''Reserved for the Death'' (german: Reserviert für den Tod) is an East German

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. It was released in 1963.

Plot

Former East German engineer Erich Becker had been lured to West Germany by promises of a high reward. Now residing in Stockholm, he is recalled to serve as a spy in the East. He is to convince Dr. Jadenburg to flee from the GDR with the help of his daughter Hanna, who works for the West. While travelling on the train with Hanna, he is told that he is also to murder another agent who betrayed and now works for the

Stasi The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the (),An abbreviation of . was the Intelligence agency, state security service of the East Germany from 1950 to 1990. The Stasi's function was similar to the KGB, serving as a means of maint ...

. The traitor is revealed to be a former friend of Becker, Harry Korb. Becker cannot bring himself to kill Korb when they meet. Korb tells him that it was all a test to prove if he is reliable; since Becker failed, Korb murders him. The Stasi agents capture Korb soon after.

Cast

Hans-Peter Minetti Hans-Peter Minetti (21 April 1926 – 10 November 2006) was a German actor. He studied at the Theaterhochschule Leipzig The Theaterhochschule Leipzig was a theatre school in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, which existed from 1953 to 1992. The official ...

: Erich Becker * Peter Herden: Harry Korb *

Irma Münch Irma may refer to: People * Irma (name), a female given name * Irma (singer), full name Irma Pany, a Cameroonian female singer-songwriter Places * Irma, Alberta, Canada, a village * Irma, Lombardy, Italy, a ''comune'' * Irma, Wisconsin, USA ...

: Hanna Melvien *

Martin Flörchinger Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

: Dr. Jadenburg * Hannjo Hasse: Captain Donath *

Peter Sturm Josef Michel Dischel (24 August 1909 – 11 May 1984), known by his adopted stage name Peter Sturm, was an Austrian and an East German actor. Biography Early life Dischel was born into a religious Jewish family in Vienna. His father was a tailor, ...

: conductor *

Heinz Hinze The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six contine ...

: Charles Renier *

Herbert Köfer Herbert Köfer (17 February 1921 – 24 July 2021) was a German actor, voice artist, and television presenter. He was the first German TV news presenter for the East German Deutscher Fernsehfunk, and also presented the station's last news befo ...

: Cellist * Hans Klering: blonde man *

Horst Schönemann Horst may refer to: Science * Horst (geology), a raised fault block bounded by normal faults or graben People * Horst (given name) * Horst (surname) * ter Horst, Dutch surname * van der Horst, Dutch surname Places Settlements Germany * Horst ...

: Stein *

Werner Lierck Werner may refer to: People * Werner (name), origin of the name and people with this name as surname and given name Fictional characters * Werner (comics), a German comic book character * Werner Von Croy, a fictional character in the ''Tomb Rai ...

: young husband *

Gertrud Brendler Gertrude or Gertrud may refer to: Places In space *Gertrude (crater), a crater on Uranus's moon Titania *710 Gertrud, a minor planet Terrestrial placenames *Gertrude, Arkansas *Gertrude, Washington *Gertrude, West Virginia People * Gertrude (gi ...

: Mrs. Simmel *

Klaus Gendries Klaus is a German, Dutch and Scandinavian given name and surname. It originated as a short form of Nikolaus, a German form of the Greek given name Nicholas. Notable persons whose family name is Klaus * Billy Klaus (1928–2006), American baseb ...

: Border Police officer *

Harry Studt Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

: Grott

Production

''Reserved for the Death'' was, according to author Sabine Hake, one of a "hyperbole of espionage thrillers" produced soon after the erection of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

. Writer Gerhard Bensch told in an interview that the plot was based on "numerous authentic documents, files and details" gleaned by him from the intelligence services. After an evaluation board of DEFA viewed the unedited picture before its release, its members concluded that the producers managed to create a "good picture... Exposing the inhuman methods of the Imperialists... And allowing the audience to see the experiences of our society's heroes, engaged in brutal class struggle."Bernd Stöver. ''Die Befreiung vom Kommunismus. Amerikanische 'Liberation Policy' im Kalten Krieg 1947–1991''. Böhlau (2002). . Pages 581–582.

Reception

The reviewer of the East German '' Berliner Zeitung'' called the film "a better-than-average criminal film, that will surely be well received by the public." On 5 July 1963, the film critic of the West German ''

Rheinische Merkur The ''Rheinischer Merkur'' (literally "Rhineland Mercury") was a nationwide conservative German weekly newspaper appearing on Thursdays. It was published in Bonn. Its managing director was Bert Günther Wegener, and the editor in chief from 1994 ...

'' wrote that the film was a "disturbing piece of nonsense... Communist picture of the lowest sort." The German Film Lexicon described "Reserved for the Death" as "a lurid, watchable spy film." Peter Ulrich Weiss added that it was a typical 'saboteur film', that presented a negative portrayal of West Germany.Uta A. Balbier, Christiane Rösch (editors). ''Umworbener Klassenfeind: das Verhältnis der DDR zu den USA''. Links (2006). . Page 173.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0217763, title=Reserviert für den Tod *
Reserviert für den Tod
' on filmportal.de.

on ostfilm.de. 1963 films East German films 1960s German-language films German black-and-white films Cold War spy films German spy films 1960s spy films 1960s German films