''The Merciful Lie'' (German: ''Die barmherzige Lüge'') is a 1939 German

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Werner Klingler Karl Adolf Kurt Werner Klingler (23 October 1903 – 23 June 1972) was a German film director and actor. He directed 29 films between 1936 and 1968. He was born in Stuttgart and died in Berlin, Germany. Early life Klingler acquired his firs ...

and starring

Hilde Krahl Hilde Krahl (10 January 1917 – 28 June 1999) was an Austrian film actress. She appeared in 70 films between 1936 and 1994. She was born Hildegard Kolačný in Brod, Austria-Hungary (now Slavonski Brod, Croatia) in 1917, and she died in Vien ...

Elisabeth Flickenschildt Elisabeth Ida Marie Flickenschildt (16 March 1905 – 26 October 1977) was a German actress, producer and author. She appeared in dozens of German language films and television productions between 1935–1976. Flickenschildt was born in Hamburg ...

and

Ernst von Klipstein Ernst von Klipstein (3 February 1908 – 22 November 1993) was a German film and television actor. von Klipstein became a prominent actor during the Nazi era, appearing in a large number of action films. Partial filmography * '' Uproar in Dama ...

.Waldman p.266 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 industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Karl Böhm Karl August Leopold Böhm (28 August 1894 – 14 August 1981) was an Austrian conductor. He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. Life and career Education Karl Böhm was born in Graz. T ...

and

Erich Czerwonski Erich Czerwonski (1889–1940) was a German art director.Kreimeier p.73 He designed the sets for around a hundred productions during his career. He died in 1940 after being struck by a train during a blackout. Filmography * '' The Black Panther ...

. It was shot at 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 ...

and on location in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

Synopsis

In a frontier town on the border between

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer Manc ...

and

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

Anja, the niece of the owner of a rough local entertainment venue, waits for the return of her lover Doctor Thomas Clausen with whom she has had a child. Clausen is part of an expedition planning to explore into the wild lands on the Soviet side of the border. To Anja's dismay, however, he returns with a new wife. When the new wife dies of food poisoning and Clausen away on his expedition, Anja goes to

to stay with his wealthy family and masquerades as his wife. They welcome her as has a child who will carry on the family line.

Cast

* Hilde Krahl as Anja Hoster *

as Vera Holster * Ernst von Klipstein as Dr.Thomas Clausen * Lieselott Klingler as Maria, sua Moglie *

Heinrich Schroth Heinrich August Franz Schroth (23 March 1871 – 14 January 1945) was a German stage and film actor. Career Schroth was born in Pirmasens, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. He made his acting debut at the Sigmaringen Royal Theatre in 1890. In 1894 h ...

as Berthold Clausen * Agnes Windeck as Margherita * Otto Gebühr as Dr. Henrici * Paul Dahlke as Jean Goban * Gertrud Meyen as Gerda Biehler, Sekretärin * Jaspar von Oertzen as Felix * Olga Limburg as Emilie Wallner * Ernst Albert Schaach as Robert, Diener * Ekkehard Stibbe as Thomas, Anjas Sohn * Lucie Euler as Kinderfrau bei Anja * Nien Soen Ling as Diener * Thea Zien as Olga, Barmädchen *

Max Paetz Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

as Mongole im Hotel * Eugen von Bongardt as Polizeioffizier * Franz Arzdorf as 1. Kriminalkommissar * Georg A. Profé as 2. Kriminalkommissar * Charly Berger as 1. Kriminalbeamter * Albert Probeck as 2. Kriminalbeamter * Erik Radolf as Kriminalrat * Eduard von Winterstein as Professor Neumann * Willi Sande-Meyer as Dr. Fischer, Lawyer *

Ilse Trautschold Ilse Trautschold (27 February 1906 – 17 May 1991) was a German actress. She appeared in 45 films and television shows between 1929 and 1983. Selected filmography * '' Mother Krause's Journey to Happiness'' (1929) * ''The Empress's Favouri ...

as Mädchen bei Clausen * Fred Goebel as Chauffeur bei Clausen * Curt Cappi as Portier im Krankenhaus * Hanns Waschatko as Deutscher Konsul *

Else Lüders Else may refer to: Places * Else (Lenne), a river in Germany, tributary to the Lenne * Else (Werre), a river in Germany, tributary to the Werre People * Else (given name) * Else (surname) Music * "Else" (song), a 1999 rock song * '' The Else'', ...

as Bridgepartnerin von Frau Wallner *

Else Valery Else may refer to: Places * Else (Lenne), a river in Germany, tributary to the Lenne * Else (Werre), a river in Germany, tributary to the Werre People * Else (given name) * Else (surname) Music * "Else" (song), a 1999 rock song * '' The Else'', ...

as Bridgepartnerin von Frau Wallner

References

Bibliography

* Heins, Laura. ''Nazi Film Melodrama''. University of Illinois Press, 2013. * Waldman, Harry. ''Nazi Films in America, 1933–1942''. McFarland, 2008.

External links

* 1939 films 1939 drama films German drama films Films of Nazi Germany 1930s German-language films Films directed by Werner Klingler Films set in Mongolia Tobis Film films Films shot at Johannisthal Studios 1930s German films {{1930s-Germany-film-stub