played Friedrich in almost all films .
The Fridericus Rex films were interpreted by some film critics as anticipating the National Socialists .
See also: Main article: List of films related to Frederick II (Prussia)
Filmography
| Prod. Year | title | production | Director | occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | The dancer Barberina | Primus film | Carl Boese | Otto Fee (Friedrich II.), Lyda Salmonova (Barbara Campanini) |
| 1920/21 | Fridericus Rex (1st part: Sturm und Drang; 2nd part: father and son) | Cserépy film | Arzén of Cserépy | Otto Fee (Friedrich II.), Albert Steinrück (Friedrich Wilhelm I.) |
| 1923 | Fridericus Rex (3rd part: Sanssouci; 4th part: turning point) | Cserépy film | Arzén of Cserépy | Otto Fee (Friedrich II.), Erna Morena (Queen Elisabeth Christine) |
| 1925/26 | The Sanssouci Mill | German club film AG | Siegfried Philippi | Otto Fee (Friedrich the Great), Lissy Lind (Wilhelmine von Bayreuth) |
| 1927/28 | The old Fritz (1st part: Peace; 2nd part: The end) | Gerhard Lamprecht film | Gerhard Lamprecht | Otto Fee (Der Alte Fritz), Berthold Reissig (Prince Heinrich) |
| 1930 | The Sans-souci flute concert | Ufa | Gustav Ucicky | Otto Fee (The King), Hans Rehmann (Major von Lindeneck), Theo Lingen (Kent) |
| 1932 | The dancer from Sanssouci | Zelnik-Film GmbH | Friedrich Zelnik | Otto Fee (Friedrich the Great), Lil Dagover ( Barberina Campanini ), Rosa Valetti (her mother) |
| 1932 | Trenck | Phoebus Tonfilm-Produktions GmbH | Heinz Paul , Ernst Neubach | Hans Stüwe (Trenck), Theodor Loos (Friedrich II.), Paul Hörbiger (President of the Court) |
| 1933 | The chorale of Leuthen | Froelich-Film GmbH | Carl Froelich | Otto Fee (The King), Olga Chekhowa (Countess Mariann), Werner Finck (Christian, candidate of theology), Veit Harlan (soldier) |
| 1935 | The old and the young king | Deka-Film GmbH | Hans Steinhoff | Emil Jannings (Friedrich Wilhelm I), Werner Hinz (Crown Prince Friedrich), Claus Clausen (Lieutenant Katte) |
| 1935 | Anecdotes about the old Fritz | KU-Filmproduktions- und Vertriebs-GmbH, Ulrich & Neuss | Phil Jutzi | Theodor Loos (Der Alte Fritz), Karl Meixner (Voltaire) |
| 1936 | Fridericus | Diana-Tonfilm GmbH | Johannes Meyer | Otto Fee (Friedrich the Great), Lil Dagover (Madame Pompadour), Käthe Haack (Empress Maria Theresia), Paul Dahlke (Field Marshal of Dessau) |
| 1936 | Cheerful and serious things about the great king (short film) | KU-Filmproduktions- und Vertriebs-GmbH, Ulrich & Neuss | Phil Jutzi | Otto Fee (Friedrich the Great), Hans Mierendorff (The Invalid) |
| 1936/37 | The beautiful Fraulein Schragg | Tonlicht-Film GmbH, Peter Ostermayr | Hans Deppe | Hansi Knoteck , Otto Fee (Friedrich II.) |
| 1942 | The great king | Tobis | Veit Harlan | Otto Fee (Friedrich the Great), Kristina Söderbaum (Miller's daughter), Gustav Fröhlich (Treskow) |
literature
- Erwin Leiser, “Germany, awake!”. Propaganda in the film of the Third Reich, Reinbek (Rowohlt) 1978
- Axel Marquardt, Heinz Rathsack, Prussia in the film. A retrospective of the Deutsche Kinemathek Foundation, Reinbek 1981
- Eberhard Mertens (compilation and introduction), film programs. Vol. 5: The great Prussian films. I: Production 1921–1932, Hildesheim, New York (Olms Press) 1981
- Eberhard Mertens (compilation and introduction), film programs. Vol. 6: The great Prussian films. II. Production 1932–1945, Hildesheim, New York (Olms Press) 1981
- Udo W. Wolff, Preussens Glanz und Gloria im Film, The famous German sound films about Prussia's glorious past, Munich (Heyne) 1981
- Siegfried Kracauer, From Caligari to Hitler. A psychological history of German film, Frankfurt / M. (Suhrkamp) 1984, pp. 126ff, 164f, 281ff, 459ff