''Marshal Forwards'' (german: Marschall Vorwärts) is a 1932 German

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...

directed by

Heinz Paul Heinz Paul (13 August 1893 – 14 March 1983) was a German screenwriter, film producer and film director, director. He was married to the actress Hella Moja. Selected filmography Director * ''The Street of Forgetting'' (1923) * ''The Dice Game of ...

and starring

Paul Wegener Paul Wegener (11 December 1874 – 13 September 1948) was a German actor, writer, and film director known for his pioneering role in German expressionist cinema. Acting career At the age of 20, Wegener decided to end his law studies and conce ...

Traute Carlsen Traute Carlsen (1882–1968) was a German stage and film actress. Following the Nazi rise to power in 1933, the Jewish Carlsen left Germany for Switzerland where she settled permanently. She was married to the Austrian actor Karl Forest. Biogr ...

and

Hans Graf von Schwerin 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 ...

. It portrays the life of

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Fürst von Wahlstatt (; 21 December 1742 – 12 September 1819), ''Graf'' (count), later elevated to ''Fürst'' (sovereign prince) von Wahlstatt, was a Prussian ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal). He earned ...

, a German hero of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

who was present at the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig (french: Bataille de Leipsick; german: Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig, ); sv, Slaget vid Leipzig), also known as the Battle of the Nations (french: Bataille des Nations; russian: Битва народов, translit=Bitva ...

and the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

. It takes its name from Blücher's contemporary nickname, which came from his aggressive forward-thinking stance. It is part of the

Prussian film Prussian films were a cycle of historical films made in Germany during the Weimar (1918–1933) and Nazi (1933–1945) eras noted for their general glorification of Prussian history and its military. The films are set during the eighteenth and nin ...

genre, popular during the Weimair and

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 ...

Plot

Prussia at the time of the Napoleonic attack in the early 19th century. The country can hardly defend itself against the attacks of the French. The battle of Jena and Auerstedt was lost in 1806, Berlin was occupied, King Friedrich Wilhelm III. and Queen Luise have fled to Memel, far in the northeast of the country. Near Ratekau, near Lübeck, the popular old marshal Blücher, a veritable warhorse, had to capitulate to the overwhelming enemy because he ran out of food and ammunition. Since Prussia's alliance with Russia still exists, however, all does not seem lost. Blücher is exchanged for a French general. Immediately, he goes to his king in Memel to ask the monarch to join forces for an attack against the French aggressors. Here, however, Blücher learns that Russia has its own interests and is unwilling to take action against Napoleon alongside the Prussians. Now Blücher is also resigned. After the humiliating French peace dictate of Tilsit in 1807, in which Prussia largely relinquished its independence to the French, the almost 70-year-old General Blücher retired to his country estate, deeply disappointed. In several fire letters to his king, the aged marshal urges Friedrich Wilhelm not to accept the fate imposed on his country by Napoleon. The choleric Corsican emperor gets wind of it and forces the Prussian king to finally send Blücher into retirement. When Napoleon's fortunes in war seemed to turn around in the endless expanses of Russia and the French were only on the march back, new courage to live awakened in the aged Blücher. The decisive factor for him is the Prussian-Russian agreement, which is reflected in the Tauroggen Convention at the end of 1812 and de facto means that the Prussian aid organizations are breaking out of cooperation with French troops. Blücher, now appointed by the king to head the Prussian army, rallies his followers around him and a new strategy for defeating Napoleon is discussed. On the side of the Russians one experiences defeats and minor victories; Only when the Austrians joined the alliance did Napoleon's army suffer a painful defeat for the first time at the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig. Blücher's forward drive, his unconditional drive on his people, earned him the nickname "Marshal Forwards".

Production

Marschall Forward was created on 22 July 1932 in the

Johannisthal Studios The Johannisthal Studios were film studios located in the Berlin area of Johannisthal. Founded in 1920 on the site of a former airfield, they were a centre of production during the Weimar and Nazi eras. Nearly four hundred films were made at Johan ...

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 ...

. The film had ten acts and was 2780 meters long. On 24 October 1932, the censorship released him for young people. The premiere took place on 23 November 1932 in Berlin's Titania Palace and in the atrium. Producer August Mueller was also production manager, Harry Dettmann production manager. The film constructions come from the hands of Robert A. Dietrich (design) and Bruno Lutz (execution). Composer Willy Schmidt-Gentner also had the musical direction. Hermann Birkhofer provided the sound. Georg von Viebahn served as a military advisor.

Cast

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Heinz Paul 1932 films Films of the Weimar Republic German historical films 1930s historical films German war films 1932 war films 1930s German-language films Films directed by Heinz Paul Films set in 1806 Films set in 1807 Films set in 1812 Films set in Leipzig Napoleonic Wars films Prussian films German black-and-white films Depictions of Napoleon on film Cultural depictions of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Cultural depictions of Klemens von Metternich Films set in the Kingdom of Prussia 1930s German films Films shot at Johannisthal Studios