''The Fox of Glenarvon'' (German: ''Der Fuchs von Glenarvon'') is a German propaganda film from the Nazi era portraying the years of the Irish fight for independence during

World War I 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 ...

. It was produced in 1940 by

Max W. Kimmich Max Wilhelm Kimmich (4 November 1893 in Ulm – 16 January 1980 in Icking, Upper Bavaria), also known as M. W. Kimmich, was a German film director and screenwriter during the first half of the 20th century. He was the brother-in-law of Nazi Propag ...

and starred

Olga Tschechowa Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova (; russian: Ольга Константиновна Чехова; 14 April 1897 – 9 March 1980), known in Germany as Olga Tschechowa, was a Russian-German actress. Her film roles include the female lead in Alfred ...

Karl Ludwig Diehl Karl Ludwig Diehl (14 August 1896 – 8 March 1958) was a German film actor. He appeared in 66 films between 1924 and 1957. His father was Karl Diehl, the German professor of Anarchism. Filmography * ''Die Tragödie der Entehrten'' (1924) ...

Ferdinand Marian Ferdinand Heinrich Johann Haschkowetz (14 August 1902 – 7 August 1946), known by the stage name Ferdinand Marian, was an Austrian actor. Though a prolific stage actor in Berlin and a popular matinée idol throughout the 1930s and early '40s, he ...

and others. The screenplay was written by Wolf Neumeister and Hans Bertram after a novel of the same title by Nicola Rhon (Maria von Kirchbach) that had been published at Ullstein publishing house in 1937. It was made 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 ...

, with sets 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 ...

s Wilhelm Depenau and Otto Erdmann. The shoot lasted from December 1939 to February 1940. It passed censorship on 22 April 1940 and had its debut in Berlin's

Ufa-Palast am Zoo The Ufa-Palast am Zoo, located near Berlin Zoological Garden in the New West area of Charlottenburg, was a major Berlin cinema owned by Universum Film AG, or Ufa. Opened in 1919 and enlarged in 1925, it was the largest cinema in Germany until 19 ...

two days later.

Synopsis

Set in 1921, the film takes place in the fictional Irish county of Glenarvon, somewhere in the northwest of

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

, and tells the story of Gloria Grandison, an Irish wife of the local British magistrate who falls in love with an

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cu ...

and leaves her husband for him.

Cast

as Gloria Grandison *

as Baron John Ennis of Loweland *

as Friedensrichter (Justice of the Peace) Grandison *

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 ...

as Brigit Erskynne *

Traudl Stark Gertraud Marianne South ( Münzel, 17 March 1930 – 14 October 2021), better known as Traudl Stark, was an Austrian child actor in German cinema. Stark was born in Vienna on 17 March 1930, to secretary Siegfried Stark and Margarete Münzel. Her p ...

as Kit Ennis of Loweland *

Albert Florath Albert Peter Adam Florath (7 December 1888, Bielefeld – 11 March 1957, Gaildorf) was a German stage and film actor. Early life and education Born to Joseph Florath, a locksmith, and his wife Matilda, née Burkart, he attended school in Brak ...

as Baron O'Connor *

Lucie Höflich Lucie Höflich (born Helene Lucie von Holwede; 20 February 1883 – 9 October 1956) was a German actress, teacher and head of the Staatliche Schauspielschule (State Drama School) in Berlin.

as Baroness Margit O'Connor *

Else von Möllendorff Else von Möllendorff (29 December 1913 – 28 July 1982) was a German film actress who appeared in a mixture of lead and supporting roles during the Nazi and post-war eras. Partial filmography * ''Ein falscher Fuffziger'' (1935) - Hilde Werne ...

as Mary-Ann O'Connor *

Richard Häussler Richard Häussler (26 October 1908 – 28 September 1964) was a German actor and film director. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1936 and 1964. He also directed seven films between 1951 and 1957. He was born in Munich, Germany and d ...

as Major McKenney *

Ellen Bang Ellen Bang (16 May 1906 – 8 November 1981) was a German film actress. She appeared in thirty films between 1934 and 1950. Selected filmography * ''Don't Lose Heart, Suzanne!'' (1935) * '' My Friend Barbara'' (1937) * '' The Gambler'' (1938) * ...

as Lady McKenney *

Curt Lucas Curt Lucas (20 January 1888 – 12 September 1960) was a German stage, film and voice actor. Partial filmography * ''Wie das Schicksal spielt'' (1920) - Dr. Heinrich Jessen - Thoras Verlobter * ''A Shot at Dawn'' (1932) - Holzknecht * ''A Door ...

as Bankier (Bank Manager) Beverly *

Werner Hinz Werner Hinz (18 January 1903 – 10 February 1985) was a German film actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1935 and 1984. Selected filmography * ''The Old and the Young King'' (1935) - Kronprinz Friedrich ('Fritz') * ''White Slaves'' (19 ...

as Sir Tetbury *

Hermann Braun Hermann Braun (November 1, 1917 – January 18 or 20, 1945) was a German film actor, and the son of chamber singer Carl Braun (opera singer), Carl Braun. Biography New York City-born, Braun made his film debut in 1933 with ''Der Jäger aus Kur ...

as Desmond O'Morrow *

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 Vater (Father) O'Morrow *

Paul Otto Paul Otto Schlesinger (8 February 1878 – 25 or 30 November 1943) was a German film actor and director. Born in Berlin, he began a qualification as a retail merchant and made his actor's debut at the age of 17. Otto worked at Theaters in ...

as Oberst (Colonel) Stewart * Hans Richter as Robin Cavendish *

Horst Birr Horst Birr (17 February 1912 – 8 October 1943) was a German actor. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1934 and 1941. Birr was a member of the Nazi Party. There are different accounts about his death. Some sources state that he comm ...

as Rory *

Peter Elsholtz Peter Ludwig Wilhelm Elsholtz (20 October 1907 – 30 August 1977) was a German stage and film actor.Giesen p.193 Selected filmography * '' The Castle in Flanders'' (1936) * '' Truxa'' (1937) * '' The Ruler'' (1937) * ''Ride to Freedom'' (1937) ...

as Tim Malory *

Aribert Mog Aribert Mog (3 August 1904 – 2 October 1941) was a German film actor who played in a mixture of leading and supporting roles during the 1930s. He was a member of the Militant League for German Culture and the National Socialist Factory Cell Or ...

as Thomas Deally *

Hilde Körber Hilde Körber (3 July 1906 – 31 May 1969) was an Austrian film actress who worked largely in the German Film Industry. She appeared in 53 films between 1930 and 1964. She was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary and died in West Berlin, West Ge ...

as Gouvernante (Schoolmistress) Maureen *

Friedrich Kayßler Friedrich Martin Adalbert Kayssler, also spelled Kayßler (7 April 1874 – 30 April 1945), was a German theatre and film actor. He appeared in 56 films between 1913 and 1945. Biography Kayssler was born in Neurode in the Silesia Province o ...

as O'Riordon *

Bruno Hübner Bruno Hübner (1899–1983) was an Austrian film and television actor known for his work in Germany.Goble p.412 He was born in Reichenberg then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which later became part of Czechoslovakia. Selected filmography * ''Pu ...

as Mildon *

Joachim Pfaff Joachim (; ''Yəhōyāqīm'', "he whom Yahweh has set up"; ; ) was, according to Christian tradition, the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The story of Joachim and Anne first appears in the Biblical apocrypha ...

as Patrick Granison *

Karl Dannemann Karl Dannemann (22 March 1896 – 4 May 1945) was a German actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1934 and 1945. Partial filmography * ''Volldampf voraus!'' (1934) - Kramer, Obermaat * ''Trouble with Jolanthe'' (1934) - Rupf, der ...

as Pat Moore *

Bernhard Goetzke Bernhard Goetzke (5 June 1884 – 7 October 1964) was a German stage and film actor. He appeared in 130 films between 1917 and 1961. Selected filmography * ''Fear'' (1917) * ''The Last Sun Son'' (1919) * ''The Japanese Woman'' (1919) * ''The P ...

as Duff O'Mally *

Karl Hannemann Karl Hannemann (4 March 1895 – 13 November 1953) was a German film actor. Born in Freiberg, Saxony, Germany, he died at the age of 55 in Berlin. Selected filmography * ''The Graveyard of the Living'' (1921) * ''And Yet Luck Came'' (1923) * ''Un ...

as Strandvogt (Beach Warden) Thripp * Franz Weber as Hausmeister (Janitor) Donnelly *

Albert Venohr Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

as Polizist (Constable) Beardsley * Ferdinand Terpe as Polizist (Constable) Koph *

Hanns Waschatko Hanns is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Hanns Blaschke (1896–1971), Austrian politician *Hanns Bolz (1885–1918), German expressionist and cubist painter * Hanns Brandstätter (born 1949), Austrian fencer *Hanns Braun (18 ...

as Diener (Manservant) Morrison

Background

Made at the beginning of the war between

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, the film stands in a long line of anti-British propaganda films. Therefore, the love story is only a vehicle for the theory of the superiority of the "earthy" Irish race over the "rotten" British race, and as in ''

My Life for Ireland ''My Life for Ireland'' (german: Mein Leben für Irland) is a Nazi propaganda movie from 1941 directed by Max W. Kimmich, telling a story of an Irish nationalist family and their involvement in the Irish struggle of independence over two genera ...

'', the British are portrayed as brutal and unscrupulous. The film, does not, however, operate on such crude anti-British stereotypes as such later films as '' Uncle Krüger'' and ''

Carl Peters Carl Peters (27 September 1856 – 10 September 1918), was a German colonial ruler, explorer, politician and author and a major promoter of the establishment of the German colony of East Africa (part of the modern republic Tanzania). Life H ...

'', which were filmed after

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

and the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

had given up hope of making peace with Britain. The Irish campaign for independence is also depicted less historically and more in the manner of the

Nazi seizure of power Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...

, including the disruption of a funeral as in the film ''

Hans Westmar ''Hans Westmar'' (full title: ' "Hans Westmar. One of many. A German Fate from the Year 1929") was the last of an unofficial trilogy of films produced by the Nazis shortly after coming to power in January 1933, celebrating their '' Kampfzeit'' � ...

''.Robert Edwin Hertzstein, ''The War That Hitler Won'' pp. 343-4

Awards

Shortly after release, the film was graded ''artistically valuable'' by film checkers of the Propaganda Ministry. This attribute was given to movies that fulfilled special aesthetic criteria besides the actors' performances and meant that cinemas had to pay less entertainment tax when showing this film. Even Goebbels was quite enthusiastic about the final movie: on 22 April 1940, he wrote in his diary: "Now it's great and very useful for our propaganda."

Further information

The film was shown in many foreign countries, especially those that were allied with Nazi Germany, such as

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, where it made its debut on 8 March 1942 under the title of ''Rakkaus voittaa kaikken''. Later it was renamed there to ''Vapauden liekki'', and in 1941, it was banned from the stages. The movie was also shown in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

(''La volpe insanguinata''), Greece (''I epanastatis'') and even in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

(''Vozmezdie''). After the war, it was banned by the Allies.

References

Bibliography

* filmportal.d

* Klaus, Ulrich J.: German sound films. Encyclopedia of full-length German movies (1929–1945), sorted by their German debut dates. - Berlin

t al. T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is deri ...

1940.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fox Of Glenarvon, The Nazi propaganda films 1940 films 1940s historical drama films Films of Nazi Germany German historical drama films 1940s German-language films Films set in Ireland Films directed by Max W. Kimmich Films set in 1884 Films based on German novels Tobis Film films German black-and-white films Films shot at Johannisthal Studios 1940 drama films