''Der Auftrag Höglers'' (English-language title: ''Hoegler's Mission'') is a fantasy movie directed by

Gustav von Wangenheim Gustav von Wangenheim (born Ingo Clemens Gustav Adolf Freiherr von Wangenheim; 18 February 1895 – 5 August 1975) was a German nobleman, actor, screenwriter and director. Life Wangenheim was born Ingo Clemens Gustav Adolf Freiherr von W ...

. It was released in 1950.

Plot

Högler, the former director of a steel plant now in East Germany, is a rich and ruthless capitalist residing in West Germany. He wishes to lay his hands on the new technical innovations that were developed by Dr. Thelen, who now runs the factory after it has been nationalized. Högler tries to besmirch Thelen by organizing sabotage in the factory, threatening to kill innocent workers to destroy the scientist's reputation. Two trade union activists - the West German Maria and the East German Fritz - who know each other since they have both fought in the wartime anti-Fascist resistance, unite to thwart the capitalist's plans.

Cast

* Inge von Wangenheim as Maria Steinitz * Fritz Tillmann as Fritz Rottmann * Gotthart Portloff as Dr. Thelen * August Momber as Högler * Axel Monjé as Dr. Kayser *

Alice Treff Alice Martha Treff (4 June 1906 – 8 February 2003) was a German film actress. She appeared in more than 120 films between 1932 and 2001. She was born and died in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography * '' Peter Voss, Thief of Millions'' ...

as Dr. Alice Giesebrecht * Knut Hartwig as Dr. Petersdorf * Horst Koch as Kern *

Lothar Firmans Lothar Firmans (1896–1964) was a German stage and film actor.Giesen p.216 Selected filmography * ''Quax the Crash Pilot'' (1941) * ''Front Theatre'' (1942) * '' Aufruhr der Herzen'' (1944) * ''Quax in Africa'' (1947) * '' Marriage in the Shadow ...

as Löffler * Harry Hindemith as Krantz *

Arno Paulsen Arno Paulsen (1900–1969) was a German actor who appeared in around sixty films in the post-Second World War years. He also appeared frequently on stage and was also a voice actor dubbing foreign films for release in Germany. He appeared in a mix ...

as Wiesner *

Eduard von Winterstein Eduard Clemens Franz Anna Freiherr von Wangenheim (1 August 1871 – 22 July 1961), known as Eduard von Winterstein, was an Austrian-German film actor who appeared in over one hundred fifty German films during the silent and sound eras. He was ...

as Hufland * Friedrich Richter as Dr. Breithaupt

Production

At 1949, after the foundation of both the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

and the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...

and as the existence of a Cold War between East and West became ever clearer, the East German authorities instructed

DEFA DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence. Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PRO ...

's filmmakers to focus on new subjects: rather than making purely anti-Fascist films, they were now to fan anti-Western sentiment in their works. ''Der Auftrag Höglers'' was the one of the first movies made under those demands. In addition, it was also the first East German film with a style conforming to

Socialist Realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is c ...

, that was also required by the cultural establishment.

Reception

The German Film Lexicon defined the picture as "utterly lifeless, Cold War-influenced film... but interesting as a historical document." Dagmar Schittly wrote that the movie was a typical anti-Western work of the time, "a propaganda pamphlet against the West German saboteurs." Carsten Gansel and Tanja Walenski noted that it also featured a call for class unity, by presenting the ability of East and West German trade union members to cooperate.Carsten Gansel, Tanja Walenski. ''Erinnerung als Aufgabe?'' V&R (2008). . Pages 246–247.

References

External links

*
Original poster
on ostfilm.de. {{DEFAULTSORT:Horgler's Mission 1950 films 1950 drama films German drama films East German films 1950s German-language films German black-and-white films Films directed by Gustav von Wangenheim 1950s German films