<i>Sprengbagger 1010 (1929)</i> / Blast Excavator 1010

GERMAN FILM INSTITUTE <br>The Cinema of Crisis: German Film 1928-1936

Directed and written by Ludwig Carl Achaz-Duisberg. With Heinrich George, Ivan Koval-Samborsky, Viola Garden and Ilse Strobrowa.

A silent film drama describing the industrialization and mechanization of the world, Sprengbagger 1010 critiques the belief in progress and the spirit of the modern age. The film deals with the relation between man and technology and raises the question of how man is to behave in times of industrial upheaval. The plot revolves around a young engineer, Karl Hartmann, who develops a giant excavator that enables his company to mine coal very efficiently. Hartmann’s ruthless industrialist boss is especially interested in the potential of this invention. Hartmann, however, is torn between his ambitions and his love for the rural areas that his machine will likely destroy. Starring Heinrich George. [Sources: franklava.de, cinematurkey.com]
DVD, silent w/ music; 88 min.
German Film Institute pages