''Tannenberg'' is a 1932 Swiss–

German 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 **Ge ...

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

directed by

Heinz Paul Heinz Paul (13 August 1893 – 14 March 1983) was a German screenwriter, film producer and director. He was married to the actress Hella Moja. Selected filmography Director * ''The Street of Forgetting'' (1923) * ''The Dice Game of Life'' (1925) ...

and starring

Hans Stüwe Hans Stüwe (14 May 1901 – 13 May 1976) was a German film actor. Selected filmography * '' Prinz Louis Ferdinand'' (1927) * ''Potsdam'' (1927) * ''The Transformation of Dr. Bessel'' (1927) * ''The Bordello in Rio'' (1927) * '' Assassination'' ( ...

Käthe Haack Käthe Haack (born Käte Lisbeth Minna Sophie Isolde Haack; 11 August 1897 – 5 May 1986) was a German stage and film actress. She appeared in more than 200 films and 30 television productions between 1915 and 1985. Life and career Käte Li ...

and Jutta Sauer. The film is based on the 1914

Battle of Tannenberg The Battle of Tannenberg, also known as the Second Battle of Tannenberg, was fought between Russia and Germany between 26 and 30 August 1914, the first month of World War I. The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russ ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It focuses on a German landowner Captan von Arndt and his family.

Production

It was shot on location in East Prussia and at

UFA Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...

Babelsberg Studios Babelsberg Film Studio (german: Filmstudio Babelsberg), located in Potsdam-Babelsberg outside Berlin, Germany, is the second oldest large-scale film studio in the world only preceded by the Danish Nordisk Film (est. 1906), producing films since ...

during the summer of 1932. It cost over half a million

reichsmark The (; sign: ℛℳ; abbreviation: RM) was the currency of Germany from 1924 until 20 June 1948 in West Germany, where it was replaced with the , and until 23 June 1948 in East Germany, where it was replaced by the East German mark. The Reich ...

s to make and employed 8,000 people. The film focused on a notable German victory and was in sharp contrast to recent anti-war films such as '' Westfront 1918''. ''Tannenberg'' served as a national symbol in Germany, and was re-issued in 1936 during the Nazi era. The Producers made an effort to make the film as historically accurate as possible, and portrayed the

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

commanders respectfully. It was due to be released on 26 August 1932, the eighteenth anniversary of the battle, but was delayed by the

censors Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

acting on a request from the German President

Paul von Hindenburg Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (; abbreviated ; 2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German field marshal and statesman who led the Imperial German Army during World War I and later became President of Germany fr ...

who was unhappy with his portrayal in the film and the premiere was pushed back until certain scenes had been cut.Kester pp. 113–114

Cast

as Gutsbesitzer Rittmeister von Arndt *

as Grete von Arndt * Jutta Sauer as Inge von Arndt *

Hertha von Walther Hertha von Walther (born Hertha Stern und Walter von Monbary, 12 June 1903 – 12 April 1987) was a German film actress. She appeared in 80 films between 1921 and 1983. Biography Hertha von Walther was born Hertha Stern und Walther von Monb ...

as Schwägerin Sonja *

Erika Dannhoff Erika Dannhoff (2 December 1909 – 18 June 1996) was a German actress. She played the female lead in the 1935 mountain film ''Demon of the Himalayas''. Selected filmography * '' The Model from Montparnasse'' (1929) * ''The Man with the Frog'' ( ...

as Schwägerin Lita * Hannelore Benzinger as Lisbeth, Arndt, Magd * Karl Klöckner as Gutsverwalter Puchheiten * Franziska Kinz as Gutsfrau Frau Puchheiten *

Rudolf Klicks Rudolf Klicks (21 May 1917 – 5 September 1997) was a German film actor.Koster p.116 Selected filmography * '' Tannenberg'' (1932) * '' Girls of Today'' (1933) * '' The Riders of German East Africa'' (1934) * ''The Champion of Pontresina'' (1934 ...

as Fritz Puchheiten * Alfred Döderlein as Leutnant Schmidz * Wolfgang Staudte as Husar Franke * Karl Körner as

* Henry Pleß as Generalmajor Ludendorff *

Hans Mühlhofer 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 ...

as Oberstleutnant Hoffmann * Friedrich Franz Stampe as Generalmajor Grünert * Alfred Gerasch as Generalmajor Graf von Waldensee * Graf Schönborn as Hauptmann Fleischmann von Theißruck * Edgar Boltz as General von Scholz *

Georg H. Schnell Georg Heinrich Schnell (11 April 1878 – 31 March 1951) was a German actor who remains perhaps best-known for his role as shipowner Harding in ''Nosferatu, Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens'' (1922). Georg appeared in over one hundred fi ...

as General der Kavallerie Shilinski *

Sigurd Lohde Sigurd Lohde (1899–1977) was a German film and television actor.Youngkin p.457 Selected filmography * ''The Daredevil'' (1931) * ''The Leap into the Void'' (1932) * '' Mrs. Lehmann's Daughters'' (1932) * '' Tannenberg'' (1932) * '' The Big Bluf ...

as General der Kavallerie Samsonow *

Carl Auen Carl Theodor Auen (16 February 1892 – 23 June 1972) was a German film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1914 and 1938. Auen was a member of the Militant League for German Culture and also a member of the A ...

as Generalmajor Postowski * Georg Schmieter as Oberst Gerwe *

Aruth Wartan Aruth Wartan (or ''Haruth Vartan'', hy, Հարութ Վարդան, 23 June 1880 – 14 April 1945) was a German film actor of Armenian origin who appeared in around ninety films during his career, generally in supporting roles. Life and career B ...

as Stabstrompeter Kupschik *

Fritz Arno Wagner Fritz Arno Wagner (5 December 1889 – 18 August 1958) is considered one of the most acclaimed German cinematographers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He played a key role in the Expressionist film movement during the Weimar period and is perhaps ...

as Militärattaché Oberst Knox *

Ernst Pröckl Ernst Johann Pröckl (21 June 1888 – 26 November 1957) was an Austrian stage actor and director.Hardt p.219 He also appeared in numerous films, mainly German. Selected filmography * ''The Peruvian'' (1919) * '' Judith Trachtenberg'' (1920) * '' ...

as General der Artillerie Martos * Erwin Suttner as General der Infanterie Kljujew *

Fritz Alberti Fritz Alberti (born Friedrich Wilhelm Alberti; 22 October 1877 – 15 September 1954) was a German actor. Selected filmography * ''People in Ecstasy'' (1921) * '' The Other Woman'' (1924) * ''The Blackguard'' (1925) * '' Ship in Distress'' (1925 ...

as Generalleutnant Mingin *

Valy Arnheim Valy Arnheim (born Valentin Theodor Woldemar Appel; 8 June 1883 – 11 November 1950) was a German film actor and director. Selected filmography * '' Lightning Command'' (1921) * ''Anne-Liese of Dessau'' (1925) * '' Harry Hill's Deadly Hunt'' (1 ...

as Oberstleutnant Fjedorow *

Viktor de Kowa Viktor de Kowa (also spelled Victor de Kowa, born Victor Paul Karl Kowalczyk; 8 March 1904 – 8 April 1973) was a German stage and film actor, chanson singer, director, narrator, and comic poet. Life He was born the son of a farmer and engineer ...

as Rittmeister Fürst Wolgoff *

Friedrich Ettel Friedrich Ettel (8 June 1890 – 12 March 1941) was a Swiss film actor. Ettel was born in Zurich and died at the age of 50 in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography * ''Ludwig II, King of Bavaria'' (1929) * '' Two People'' (1930) * '' Louise, Qu ...

as Kosakenwachtmeister

References

Bibliography

* Kester, Bernadette. ''Film Front Weimar: Representations of the First World War in German films of the Weimar Period (1919-1933)''. Amsterdam University Press, 2003. * Von der Goltz, Anna. ''Hindenburg: Power, Myth, and the Rise of the Nazis''. Oxford University Press, 2009.

External links

* {{Heinz Paul 1932 films 1930s war films German war films Swiss war films 1930s German-language films Films directed by Heinz Paul World War I films based on actual events World War I films set on the Eastern Front Films of the Weimar Republic Cultural depictions of Erich Ludendorff Cultural depictions of Paul von Hindenburg German black-and-white films Films shot at Babelsberg Studios 1930s German films