''Captain Wronski'' (german: Rittmeister Wronski) is a 1954 West German

spy film The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many James Bond films) ...

directed by

Ulrich Erfurth Ulrich Erfurth (1910–1986) was a German film director.Giesen p.201 Filmography Director * ' (1944/1950) * ''Finale'' (1948) * ''Not Afraid of Big Animals'' (1953) * ''Columbus Discovers Kraehwinkel'' (1954) * ''Captain Wronski'' (1954) * ''One ...

and starring

Willy Birgel Willy Birgel (19 September 1891 – 29 December 1973), born Wilhelm Maria Birgel, was a German theatre and film actor. Career Birgel began his acting career before World War I on the stage in his native city of Cologne, and came to movies rath ...

Elisabeth Flickenschildt Elisabeth Ida Marie Flickenschildt (16 March 1905 – 26 October 1977) was a German actress, producer and author. She appeared in dozens of German language films and television productions between 1935–1976. Flickenschildt was born in Hamburg ...

, and

Antje Weisgerber Antje Weisgerber (17 April 1922 – 28 September 2004) was a German film and television actress and the wife of actor Horst Caspar. Selected filmography * '' The White Hell of Pitz Palu'' (1950) * ''Two Times Lotte'' (1950) * ''The Stronger Woma ...

. A Polish officer works undercover in 1930s

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

to discover

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

's plans against his homeland. The film is very loosely based on 's book about

Jerzy Sosnowski Jerzy Ksawery Franciszek Sosnowski ( Lemberg, Austrian Galicia, 3 December 1896 – 1942, 1944, or 1945, in Poland or the Soviet Union) was a Major in Section II ("''Dwójka''") of the Polish General Staff and a Polish spymaster in the Weimar ...

. It was shot at the

Tempelhof Studios The Tempelhof Studios are a film studio located in Tempelhof in the German capital of Berlin. They were founded in 1912, during the silent era, by German film pioneer Alfred Duskes, who built a glass-roofed studio on the site with financial back ...

with sets 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 ...

Fritz Maurischat Fritz Maurischat (April 27, 1893 in Berlin – December 11, 1986) was a German production designer. He made his film debut in 1924. Over the next 38 years, he worked on over 70 films, all of them in his native Germany. He earned an Oscar nominatio ...

. The casting of Birgel in the title role referenced his best-known performance during the

Nazi era Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

when he had played another

Rittmeister __NOTOC__ (German and Scandinavian for "riding master" or "cavalry master") is or was a military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in the armies of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A ''Rittmeister'' is typic ...

in ''

Riding for Germany ''Riding for Germany'' (german: Reitet für Deutschland) is a 1941 German drama film directed by Arthur Maria Rabenalt and starring Willy Birgel, Gertrud Eysoldt and Gerhild Weber. A German cavalry officer, badly injured during the First World Wa ...

'' (1941).

Cast

References

Bibliography

External links

* 1954 films 1950s spy drama films German spy drama films West German films 1950s German-language films Films directed by Ulrich Erfurth Films set in the 1930s Films set in Berlin Films set in Poland Films about Nazi Germany Films based on non-fiction books Films shot at Tempelhof Studios 1954 drama films German black-and-white films 1950s German films {{1950s-Germany-film-stub