Black hunter Johanna
Schwarzer Jäger Johanna , published in Austria under the title “Der Spion des Kaisers”, is a German historical film from 1934 based on the novel of the same name by Georg von der Vring from the same year. The main actress was Marianne Hoppe .
action
In 1809, at the time of the occupation of Germany by Napoleon's troops, the young Johanna Luerssen traveled by stagecoach to Braunschweig , the capital of the French department of the Oker . Two men join in on the way: the seedy Dr. Frost and a Major Korfes . When the coach is stopped by French dragoons , Korfes is arrested, but shortly before he manages to slip an important letter to Johanna unnoticed.
Together with her mother, Johanna finally arrives at her aunt in Braunschweig, who tells her about the incidents, whereby she also mentions the letter that was secretly posted. Demoiselle Köttschau overhears this by chance and informs Dr. Frost. Frost appears at Johanna's and demands that the letter be handed over, but she refuses. Instead, Johanna flees before she can be arrested.
On her escape she meets Korfes again. Both flee together to Bohemia , because it turns out that Korfes officer in the service of the "Black Duke", Friedrich Wilhelm von Braunschweig is the " black crowd ," a volunteer corps has, which is to fight against the French occupiers erected. Johanna and Korfes arrive at Hofrat Zöllner's estate, where they initially separate. While Korfes joins the “black crowd” to fight against Napoleon and for the liberation of Germany, Johanna has to stay behind.
However, when the first news of victory arrived, Johanna could no longer stand idle on the estate. She cuts her long hair and gets herself a black hussar uniform , disguised as a man and "black hunter", to take part in the Napoleonic Wars . She first joins a group of soldiers under Prince Sulkowski in order to get to her lover. On the way there she accidentally learns of a conspiracy against him: An assassination attempt is supposed to get Korfes out of the way. Johanna succeeds in thwarting the project, but is wounded.
In the meantime Austria concludes an armistice with Napoleon, which the Brunswick duke does not join. On the contrary: he and his corps are heading north to take a ship to join the allies in England. On this march through northern Germany , the black crowd liberated Halberstadt, which was occupied by French troops, and moved on to Braunschweig , where they were enthusiastically received. Napoleonic troops then surround the city and heavy fighting ensues , in the course of which Johanna is taken prisoner. The French general wants to force her to divulge secrets, but Johanna resists him. This in turn leads to the fact that the Westphalian auxiliary troops of the French refuse to continue fighting against Germans. The French general and Dr. Frost, the spy, have to realize that they can no longer do anything against this opponent and leave. After successfully passing the fights, Johanna and Korfes finally find themselves.
background
In 1934, a year after the takeover of the Nazis from Berlin's Terra Film is film produced one of the few historical films that in the era of National Socialism emerged. He propagates an image of a "strong" woman who, disguised as a man, even rises to become a soldier hero, which apparently contradicts the National Socialist image of women . Since entertainment films under National Socialism were supposed to fulfill a political function in the sense of Nazi propaganda , Nazi worldview and ideology can also be found in "Schwarzer Jäger Johanna": Prussian virtues are cultivated, male friendships stylized and military parades are celebrated. The film was banned by the Allied military authorities after the end of World War II .
Reviews
"A historical arc of pictures that celebrates Prussian" virtues "and men's unions without distance and whose marches show parallels to the Nazi demonstrations of power."
See also
Web links
- Black Hunter Johanna in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Movie poster, staff and cast at deutscher-tonfilm.de ( Memento from December 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- Photo of Marianne Hoppe as "Black Hunter Johanna"
- Black hunter Johanna at Filmportal.de
- Black hunter Johanna at the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation