''Marshal Forwards'' () is a 1932 German

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

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. His speciality was military film; he also filmed various pseudo-documentaries. He was married to the actress Hella Moja. Selected filmography D ...

and starring

Paul Wegener Paul Wegener (11 December 1874 – 13 September 1948) was a German actor, writer, and film director known for his pioneering role in German expressionist cinema. Acting career At the age of 20, Wegener decided to end his law studies and conce ...

, Traute Carlsen and Hans Graf von Schwerin. It portrays the life of

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (; 21 December 1742 – 12 September 1819), ''Graf'' (count), later elevated to ''Fürst'' (prince) von Wahlstatt, was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal). He earned his greatest ...

, a German hero of the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

who was present at the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig, Saxony. The Coalition armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Tsar Alexander I, Karl von Schwarzenberg, and G ...

and the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

. It takes its name from Blücher's contemporary nickname, which came from his aggressive forward-thinking stance. It is part of the Prussian film genre, popular during the Weimair and

Nazi era Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

Plot

Prussia at the time of the Napoleonic attack in the early 19th century. The country can hardly defend itself against the attacks of the French. The battle of Jena and Auerstedt was lost in 1806, Berlin was occupied, King Friedrich Wilhelm III. and Queen Luise have fled to Memel, far in the northeast of the country. Near Ratekau, near Lübeck, the popular old marshal Blücher, a veritable warhorse, had to capitulate to the overwhelming enemy because he ran out of food and ammunition. Since Prussia's alliance with Russia still exists, however, all does not seem lost. Blücher is exchanged for a captured French general. Immediately, he goes to his king in Memel to ask the monarch to join forces for an attack against the French aggressors. Here, however, Blücher learns that Russia has its own agenda and is unwilling to take action against Napoleon alongside the Prussians. The almost 70-year-old General Blücher resigns himself to the circumstances. After the humiliating French peace dictate of Tilsit in 1807, in which Prussia largely relinquished its independence to the French, he retires to his country estate, deeply disappointed. In several fiery letters to his king, the aged marshal urges Friedrich Wilhelm not to accept the fate imposed on his country by Napoleon. The choleric Corsican emperor gets wind of it and forces the Prussian king to finally send Blücher into retirement. When Napoleon's fortunes reverse and his armies get stuck in the endless expanses of Russia, the aged Blücher feels a new impetus. In particular, the Prussian-Russian agreement of 1812 known as the Tauroggen Convention means that France can no longer rely on Prussian units serving as auxiliaries. Blücher, now appointed by the king to head the Prussian army, rallies his followers around him and a new strategy for defeating Napoleon is discussed. Allied with the Russians, Prussia experiences a number of defeats and minor victories, but when the Austrians join the alliance, Napoleon's army suffers a painful defeat at the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig. Blücher's relentless forward drive eventually earns him the nickname "Marshal Forwards".

Production

Marschall Forward was created on 22 July 1932 in the Johannisthal Studios in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. The film had ten acts and was 2780 meters long. On 24 October 1932, the censorship released him for young people. The premiere took place on 23 November 1932 in Berlin's Titania Palace and in the atrium. Producer August Mueller was also production manager, Harry Dettmann production manager. The film constructions come from the hands of Robert A. Dietrich (design) and Bruno Lutz (execution). Composer Willy Schmidt-Gentner also had the musical direction. Hermann Birkhofer provided the sound. Georg von Viebahn served as a military advisor.

Cast

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Heinz Paul 1932 films Films of the Weimar Republic German historical films 1930s historical films German war films 1932 war films 1930s German-language films Films directed by Heinz Paul Films set in 1806 Films set in 1807 Films set in 1812 Films set in Leipzig Napoleonic Wars films Prussian films German black-and-white films Depictions of Napoleon on film Cultural depictions of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Cultural depictions of Klemens von Metternich Cultural depictions of Frederick William III of Prussia Cultural depictions of Alexander I of Russia Films set in the Kingdom of Prussia 1930s German films Films shot at Johannisthal Studios Films scored by Willy Schmidt-Gentner German-language war films German-language historical films