The Sons of Great Bear
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''The Sons of Great Bear'' (german: Die Söhne der großen Bärin; literally, The Sons of the Great She-Bear) is a 1966
East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
Western film The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...
, directed by the Czechoslovak filmmaker
Josef Mach Josef Mach (25 February 1909, in Prostějov – 7 July 1987, in Prague) was a Czech actor, screenwriter and film director. Josef Mach worked as a journalist and stage performer at the beginning of his career, then in 1938 was appointed assistant d ...
and starring the Yugoslav actor Gojko Mitić in the leading role of Tokei-ihto. The script was adapted from the eponymous series of
novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...
s by author Liselotte Welskopf-Henrich, and the music composed by Wilhelm Neef. The picture is a
revisionist Western The revisionist Western (also called the anti-Western, sometimes revisionist antiwestern) is a sub-genre of the Western film. Designated a post-classical variation of the traditional Western, the revisionist subverts the myth and romance of th ...
, pioneering the genre of the
Ostern The Ostern (Eastern; , ''Istern''; or остерн) or Red Western was a film genre created in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc as a variation of the Western films that originated in the United States. The word "Ostern" is a portmanteau derived ...
, and emphasises the positive portrayal of Native Americans, while presenting the
Whites White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...
as antagonists. It is one of the most successful pictures produced by the
DEFA DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence. Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PRO ...
film studio.


Plot

In 1874, the U.S. government encroaches on the lands of the Lakota people. Mattotaupa, an
Oglala Lakota The Oglala (pronounced , meaning "to scatter one's own" in Lakota language) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority of the Oglala live ...
man, gambles with Red Fox, a White criminal, in a saloon. When seeing he has
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
, Red Fox demands to know its origin. Mattotaupa refuses, and Red Fox
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...
s him. Mattotaupa's son, the young and fierce warrior Tokei-ihto who distrusts the Whites and never drinks their "Firewater", witnesses the murder. Two years later, Tokei-ihto is the war chieftain of the Oglala's Bear Band and one of
Crazy Horse Crazy Horse ( lkt, Tȟašúŋke Witkó, italic=no, , ; 1840 – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by w ...
's commanders in the Great Sioux War. He raids a resupply column sent to a
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
fort, but brings the commander's daughter Katie Smith to her father unharmed, requesting to negotiate peace. Major Smith turns him down, and one of his officers tries to shoot the chieftain, who then surprises the soldiers and single-handedly destroys their munitions depot. The warriors return to their camp victorious. Red Fox arrives, offering a peace treaty. Tokei-ihto is sent to negotiate. Smith demands they settle in a reservation. When Tokei-ihto rejects the offer, he is imprisoned. The Bear Band are brutally forced to resettle. After several months, the war has ended. Red Fox enters Tokei-ihto's cell, trying to force him to reveal the location of the gold mine. Katie Smith and her friend Adams stop him before he begins to torture the captive. They recommend that after being released, he should take his people to
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
. The chieftain accepts the government's terms and returns to the reservation. Tokei-ihto ventures to the sacred caves of the Great She-Bear, the Band's
Totem A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or '' doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While ''the ...
animal, which are also the gold's source, to seek the blessing of the spirits to their departure. Red Fox's henchman Pitt goes after him, hoping to find gold. He stumbles upon a she-bear which kills him, though not before he fatally wounds her with a gunshot. Tokei-ihto finds the she-bear's cub. He takes it back to the tribe. The Bear Band leave. They raid an army column, and General
George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nanta ...
offers a $200 reward on the chieftain's head. Red Fox, still seeking the gold, sets after them with a large group of ruffians. They gain on the Lakota as they cross the Missouri River. Red Fox agrees to let the people move on undisturbed if Tokei-ihto would remain behind. The chieftain agrees. After a prolonged fight, he manages to kill Red Fox. The band settle on the other bank, finding refuge.


Cast

* Gojko Mitić as Tokei-ihto (voiced by Karl Sturm) * Jiří Vršťala as Jim Fred 'Red Fox' Clark (voiced by Fred Düren) *
Hans Finohr Hans (Johannes) Finohr (5 September 1891–8 November 1966) was a German actor. Biography Finohr was born in the village of Rynnek, West Prussia, Imperial Germany and gained his first stage experiences at Heiligenbeil (Mamonovo). He work ...
as Hawandschita *
Günter Schubert Günter Schubert (18 April 1938 – 2 January 2008) was a German actor and voice actor. His son Alexander Schubert is also an actor. He was born in Weißwasser and died in Berlin. Filmography * 1966: ''Die Söhne der großen Bärin'' * 1972: ...
as Feldger *
Hannjo Hasse Hannjo Hasse (31 August 1921 – 5 February 1983) was an East German actor. Biography Hasse began studying acting in 1938, and attended Lily Ackermann's Institute for Stage Artists' Education in Berlin. At 1941, he was drafted for the Labour Se ...
as Pitt *
Horst Kube Horst Kube (1920–1976) was a German actor. Selected filmography * '' Ernst Thälmann - Führer seiner Klasse'' (1955) * ''A Berlin Romance'' (1956) * '' Der Fackelträger'' (1957) * '' Schlösser und Katen'' (1957) * '' Don't Forget My Little T ...
as Thomas *
Henry Hübchen Henry Hübchen (born 20 February 1947 in Berlin) is a German actor who played the title character in the award-winning 2004 film '' Go for Zucker''. That performance earned him a Lola, Germany's equivalent of an Oscar, and critical praise at h ...
as Hapedah * Adolf Peter Hoffmann as Mattotaupa * Sepp Klose as Tȟašúŋke Witkó * Franz Bonnet as Crazy Horse the elder * Kati Székely as Uinonah (Winúŋna) *
Rolf Römer Rolf Römer (1935–2000) was a German stage, television and film actor. Römer was a prominent actor of East Germany, appearing in a number of DEFA productions. He was married to actress Annekathrin Bürger, appearing with her in the 1972 Red ...
as Tobias * Hans Hardt-Hardtloff as Major Samuel Smith * Gerhard Rachold as Lieutenant Roach * Horst Jonischkan as Adams * Jozef Adamovič as Chapa (voiced by Klaus Bergatt) * Blanche Kommerell as Eenah * Milan Jablonský as Mountain Thunder (voiced by Lothar Schellhorn) * Helmut Schreiber as Ben * Rolf Ripperger as Joe * Brigitte Krause as Jenny * Karin Beewen as Cate Smith * Ruth Kommerell as Tashina * Zofia Słaboszowska as Mongshongsha (voiced by Ursula Mundt) * Slobodanka Marković as Sitopanaki (voiced by Gertrud Adam) * Jozef Majerčík as Chetansapa (voiced by
Ezard Haußmann Ezard Haußmann (10 February 1935 – 6 November 2010) was a German stage, television and film actor. He and costume designer Doris Haußmann were the parents of film director Leander Haußmann. Haußmann appeared in several of his son's films, ...
) * Martin Ťapák as Shonka (voiced by Horst Manz) * Walter E. Fuß as Theo * Jozo Lepetić as Bill (voiced by Horst Schön) * Herbert Dirmoser as Old Crow * Willi Schrade as Tatokano * Dietmar Richter-Reinick as Lieutenant Warner


Production


Background

The Western genre had never enjoyed the approval of the political establishment in the
German Democratic Republic 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 **G ...
: the novels of Karl May, the most prominent German-language author associated with the topic, were not allowed to be re-published in the country until 1982. The
Socialist Unity Party of Germany The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (german: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, ; SED, ), often known in English as the East German Communist Party, was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (GDR; East German ...
, the ruling power in East Germany, viewed May as a writer whose supposedly positive portrayal of the
colonisation Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...
of the
Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
by the United States ignored the uprooting and genocide of Native Americans while glorifying the white settlers, making him a promoter and a precursor of an expansionist ideology of " blood and soil" and in the words of
Klaus Mann Klaus Heinrich Thomas Mann (18 November 1906 – 21 May 1949) was a German writer and dissident. He was the son of Thomas Mann, a nephew of Heinrich Mann and brother of Erika Mann, with whom he maintained a lifelong close relationship, and Golo ...
the "Cowboy mentor of the
Führer ( ; , spelled or ''Fuhrer'' when the umlaut is not available) is a German word meaning "leader" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Nazi Germany cultivated the ("leader princip ...
".Lehman, Grieb. p. 120. East Germany had its own writers who dealt with the subject, though. The
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...
-born Liselotte Welskopf-Henrich composed a first draft of a novel set in the land of the
Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota: /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The modern Sioux consist of two major divisions based on language divisions: the Dakota and ...
in 1918, when she was 17 years old. After the end of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, Henrich joined the
Communist Party of Germany The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...
and settled in
East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as West Berlin. From 13 August 1961 u ...
, where she held a tenure as a
Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
professor at the
Humboldt University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...
.Mcnab, Lischke. p. 288. She finished her book in 1951. The following year, it was published under the title ''The Sons of Great Bear'', gaining wide success among children and youth. It became the basis for an eponymous
hexalogy A hexalogy (from Greek ἑξα- ''hexa-'', "six" and -λογία ''-logia'', "discourse") is a compound literary or narrative work that is made up of six distinct works. The word apparently first appeared in English as a borrowing from German, in d ...
of novels about the adventures of Harka, an
Oglala Lakota The Oglala (pronounced , meaning "to scatter one's own" in Lakota language) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority of the Oglala live ...
who would eventually be given the name Tokei-ihto. Henrich's books were written from the Native American perspective, and she studied Lakota culture extensively to convey an authentic depiction of them, and even conducted several tours to the United States and Canada to live among their tribes. Her books were translated into 18 languages and sold 7.5 million copies worldwide.


Inception

The attitude of the
DEFA DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence. Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PRO ...
studiothe country's state-owned cinema
monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...
to Westerns changed in the early 1960s, with the release of a wave of
Karl May films Karl May film adaptations are films based on stories and characters by German author Karl May (1842–1912). The characters Old Shatterhand, Winnetou, and Kara Ben Nemsi are very famous in Central Europe. In most of the film versions the novels we ...
produced in
West Germany 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 ...
, especially the series directed by
Harald Reinl Harald Reinl (8 July 1908 in Bad Ischl, Austria – 9 October 1986 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) was an Austrian film director. He is known for the films he made based on Edgar Wallace and Karl May books (see Karl May movies and Edgar Wal ...
which began with ''
Apache Gold ''Apache Gold'' (german: Winnetou, later retitled to ''Winnetou – 1. Teil''), also known as ''Winnetou the Warrior'', is a 1963 Western film directed by Harald Reinl. It is based on the story of Winnetou, a fictional Native-American Apache he ...
'' in 1963. While not distributed in the GDR, East German tourists could view them when vacationing in the neighboring Czechoslovakia. The extensive popularity of those pictures convinced DEFA officials to make their own version. Producer Hans Mahlichone of the veteran members of the studio who participated in the making of some of DEFA's most widely known pictures, like ''
Castles and Cottages ''Schlösser und Katen'' (''Castles And Cottages'') is an East German black-and-white film, directed by Kurt Maetzig. It was released in 1957. Plot Part 1: ''Hunchback Anton'' In a feudal estate in Mecklenburg, the hunchback coachman Anton Zuckma ...
'' and ''
The Sailor's Song ''The Sailor's Song'' (german: Das Lied der Matrosen) is an East German black-and-white film directed by Kurt Maetzig and Günter Reisch. It was released in 1958. Plot As the news of the October Revolution sweep through the world, the German Hi ...
''was the first to promote the idea, arguing that such films would become a great commercial success.Habel. p. 7. While seeking to exploit the popularity of the subject, the studio directors had to consider the ideological demands of the establishment, which would have viewed a typical Western as a reactionary and a "bourgeoisie" form of artBergfelder. p. 203. – indeed, ''
Der Spiegel ''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'' reported that several years earlier, an attempt to turn Henrich's novels into a film was "vetoed by the party, which negatively deemed the Westerns as a capitalistic influence that would encourage criminality." Therefore, they sought to imbue the planned picture with themes which would suit state officials and turn it into "politically correct entertainment":Gemünden. p. 244. Henrich's novels, with their emphasis on the negative portrayal of the white colonists and their already established popularity with the audience, were selected to be adapted to the screen. Studio dramaturgue Günter Karl wrote: "We knew we had to set ourselves apart from the capitalist movies of the genre... But we were nevertheless forced to use at least part of the elements that make this genre so effective." Lieselotte Welskopf-Henrich told an interviewer that "in their themes, the West German Karl May films lag far behind good American pictures in which the Native American and his right to self-defense were already recognized. We attempted to make a new sort of an 'Indian film'."


Development

While the studio accepted the idea of making a Western, most of its filmmakers regarded it with skepticism, and did not believe it would garner success. When Mahlich sought a director for his upcoming production, no East German agreed to participate, as none was ready to risk his reputation.König. p. 58. He had to enlist the Czechoslovak director
Josef Mach Josef Mach (25 February 1909, in Prostějov – 7 July 1987, in Prague) was a Czech actor, screenwriter and film director. Josef Mach worked as a journalist and stage performer at the beginning of his career, then in 1938 was appointed assistant d ...
, and his fellow countryman Jaroslav Tuzar as cinematographer. In a trait that would characterize all of DEFA's Westerns, while ''The Sons of Great Bear'' was an East German work, the production team was multinational, with citizens of several other Eastern Bloc countries. In early 1965, Mahlich traveled to the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...
in order to arrange filming locations and to seek actors. Shortly before leaving back to the GDR, he stumbled upon a film publicity photograph which featured Gojko Mitić. Mitić, a student of the Sport and Physical Education Faculty in the
University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-ba ...
, worked as a stuntman and an extra in several Westerns produced in his country, beginning with the 1963 ''
Old Shatterhand Old Shatterhand is a fictional character in Western novels by German writer Karl May (1842–1912). He is the German friend and blood brother of Winnetou, the fictional chief of the Mescalero tribe of the Apache The Apache () are a g ...
''. He was finally given a minor role of his own in ''
Among Vultures ''Among Vultures'' (German: ''Unter Geiern'') is a 1964 Western film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Stewart Granger, Pierre Brice, Elke Sommer and Götz George. It was also released as ''Frontier Hellcat''. The film was a co-production ...
''. Mahlich immediately resolved to have him star in the role of Tokei-ihto. As Mitić did not master German, he was dubbed by Karl Sturm. GDR-based Czechoslovak actor Jiří Vršťala, who was mainly known as children's star Clown Ferdinand, was given the role of chief villain Red Fox. The young
Henry Hübchen Henry Hübchen (born 20 February 1947 in Berlin) is a German actor who played the title character in the award-winning 2004 film '' Go for Zucker''. That performance earned him a Lola, Germany's equivalent of an Oscar, and critical praise at h ...
depicted a Lakota man in one of his earliest appearances on screen. Tokei-ihto's sister Uinonah was depicted by
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
-born Kati Székely, whose father, Hungarian screenwriter János 'Hans' Székelywho won the
Academy Award for Best Story The Academy Award for Best Story was an Academy Award given from the beginning of the Academy Awards until 1956. This award can be a source of confusion for modern audiences, given its co-existence with the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenpl ...
in 1940 for co-writing the script of '' Arise, My Love'' left the United States during the
McCarthy era McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner. The term origina ...
. A central feature of the production was the striving for authenticity and the resolve to reverse the genre conventions by stressing the Native American perspective: The film "shifted the focus to natives solely as victims and Americans as perpetrators". Theodore C. Van Alst, who studied the depiction of Native Americans in European film, noted that as it was made "many miles from the Great Plains... Many years after the events" ''The Sons of Great Bear'' "was bound to contain some inaccuracies, but they aren't from a lack of effort".Alst. p. 97. However, while carefully recreating the lives of the Lakota, there are several mistakes in regards to the other side: for example,
Major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...
Samuel Smith clearly wears the rank of a
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...
; a regimental flag in his headquarters carries the inscription "United States of Amerika", and a map shows the U.S.-Mexican Border as it was before the
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ( es, Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo), officially the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits, and Settlement between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, is the peace treaty that was signed on 2 ...
, with
Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
stretching all the way to
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. Henrich, who served as the producers' adviser, was "fanatic about details": when several horses refused to be mounted without a saddle and had to be fitted with one, she resigned her post, insisting that Native Americans rode bareback. The author later demanded that her name be removed from the credits, though it remained there. She refused to allow any more of her books to be adapted for the screen after ''The Sons of Great Bear'', insisting "too many liberties were taken". Principal photography for ''The Sons of Great Bear'' was conducted in summer 1965, and took place in the
Socialist Republic of Montenegro The Socialist Republic of Montenegro ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Crna Gora, Социјалистичка Република Црна Гора), commonly referred to as Socialist Montenegro or simply Montenegro, was ...
and in the
Elbe Sandstone Mountains The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also called the Elbe Sandstone Highlands (german: Elbsandsteingebirge; cs, Děčinská vrchovina), are a mountain range straddling the border between the state of Saxony in southeastern Germany and the North Bohemia ...
. It took about two and half months, and the sum expended on making the picture was "over 2 million
East German Mark The East German mark (german: Mark der DDR ), commonly called the eastern mark (german: Ostmark, links=no ) in West Germany and after reunification), in East Germany only ''Mark'', was the currency of the German Democratic Republic (East Germ ...
s".


Reception


Distribution

''The Sons of Great Bear'' turned into an instant success upon its release, owing also to two external factors: the first was its appeal to young audiences, as many East German children were already acquainted with Henrich's books; and another was the low supply of new pictures for 1966: over half of DEFA's productions intended to be released during the year 12 out of 21, most prominently
Kurt Maetzig Kurt Maetzig (25 January 1911 – 8 August 2012) was a German film director who had a significant effect on the film industry in East Germany. He was one of the most respected filmmakers of the GDR. After his retirement he lived in Wildkuhl ...
's ''
The Rabbit Is Me ''The Rabbit Is Me'' (german: Das Kaninchen bin ich) is an East German dramatic film directed by Kurt Maetzig. It was filmed in 1965, and based on the novel by . Plot Nineteen-year-old Maria Morzeck dreams of studying Slavistics, but her hope ...
'' and Frank Beyer's ''
Trace of Stones ''Trace of Stones'' (german: Spur der Steine, ) is a 1966 East German film by Frank Beyer. It was based on the eponymous novel by Erik Neutsch and starred Manfred Krug in the main role. After its release, the film was shown only for a few days, ...
''were banned as a result of the XI Plenum of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany which took place between the 16th and 18 December 1965, in which the allegations of rising
Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states. Names The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contracti ...
member
Erich Honecker Erich Ernst Paul Honecker (; 25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 until shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. He held the posts ...
, who blamed the cinema industry for promoting values incongruous with
Marxism Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
, were widely accepted by state functionaries. Mach's film was one of those deemed innocuous enough to remain unscathed by censures. The film quickly crossed the one million viewers threshold, "that magical number in DEFA terms" which signaled resounding commercial success, and by the end of the year attracted about five million people to cinemas, garnering 4.8 million East German Mark in revenues and turning to the highest-grossing picture of the year. In total, it sold 9,442,395 in the German Democratic Republic. It also became an export success, and was soon distributed in the
Federal Republic of Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
an uncommon achievement for a DEFA picture in the days prior to Chancellor
Willy Brandt Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and served as the chancellor of West Ger ...
's rapprochement with the East German government.König. p. 60. In the
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, ČSSR, formerly known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic or Fourth Czechoslovak Republic, was the official name of Czechoslovakia from 1960 to 29 March 1990, when it was renamed the Czechoslovak ...
, it was seen by 1,737,900 viewers during its original run there in summer 1966. In the Soviet Union, where it was released in January the following year, it had 29.1 million admissions, making it to the top ten in the 1967 box office. It became popular throughout the
Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
.
Walter Ulbricht Walter Ernst Paul Ulbricht (; 30 June 18931 August 1973) was a German communist politician. Ulbricht played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and later (after spending the years of Nazi rule in ...
requested a private screening "to understand why everyone was going to cinemas", and after the film ended he told the studio representative to "keep it up!" (''weiter so!'')


Critical response

The film critic of the East German Christian Democratic Union's newspaper ''Neue Zeit'' noted: "Most of the Indian novels, and therefore most Indian films, have cliché plots and characters, that have little to do with the reality of the struggle between the Whites and the natives in the late 19th Century. The romantic adventurism of the Wild West became a goal in itself... And reduced to a world of fiction, distanced from all historical truth." It was therefore "a notable feat for itself" when the film "released the topic from the chains of the cliché back to reality. There are also action and adventure here, but bound together with an exact portrayal of the tragic demise of a brave people." The ''
Der Spiegel ''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'' reviewer added: "under the pro-Indian direction of Josef Mach, the first Western of the German Democratic Republic is a shoot 'em up (''Knall und-Fall'') picture inlaid with a message: the athletic Red men shoot the Whites down from the saddle, and then stand between the tents, unemployed; the palefaces, on the contrary, drink and gamble in some fort.".


Analysis

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
Professor Gerd Gemünden believed the film's popularity in the German Democratic Republic, and that of its sequels, could be attributed to the manner in which both the personal biography of Mitić and the characteristics of his screen personae resonated with both the audience and the establishment. First, the actor was the son of Živojin Mitić, an officer of Marshal
Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his death ...
's Yugoslav National Liberation Army who fought the Germans in World War II, thus fitting in with the GDR' state-espoused
Anti-fascism Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...
, which was central part of national identity.Gemünden. p. 249. The Native Americans he portrayed, like Tokei-ihto, were members of an oppressed minority "refusing to be a passive victim to genocide", thus offering a "fantasy of a resistance fighter" to the audience, especially as he was seen to organize an Old West parallel of partisan warfare; the obvious capitalistic traits of the antagonists and the fact they were American comfortably embedded the picture's narrative into the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
discourse. Another factor was Mitić's character's ideally German behavior: with his athleticism, serenity, leadership and express anti-alcoholism he was often seen to spill "firewater" offered to him, a characteristic shared also by Karl May's heroeshe symbolized a "particularly Teutonic form of model citizen".Gemünden. p. 251. In addition to all this, while he already worked with Western filmmakers, he chose to emigrate to East Berlin a welcome contrast to the constant flow of local actors defecting to the Federal Republic. David T. McNab and Ute Lischke stressed that while purporting to present an authentic depiction of Native Americans, it also delivered orthodox East German political messages: the film's ending, in which Tokei-ihto declares his people will settle on the "rich fertile land" to "raise tame buffalo, forge iron, make ploughs" champions "no 'Indian' philosophy" but sounds more like "a new way for a worker and
collective farm Collective farming and communal farming are various types of, "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member- ...
ing state". The use of
religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...
, in the form of the bear cub saved from the cave, is an "improbable narrative... The spirit world is not understood but interpreted for the propaganda of the former East. Once again, the film exploits the 'Indians'."


Legacy

The favorable reception of ''The Sons of Great Bear'' surpassed by far what DEFA directors had anticipated, and paved the way for the making of some dozen sequels from the same genre of ''Indianerfilme'', which for the large part also starred Mitić and became the studio's best known and most successful film series. Released for virtually every summer until the 1980s, they included such pictures as '' Chingachgook, die große Schlange'', ''
Spur des Falken ''Spur des Falken'' is an East German film. It was released in 1968. The film was followed by a sequel, '' Weiße Wölfe'' (1969). Cast * Gojko Mitić: Weitspähender Falke * Hannjo Hasse: Joe Bludgeon * Barbara Brylska: Catherine Emerson * L ...
'', '' Weiße Wölfe'', ''Tödlicher Irrtum'', ''Osceola'', ''Tecumseh'', ''Ulzana'', ', ''Blutsbrüder'', ''Severino'' and ''Der Scout''. They also featured the basic theme of ''The Sons of Great Bear'', setting the just Native Americans against the corrupt U.S. government and settlers.Berghahn. p. 43. Mitić's films gained cult following in East Germany, and also in the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc in general.Razzakov. pp. 122-123. They still enjoy a certain popularity in the New states of Germany, and a new wave of interest in them was rekindled with the resurgence of East German cultural nostalgia.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

*
German-language trailer
at icestorm.de.
Czech-language trailer
at the Czech Film Database. *
The Sons of Great Bear
' at progress-film.de. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sons of Great Bear, The 1966 films Ostern films East German films 1960s German-language films German Western (genre) films Films about Native Americans Films set in the 1870s Films set in South Dakota Films set in the Canadian Prairies Films based on German novels 1966 Western (genre) films German films about revenge 1960s German films Foreign films set in the United States