»Irgendwo in Berlin« (D 1946). Filmvorführung aus unserer Reihe »Vom Propaganda - zum Aufklärungsinstrument? Trümmerfilme in Deutschland 1946«

Drama | Director: Gerhard Lamprecht | 85 minutes | FSK 6

The third film in the series is also a very early production by DEFA, which was founded shortly after the end of the war in the Soviet Occupation Zone and later became the dominant film studio in the GDR. Directed by Gerhard Lamprecht (1897–1974), the film premiered in Berlin on December 18, 1946. It differs from the films discussed so far in one important respect: the plot centers on children. The film thus addresses a key aspect of the very early postwar period: growing up amid the rubble left behind by the war. Specifically, a landscape of both material and emotional ruin: on the one hand, the destroyed city as a “playground” offering unexpected—and in some cases life-threatening—possibilities; on the other hand, the uprooted, often traumatized adult caregivers. The cast is remarkable: The adult roles are predominantly played by veteran actors such as Hans Leibelt (1885–1974) and Paul Bildt (1885–1957), who, just a short time earlier, had been busy actors in UFA productions under the auspices of Nazi Propaganda Minister Goebbels. Joining them in one of the leading female roles was Lotte Loebinger (1905–1999), who, although she already had some film experience (including in Fritz Lang’s famous crime thriller “M” from 1931), had only just returned from exile in the Soviet Union. Loebinger had been forced to flee Germany in 1933 because, as a “half-Jew” according to Nazi racial ideology and, moreover, a committed communist, she fit all too well into the Nazi dictatorship’s image of the enemy. The actual lead role of the boy Gustav was played by Charles Knetschke, who was only 11 years old at the time. Later, the man—now nearly 92 years old—became one of Germany’s most famous film and television stars under the stage name Charles Brauer.

Series: “From Propaganda to Educational Tool? Ruins Films in Germany 1946”
Eighty years later, we are screening films that were released or produced in German cinemas in 1946. Each screening is preceded by an introduction to film history, followed by an opportunity to discuss what was seen.