''U-9 Weddigen'' is a 1927 German silent

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

Carl de Vogt Carl de Vogt (14 September 1885 – 16 February 1970) was a German film actor who starred in four of Fritz Lang's early films. He attended the acting school in Cologne, Germany. Together with acting he was also active as a singer and recorded sev ...

, Mathilde Sussin and

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 ...

. The film is based on the exploits of the submarine SM ''U-9'' under the command of Otto Weddigen 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 ...

.Kester, pp. 176-77 It is similar in theme to the previous year's '' Our Emden'', which also depicted the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Kaise ...

in heroic terms. 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 Joha ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

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

Karl Machus Karl Machus (1884–1944) was a German art director. Along with Erich Zander he designed the sets for most of the films made by director Veit Harlan during the Nazi era.Noack p.145 Selected filmography * '' Prince Cuckoo'' (1919) * '' Blonde P ...

and

Franz Schroedter Franz Schroedter (9 May 1897 – 14 November 1968) was a German art director.Giesen p.212 Selected filmography * '' The Black Count'' (1920) * '' The Dance of Love and Happiness'' (1921) * '' The New Paradise'' (1921) * '' The Queen of Whitechap ...

Cast

as Weddingen * Mathilde Sussin as Elisabeth Fuller *

as Elizabeth Fullers Gatte * Fred Solm as Percy *

Gerd Briese Gerd Briese (25 December 1897 – August 1957) was a German stage and film actor. Briese's film career began in 1924, and he late worked as a stage actor and director. He was killed in a traffic accident in Berlin in 1957, aged 59. Selected fi ...

as Gerhard v. Dietrischsen *

Ernst Hofmann Ernst Karl Heinrich Hofmann (7 December 1880 – 27 April 1945) was a German stage and film actor. Selected filmography * '' The White Roses'' (1916) * '' Dr. Hart's Diary'' (1917) * '' Countess Kitchenmaid'' (1918) * '' Ikarus, the Flying Man ...

as Fritz *

Hella Moja Hella Moja (born Helene Gertrud Schwerdtfeger, 18 January 1896 – December 1951) was a German screenwriter, film producer and film actress. She was married to the director Heinz Paul. Biography Hella Moja was born Helene Gertrud Schwerdtfeger ...

as Hilde *

Hans Mierendorff Hans Mierendorff (born Johannes Reingold Mierendorff; 30 June 1882 – 26 December 1955) was a German stage and film actor. Selected filmography * '' A Night of Horror'' (1916) * '' Vengeance Is Mine'' (1916) * '' Hilde Warren und der Tod' ...

as Fritzs Onkel *

Hanne Brinkmann Hanne Brinkmann (born Johanna Marie Luise Elisabeth Brinkmann; 22 September 1895 – 29 July 1984) was a German actress. She appeared in 24 films between 1915 and 1929. Selected filmography * '' Laugh Bajazzo'' (1915) * '' The Unmarried Wom ...

as Girl at Dietrichs *

Willy Mendau Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scree ...

as Bursche von Oberleutnant Gerhard Dietrichs

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.

External links

* 1927 films Films of the Weimar Republic Films directed by Heinz Paul German silent feature films 1927 war films German war films Films shot at Johannisthal Studios World War I submarine films Silent adventure films Silent war films 1920s German films {{Germany-silent-film-stub