' (''The Rats'') is a 1955 West German drama film directed by

Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German film director who also worked in the United States. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of films noirs he made in the 1940s, such as ''The Killers'' (194 ...

. It is an adaptation of the 1911 play '' The Rats'' by

Gerhart Hauptmann Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann (; 15 November 1862 – 6 June 1946) was a German dramatist and novelist. He is counted among the most important promoters of literary naturalism, though he integrated other styles into his work as well. He rece ...

, but transferred the story to the early 1950s, shortly after the Second World War. It tells the story of the destitute Polish woman Pauline, who sells her illegitimate baby for a few hundred

Deutsche Mark The Deutsche Mark (; English: ''German mark''), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it was ...

to the childless Anna John. The film won the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The win ...

award. It was shot at the

Spandau Studios The Spandau Studios or CCC Studios were film and television studios located in Spandau, a suburb of Berlin. They were established in 1949 following the Second World War by the producer Artur Brauner controller of CCC Films, on the site of a form ...

in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Hans Jürgen Kiebach and Rolf Zehetbauer.

Cast

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ratten, Die 1955 films 1955 drama films German drama films West German films 1950s German-language films Films set in Berlin Films based on works by Gerhart Hauptmann German films based on plays Films directed by Robert Siodmak Golden Bear winners Films shot at Spandau Studios German black-and-white films 1950s German films