''By a Silken Thread'' (german: Am seidenen Faden) is a 1938 German drama film directed by

Robert A. Stemmle Robert Adolf Stemmle (10 June 1903 – 24 February 1974) was a German screenwriter and film director. He wrote for more than 80 films between 1932 and 1967. He also directed 46 films between 1934 and 1970. His 1959 film '' Die unvollkommen ...

and starring Willy Fritsch, Carl Kuhlmann and Käthe von Nagy. The film was intended to be an exposure of "crooked Jewish

capitalists Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private pr ...

" in line with Nazi racial policy of the era. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios of UFA in Potsdam.Klaus p.23 The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Otto Hunte Otto Hunte (9 January 1881 – 28 December 1960) was a German production designer, art director and set decorator. Hunte is considered one of the most important artists in the history of early German cinema, mainly for his set designs on the ea ...

Cast

* Willy Fritsch as Richard Hellwerth * Carl Kuhlmann as Wilhelm Eickhoff * Käthe von Nagy as Lissy Eickhoff *

Stella David Stella or STELLA may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Comedy *Stella (comedy group), a comedy troupe consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain Characters *Stella (given name), including a list of characters with th ...

as Wirtschafterin Frida Mann * Bernhard Minetti as Dr. Heinrich Breuer * Erich Ponto as Theodor Kalbach * Willi Schur as Werkmeister Schwafels * Paul Bildt as Bankier Brögelmann * Eduard Wandrey as Justizrat Bellert * Hildegard Barko as Dienstmädchen Anna * Ina Albrecht as Gast bei Eickhoffs Fest *

Johanna Blum Johanna is a feminine name, a variant form of Joanna that originated in Latin in the Middle Ages, including an -h- by analogy with the Latin masculine name Johannes. The original Greek form ''Iōanna'' lacks a medial /h/ because in Greek /h/ cou ...

as Gast bei Eickhoffs Fest * Hildegard Busse as Gast bei Eickhoffs Fest * Alfred Karen as Gast bei Eickhoffs Fest *

Ethel Reschke Ethel Reschke (24 April 1911 – 5 June 1992) was a German actress. She appeared in more than 70 films and television shows between 1931 and 1977. Selected filmography * '' Mädchen in Uniform'' (1931) * '' Paul and Pauline'' (1936) * '' B ...

as Gast bei Eickhoffs Fest * Rudolf Schündler as Von Tettenboom * Peter Elsholtz as Passagier auf dem Rückkehrschiff * Robert Forsch as Passagier auf dem Rückkehrschiff *

Vera Hartegg Vera Hartegg (28 May 1902 – 1 October 1981) was a German writer, stage and film actress. She was the daughter of the famous writer, diplomat, secret councilor and impostor Ernst von Hesse-Wartegg and his long-time mistress, actress Elvira Weiss ( ...

as Passagier auf dem Rückkehrschiff *

Walter Schramm-Duncker Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

as Passagier auf dem Rückkehrschiff *

Erich Bartels The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

as Reisender im Zugabteil *

Brunhilde Födisch Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild ( non, Brynhildr , gmh, Brünhilt, german: Brünhild , label=Modern German or ), is a female character from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess Brunhilda ...

as Reisende im Zugabteil *

Ursula Zeitz Ursula may refer to: * Ursula (name), feminine name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * ''Ursula'' (album), an album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron * Ursula (crater), a crater on Titania, a moon of Uranus * Ursula ( ...

as Dienstmädchen bei Eickhoffs Fest * Adolf Fischer as Arbeiter bei Hellwerth *

Wolfgang Staudte Wolfgang Staudte (9 October 1906 – 19 January 1984), born Georg Friedrich Staudte, was a German film director, script writer and actor. He was born in Saarbrücken. After 1945, Staudte also looked at German guilt in the cinema. Alongside He ...

as Arbeiter bei Hellwerth *

Hans Sobierayski Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...

as Polizist, der Lizzy abführt * Clemens Hasse as Polizist bei der Razzia *

Hellmuth Passarge Hellmuth is both a masculine German given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name: * Hellmuth Heye (1895–1970), German admiral and politician * Hellmuth Hirth (1886–1938), German engineer who founded engine manufact ...

as Polizist bei der Razzia *

Illo Gutschwager Illo is a town in Kebbi State, Nigeria. Pre-colonial history Illo was one of the Northern Borgu Kingdoms, small but wealthy, and it fought a number of wars with its neighbors in the nineteenth century including the Samba War and conflicts with Gw ...

as Arbeiter bei der Firma Hellwerth * Wera Schultz as Gast bei Eickhoffs Fest * Werner Pledath as Polizeikommissar bei der Verhaftung *

Georg H. Schnell Georg Heinrich Schnell (11 April 1878 – 31 March 1951) was a German actor who remains perhaps best-known for his role as shipowner Harding in ''Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens'' (1922). Georg appeared in over one hundred films. He wa ...

as Dr. Klipper * Hermann Pfeiffer as Büring * Wilfried Seyferth as Verkäufer der Firma Hellwerth *

Fritz Klaudius Fritz originated as a German nickname for Friedrich, or Frederick (''Der Alte Fritz'', and ''Stary Fryc'' were common nicknames for King Frederick II of Prussia and Frederick III, German Emperor) as well as for similar names including Fridolin a ...

as Herr Kundmann *

Eduard Bornträger Eduard Bornträger (22 June 1888 – 9 March 1958) was a German film actor.Jacobsen & Prinzler p.276 Selected filmography * '' The Hunter from Kurpfalz'' (1933) * ''Police Report'' (1934) * ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' (1935) * ''The Private Life of ...

as Fabrikant *

Eric Harden The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

as Fabrikant *

Hermann Meyer-Falkow Hermann or Herrmann may refer to: * Hermann (name), list of people with this name * Arminius, chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe in the 1st century, known as Hermann in the German language * Éditions Hermann, French publisher * Hermann, Miss ...

as Fabrikant *

Hans Timerding Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...

as Fabrikant *

Alfred Heynisch Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

as Begleiter Eickhoffs bei der Hochzeitstafel * Erik von Loewis as Begleiter Eickhoffs bei der Hochzeitstafel *

Franz Weilhammer Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see Fran ...

as Begleiter Eickhoffs bei der Hochzeitstafel *

Liesl Eckardt Liesl is a feminine given name of German origin. It is a diminutive of Lieselotte and Elisabeth. Notable people with the name include: * Liesl Herbst 1903–1990), Austrian tennis player * Liesl Jobson, South African poet *Liesl Karlstadt (1892� ...

as Beschäftigte an den neuen Maschinen *

Karl Morvilius Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austrian ...

as Beschäftigter an den neuen Maschinen * Albert Venohr as Beschäftigter an den neuen Maschinen *

Hildegard Friebel Hildegard is a female name derived from the Old High German ''hild'' ('war' or 'battle') and ''gard'' ('enclosure' or 'yard'), and means 'battle enclosure'. Variant spellings include: Hildegarde; the Polish, Portuguese, Slovene and Spanish Hild ...

as Büroangestellte bei Hellwerth *

Hildegard Unger Hildegard is a female name derived from the Old High German ''hild'' ('war' or 'battle') and ''gard'' ('enclosure' or 'yard'), and means 'battle enclosure'. Variant spellings include: Hildegarde; the Polish language, Polish, Portuguese language, P ...

as Büroangestellte bei Hellwerth *

Alfred Pussert Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

as Diener Eickhoffs *

Otto F. Henning Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...

as Vorsitzender des Arbeitsgerichts *

Kurt Klotz-Oberland Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and is ...

as Jurist bei der Gerichtssitzung * F.W. Schröder-Schrom as Jurist bei der Gerichtssitzung *

Walter Kunkel Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

as Young lawyer * Kurt Waitzmann as Young lawyer *

Inge Conradi Inge is a given name in various Germanic language-speaking cultures. In Swedish and Norwegian, it is mostly used as a masculine, but less often also as a feminine name, sometimes as a short form of Ingeborg, while in Danish, Estonian, Frisian, Ge ...

as Frl. Fichtner *

Karl Fisser Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austr ...

Käthe Jöken-König Käthe or Kathe is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Käthe Dorsch (1890–1957), German actress *Käthe Gold (1907–1997), Austrian actress *Käthe Grasegger, later Deuschl (1917–2001), German alpine skier * Kathe Green (bo ...

Hellmuth Lang Hellmuth is both a masculine German given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name: * Hellmuth Heye (1895–1970), German admiral and politician * Hellmuth Hirth (1886–1938), German engineer who founded engine manufact ...

Kurt Weisse Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and is ...

References

Bibliography

* Klaus, Ulrich J. ''Deutsche Tonfilme: Jahrgang 1938''. Klaus-Archiv, 1988. * Kreimeier, Klaus. ''The Ufa Story: A History of Germany's Greatest Film Company, 1918–1945''. University of California Press, 1999.

External links

* 1938 films Films of Nazi Germany German drama films 1938 drama films 1930s German-language films Films directed by Robert A. Stemmle UFA GmbH films German black-and-white films 1930s German films Films shot at Babelsberg Studios {{1930s-Germany-film-stub