![]() The morally conflicted Jupp is portrayed by Stefan Lisewski in his first feature film. After the Wende, Schall restricted his performances almost exclusively to theater, appearing in only one film ( Der Auftrag). He was also one of the speakers at the Alexanderplatz demonstration a few days before the Wall was opened, supporting socialism, but calling for changes. Not surprisingly, Schall was considered a master interpreter of Brecht, and continued to perform the playwright’s works throughout his life. On film, he is best remembered for his role as a juvenile delinquent in Berlin–Schönhauser Corner, and the bizarre “Chief” in Gottfried Kolditz’s In the Dust of the Stars. He even married Brecht’s daughter Barbara. Like Weigel, Schall saw Brecht’s work as set in stone and resisted any attempts to modify the performances with modern interpretations. He was mentored by Brecht and became keeper of the flame along with Weigel after the playwright’s death. Schall is best known for his work with Bertolt Brecht and Helene Weigel at the Berliner Ensemble. The main villain of the movie is the naval officer Eberhard Schuckert, who is played with gusto by Ekkehard Schall. Born in German East Africa, Schelcher came to Germany after German East Africa was divvied up by the Treaty of Versailles He started working at various theaters in Germany during the Weimar years, and was arrested by the Gestapo and put into one of the probation battalions-Hitler’s weird policy of putting convicted criminals into their own battalions (for more on Schelcher, see Castles and Cottages). Craggy-faced Raimund Schelcher was one of the best actors in East Germany, but his drinking caused enough problems with productions that it became the stuff of legends. Later on, he’d start directing as well (for more on Thein, see Anton the Magician). Ulrich Thein, a man of immense talent, was a West German by birth, but moved to the GDR to work at the famous Deutsches Theater in Berlin. The main heroes of the film are Henne Lobke and August Lenz, played by Ulrich Thein and Raimund Schelcher respectively. It doesn’t sound like it would work, but it does. Reportedly Maetzig handled the scenes with the military officers and admirals in this film, while Reisch shot the scenes involving the sailors. Beyond that, their styles are as different as chalk and cheese. Both Maetzig and Reisch believed in the ideals of the GDR, and both were superb craftsmen. ![]() ![]() It’s stirring stuff that even critics of the film’s politics had to admit was powerfully handled.ĭetermined to finish the film in time for the Kiel mutiny’s 40th anniversary, DEFA hired two directors to make the movie: Kurt Maetzig and Günter Reisch. ![]() Things come to a head after Jupp sees his mother shot during a protest march. At first, he is on the side of the military, but eventually comes to understand the viewpoints of his fellow sailors. In the middle is Jupp, a sailor who is recruited by the Navy to spy on his shipmates. The film is set up in dramatic fashion, with heroes who support the Russian revolution trying to end the imperial oppression in Germany and bad guys fighting for their beloved German Empire. When the admiralty tried to implement a suicide attack against the Royal Navy, the sailors of the SMS Frederick the Great and others finally declare they’ve had enough and marched on the naval headquarters in Kiel. The treatment of the sailors aboard the battleships remained bad, and by September of 1918, things had reached a boiling point. By this point, the Germans had lost the war, but they weren’t ready to admit it. When sailors refused to shoot two of their own, the convicted men are transported to Cologne, where they are executed by soldiers instead. Max and Albin were labeled “Marxist agitators” and sentenced to be shot by a firing squad. The film starts in the Fall of 1917 with the execution of Max Reichpietsch and Albin Köbis, two sailors who led a revolt aboard the SMS Prinzregent Luitpold, protesting bad conditions and lousy food. The event helped end World War I, virutually ended the reign of Wilhelm II, and-at least in this DEFA account of the story-sowed the seeds for the establishment of the Germany Communist Party (KPD). The Sailors’ Song ( Das Lied der Matrosen) is a dramatic retelling of the Kiel Mutiny, a revolt by sailors in 1918.
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