''The Goose of Sedan'' (german: Die Gans von Sedan) is a 1959 French-

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

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

Helmut Käutner Helmut Käutner (25 March 1908 – 20 April 1980) was a German film director active mainly in the 1940s and 1950s. He entered the film industry at the end of the Weimar Republic and released his first films as a director in Nazi Germany. Käu ...

and starring

Hardy Krüger Hardy Krüger (; born Eberhard August Franz Ewald Krüger; 12 April 1928 – 19 January 2022) was a German actor and author, who appeared in more than 60 films from 1944 onwards. After becoming a film star in Germany in the 1950s, Krüger increa ...

, Jean Richard and Dany Carrel. It was based on the novel ''Un Dimanche au Champ D'Honneur'' by Jean L'Hôte. The film was one of a growing number of co-productions between the two countries during the era.Bergfelder p.63 It was also released under the

alternative title An alternative title is a media sales device most prominently used in film distribution. Books and films are commonly released under a different title when they are screened or sold in a different country. This can vary from small change to the ...

''Without Trumpet or Drum''. The film was shot at the Billancourt Studios in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art director

Serge Piménoff Serge Piménoff (1895–1960) was a Russian-born French art director. He designed the sets for the 1958 film ''Les Misérables''.Hayward p.232 Selected filmography * '' Nights of Princes'' (1930) * '' The Unknown Singer'' (1931) * '' Sailor's Son ...

Synopsis

After the

Battle of Sedan The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, ...

(1870) during the Franco-Prussian War a pair of soldiers, one French and one German, become separated from their respective units. Taking shelter in a farmhouse, the two begin to bond despite their rivalry over a woman.

Partial Cast

as Fritz Brösicke * Jean Richard as Leon Riffard * Dany Carrel as Marguerite * Françoise Rosay as La grand-mère de Marguerite *

Theo Lingen Theo Lingen (; 10 June 1903 – 10 November 1978), born Franz Theodor Schmitz, was a German actor, film director and screenwriter. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1929 and 1978, and directed 21 films between 1936 and 1960. Life and c ...

as Colonel Tuplitz *

as Königliche Hoheit *

Fritz Tillmann Fritz Tillmann (December 13, 1910 – October 30, 1986) was a German actor. Selected filmography * ''Hoegler's Mission'' (1950) - Fritz Rottmann * '' The Council of the Gods'' (1950) - Dr. Hans Scholz * '' Master of Life and Death'' (1955) - Dr ...

as Hauptmann Knöpfer *

Ralf Wolter Ralf Wolter (26 November 1926 – 14 October 2022) was a German stage and screen actor. Wolter appeared in nearly 220 films and television series in his over 60 years as a character actor. Life and career Wolter began his long career on the B ...

as Uhlan Lehmann *

Lucien Nat Lucien Nat (born Lucien Maurice Natte; 11 January 1895 – 25 July 1972) was a French film, stage and television actor.McCann p.95 He was married to the actress Marie Déa. Selected filmography * ''Fun in the Barracks'' (1932) - Maréchal des ...

as Captain

References

Bibliography

* Bergfelder, Tim. ''International Adventures: German Popular Cinema and European Co-productions in the 1960s''. Berghahn Books, 2005. * Kreimeier, Klaus. ''The Ufa Story: A History of Germany's Greatest Film Company, 1918–1945''. University of California Press, 1999.

External links

* 1959 films West German films German historical comedy films German war comedy films French historical comedy films French war comedy films 1950s war comedy films 1950s historical comedy films 1950s German-language films Films directed by Helmut Käutner Films set in France Films set in the 1870s Films based on French novels Franco-Prussian War films Films shot at Billancourt Studios UFA GmbH films 1950s French films 1950s German films Films scored by Bernhard Eichhorn {{1950s-France-film-stub