''The Banner of Krivoi Rog'' (german: Die Fahne von Kriwoj Rog) is an

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

film, directed by

Kurt Maetzig Kurt Maetzig (25 January 1911 – 8 August 2012) was a German film director who had a significant effect on the film industry in East Germany. He was one of the most respected filmmakers of the GDR. After his retirement he lived in Wildkuh ...

. It was released in 1967.

Plot

Communist miner Otto Brosowski writes to the Krivoi Rog's miners telling them of the harsh conditions in which he and his friends work, as the capitalist owners of the copper mine demand harder work. He receives a Red Banner from them. As the Nazis seize power, Otto and his family hide the flag from the authorities, taking great personal risks. In 1945, as the Second World War nears its end, the town is occupied by the Americans, who also wish to steal the Banner. At July 1945, as the Americans retreat and allow the Red Army to take over the area, the Brosowski family takes the flag and heads to meet the Soviets.

Cast

Erwin Geschonneck Erwin Geschonneck (27 December 1906 – 12 March 2008) was a German actor. His biggest success occurred in the German Democratic Republic, where he was considered one of the most famous actors of the time. Early life Geschonneck was born in Bart ...

: Otto Brosowski Senior * Marga Legal: Minna Brosowski * Helmut Schellhardt: Otto Brosowski Junior *

Eva-Maria Hagen Eva-Maria Hagen (; ; 19 October 1934 – 16 August 2022) was a German actress and singer. She was known as the "Brigitte Bardot of the GDR" but was banned from performance for political reasons. Life Hagen was born Eva-Maria Buchholz in Köl ...

: Elfriede *

Manfred Krug Manfred Krug (; 8 February 1937 – 21 October 2016) was a German actor, singer and author. Life and work Born in Duisburg, Krug moved to East Germany at the age of 13, and worked at a steel plant before beginning his acting career on the stage a ...

: Jule Hammer *

Angela Brunner Angela Brunner (12 January 1931 – 17 June 2011) was a German actress. Personal life Brunner was married to German-Australian writer Walter Kaufmann. Their daughters are photographer Rebekka and actress Deborah Kaufmann. She was best known fo ...

: Frau Bienert * Rudolf Ulrich: Bienert * Horst Kube: Bartel *

Horst Giese Horst Fritz Otto Giese (31 January 1926 – 29 December 2008) was an East German actor. Biography In 1945, Giese made his debut on stage at his native Neuruppin, then in the Soviet occupation zone. Later he appeared on television. His first role ...

: Gestapo spy * Walter Kaufmann: Lieutenant Stone *

Perry Friedman Perry Friedman (born May 15, 1968) is an American professional poker player who won the 2002 World Series of Poker $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better event and is a founding member of the Tiltboys. World Series of Poker Friedman has ...

: American officer *

Fred Delmare Werner Vorndran (24 April 1922 – 1 May 2009), known professionally as Fred Delmare, was a German actor. Life and work Werner Vorndran was the son of a carpenter and a seamstress and grew up in Hüttensteinach at Sonneberg in Thuringia, wh ...

: Communist driver

Production

The script of ''The Banner of Krivoi Rog'' was adapted from Otto Gotsche's popular novel by the same name, which was entered into the East German schools' curriculum. Gotsche's book was based on real events which took place in Gerbstedt before and during the Second World War: a man named Otto Brosowski had hidden a Red Banner he received from the miners in Krivoi Rog. The Banner itself was kept as a symbol of Soviet-German friendship. Maetzig's film was commissioned for the 50th anniversary of the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

.Heiko R. Blum. Film in der DDR. C. Hanser (1977). . Page 67.

Reception

The film was viewed by 2,772,000 people in the two months from its release until the end of 1967, with 750,000 of them in the first two weeks; that figure also included those who saw it in mandatory screenings in collective farms and schools. It became the second most popular East German film of the year, after '' Chingachgook, the Great Snake''. Maetzig, writer Hans-Albert Pederzani, actors

and Marga Legal and cinematographer Erich Gusko were all awarded the National Prize, 1st degree, on 3 October 1968. The film also won the Cinema Award of the magazine ''Junge Welt''. Heiko R. Blum wrote that "the pathetic style, the hollow words... cannot destroy the picturesque quality of this impressive film, which is modeled after the classical Soviet epics." The German Film Lexicon defined ''The Banner of Kriwoy Rog'' as "an impressive, historically insightful picture that conveys its propaganda in a humane manner."
The Banner of Krivoi Rog
'. 2001.de.

References

External links

* *

' original poster on ostfilm.de. *

' on filmportal.de. {{DEFAULTSORT:Banner Of Krivoi Rog, The 1967 films History of Kryvyi Rih East German films 1960s German-language films Films directed by Kurt Maetzig