''My Life for Ireland'' (german: Mein Leben für Irland) is a Nazi propaganda movie from 1941 directed by

Max W. Kimmich Max Wilhelm Kimmich (4 November 1893 in Ulm – 16 January 1980 in Icking, Upper Bavaria), also known as M. W. Kimmich, was a German film director and screenwriter during the first half of the 20th century. He was the brother-in-law of Nazi Propag ...

, telling a story of an Irish nationalist family and their involvement in the Irish struggle of independence over two generations. The movie was produced for Nazi-occupied Europe with the intent of challenging pro-British allegiances; yet in some cases it had the unintended effect of making audiences identify the Irish struggle with their own resistance against the Nazis. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...

s Wilhelm Depenau and Otto Erdmann.

Plot

The film covers the story of two generations of an

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cu ...

family; starting with Michael O'Brien ( Werner Hinz) and following with his son, also Michael ( Will Quadflieg), eighteen years later in 1921. The film commences in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...

in 1903. A squad of police officers break into a thatched hovel and evict the family, throwing a young child to the floor. However they are ambushed by a group of Irish nationalists and a long fire fight ensues. Michael O'Brien is captured and is sentenced to death. While he is in prison, his pregnant fiancée Maeve visits him and they are secretly married. Afterwards, Michael hands his wife a silver cross that will always be worn by the best Irish freedom fighter. On the cross, the words ''My life for Ireland'' are engraved. Eighteen years later, in 1921, his son Michael Jr. is expecting to pass his school leaving exams. As the son of an infamous Irish nationalist, he has been educated at St Edwards College, a school run by British teachers. In this way the British government attempt to re-educate Irish pupils into "worthy" British citizens.

Cast

* Anna Dammann, Maeve Fleming *

René Deltgen Renatus Heinrich Deltgen born 30 April 1909 in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; died 29 January 1979 in Cologne, West Germany) was a Luxembourgian stage and film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance ...

, Robert Devoy *

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 ...

, Sir George Beverley * Werner Hinz, Michael O'Brien Senior * Will Quadflieg, Michael O'Brien Junior * Heinz Ohlsen, Patrick O'Connor *

Eugen Klöpfer Eugen Gottlob Klöpfer (10 March 1886 in Talheim, Heilbronn – 3 March 1950 in Wiesbaden) was a German actor. Early life Born to Karl Klöpfer and his wife Karoline, née Hörsch, Eugen attended the Realschule ("secondary school") in Heilbron ...

, Duffy * Hans Bergmann, captain of the '

Black and Tans Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

' * Claus Clausen, Patrick Pollock * Will Dohm, Barrington (teacher) * Karl John, Raymond Davitt *

Hans Quest Hans Quest (1915–1997) was a German actor and film director. Selected filmography Director *'' Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne'' (1955) *'' The Happy Wanderer'' (1955) *'' Charley's Aunt'' (1956) *'' Wenn Poldi ins Manöver zieht'' (1956) *'' Ein ...

, Henry Beverley * Wilhelm Borchert, Thomas O'Neill *

Jack Trevor Anthony Cedric Sebastian Steane (14 December 1893 – 19 December 1976), known by the stage name Jack Trevor, was a British film actor of the silent and early sound era. Based in Weimar (and later Nazi) Germany, he acted in 67 films between ...

as the president of the martial court *Charles John, Raymond Davitt

Propaganda

This film contributed to the era of anti-British films made by Nazi Germany. In this film, as in '' Der Fuchs von Glenarvon'', the British are depicted as brutal and unscrupulous but no match for the "earthy" Irish race. A British officer, for instance, abandons an Irish sergeant on the battlefield, taking the last water bottle with him, and is later shown winning a VC. It lacks, however, the cruder propaganda of later films, such as ''

Carl Peters Carl Peters (27 September 1856 – 10 September 1918), was a German colonial ruler, explorer, politician and author and a major promoter of the establishment of the German colony of East Africa (part of the modern republic Tanzania). Life H ...

'' and ''

Ohm Krüger ''Ohm Krüger'' (English: ''Uncle Krüger'') is a 1941 German biographical film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring Emil Jannings, Lucie Höflich, and Werner Hinz. It was one of a series of major propaganda films produced in Nazi Germany a ...

'', when Hitler had given up hope of making peace with Great Britain. The anti-British atmosphere of '' Der Fuchs von Glenarvon'', for example, can be judged from its opening sequence, which depicts a meeting of Irish revolutionaries:

ASSEMBLY: We must build new roads
LEADER: With what shall we build new roads?
ASSEMBLY: With the bones of our enemy!
LEADER: And who is our enemy?
ASSEMBLY: England!

Some German viewers in ethnically mixed areas expressed fears that it would stimulate Poles to rebellion. The film, however, enjoyed a positive response from many audiences.Fox, Jo (2007). ''Film propaganda in Britain and Nazi Germany: World War II cinema''. Berg Publishers, p. 171.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:My Life For Ireland Nazi propaganda films Films of Nazi Germany German historical films 1941 films Films set in Dublin (city) Films set in 1903 Films set in 1921 1940s historical films Films directed by Max W. Kimmich Tobis Film films German black-and-white films