Thursday, May 24, 2012
4:00 AM
2435 North Quad
GERMAN FILM INSTITUTE <br>The Cinema of Crisis: German Film 1928-1936
Directed by Carl Froelich. Written by Johannes Brandt and Ilse Spath-Baron. With Otto Gebühr, Olga Tschechowa and Elga Brink. Loosely based on Walter von Molo’s Fredericus and premiering only four days after Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor, Der Choral von Leuthen depicts Frederick the Great’s rise to power. It primarily emphasizes the Battle of Leuthen, fought on 5 December 1757, in which the Prussian army defeated the much larger Austrian army thus ensuring Prussian control of Silesia during the Seven Years’ War. This large-scale costume drama is especially notable for its epic battle scenes as well as Otto Gebühr’s convincing performance.[Sources: germanwarfilms.com, filmhauer.net, filmportal.de]
DVD, 83 min.
German Film Institute pages
