''Der 10. Mai'' is a 1957 Swiss

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Franz Schnyder Franz Schnyder (5 March 1910 – 8 February 1993) was a Swiss film director and screenwriter. He directed 15 films between 1941 and 1968. His film ''Der 10. Mai'' was entered into the 8th Berlin International Film Festival. Filmography * '' ...

. It was entered into the

8th Berlin International Film Festival The 8th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 27 June to 8 July 1958 with the Zoo Palast as the main venue. The festival was opened by then West Berlin's newly elected mayor Willy Brandt. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Swe ...

Cast

* Hans Gaugler as Fritz Steiner *

Linda Geiser Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake ...

as Anna Marti *

Therese Giehse Therese Giehse (; 6 March 1898 – 3 March 1975), born Therese Gift, was a German actress. Born in Munich to German-Jews, Jewish parents, she first appeared on the stage in 1920. She became a major star on stage, in films, and in political cabaret ...

as Ida Herz * Yvette Perrin as Jeannette Perrin *

Heinz Reincke Karl-Heinz Reincke (28 May 1925 – 13 July 2011) was a German-born actor, long-based in Vienna. Selected filmography Films *'' A Heart Returns Home'' (1956) - Besselmann *'' Confessions of Felix Krull'' (1957) - Stanko *''Tolle Nacht'' (1957 ...

as Werner Kramer * Fred Tanner as Albert Widmer *

Hermann Wlach Hermann Wlach (11 August 1884 – 28 January 1962) was an Austrian stage and film actor. Born Armin Wlach in Vienna, he died in 1962 at age 77 in Zollikon Zollikon is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich, Switzerla ...

as Julius Herz

Plot

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, 10 May 1940: The forces of the German

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

start the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

and invade the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

. Change of location to German-Swiss border area: Early in the morning the armed ticket inspector Emil Tschumi controls tracks next to the border. He surprises Werner Kramer, who is a German refugee. Kramer swims through the Rhine and arrives Switzerland. Tschumi is a good-natured, old man, who receives the repairman to his small house. There he offers to dry the wet clothes. The young German alleges that he is followed by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

, because he had spoken with a colleague about foreign radio stations. Tschumi has sympathy for Kramer, but border officers will expel Kramer, so Tschumi gives him advice to get away. On 10 May 1940 troops march along the border of Switzerland. The

Swiss Federal Council The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat; french: Conseil fédéral; it, Consiglio federale; rm, Cussegl federal) is the executive body of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation and serves as the collective head of state and governme ...

is afraid of a sneak attack and orders the

mobilization Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...

. Now the Swiss border gets sharply guarded. An old German refugee is located at a border station and he hasn’t got documents and Swiss francs is going to buy a ticket for inland. Werner Kramer is at the same place and he is shocked, because the old German is hauled off by the Swiss border police. With the aid of a truck driver Kramer leaves the border area. Suddenly the truck driver abandons Kramer. In spite of being nowhere, he reaches Zurich, where his old friend of his childhood, Anna Marti lives. She works as a tailoress at fashion store Perrin. Anna advises him to beg the family of influence, named Hefti for help. That family he knows because of early times. But they are already gone to inland, like as many wealthy people. They had fled because in the alps they thought they’re safety of a potential invasion of German. Anna gives him permission to live in a mansard. He always fears that somebody could denounce, discover him and then he will be expelled by police. Especially Anna’s brother-in-law Albert Widmer is not sympathetic to him. His biggest fear is Albert Widmer, because he frankly says his opinion. The next day he expresses the desire that he wants to give up the hide-and-seek and to turn himself in to the police sergeant Grimm.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:10 Mai 1957 films 1957 drama films 1950s German-language films Swiss German-language films Swiss black-and-white films Films directed by Franz Schnyder Swiss drama films