1932

Conceived by Bertolt Brecht at the political and artistic watershed of the waning Weimar Republic, Kuhle Wampe is remarkable for its enduring sense of immediacy and accessibility.

At the height of the Depression, Anni and her parents are evicted from their Berlin home and sent to Kuhle Wampe, a camp that now accommodates the ever-growing numbers of the dispossessed. Exquisitely photographed by Gunther Krampf, this 'semi documentary' combines inspired montage sequences with intimate realist and comic senses of Anni's family life. The film's dynamic score is by its composer Hanns Eisler.

The only communist film to come out of Weimar Germany, Kuhle Wampe was swiftly banned on Hitler's rise to power in 1933.

The film is followed by a video essay by freelance writer, former film critic and teacher Andrew Hoellering, the son of Kuhle Wampe producer Georg Hoellering. German dialogue.

viewer's comments:

- Propaganda at its best!

This is one of those films that must be seen with some background information about the Germans in 1932 in mind. Brecht does a great job and this movie is nothing like others from the same period, American or foreign. The story is simple, the propaganda immense, and the actors do their jobs. The best scene is the engagement party.

Cast:

Hertha Thiele .... Annie
Ernst Busch .... Ballad Singer (voice)
Martha Wolter
Adolf Fischer .... Genosse
Lili Schoenborn-Anspach
Max Sablotzki
Alfred Schaefer
Gerhard Bienert
Martha Burchardi
Carl Heinz Charrell
Helene Weigel ...
Ballad Singer (voice)
Karl Kahmen
Fritz Erpenbeck
Josef Hanoszek
Richard Pilgert

Country:Germany
Language:German with English subtitles
Release Date:23 April 1933 (USA)
Also Known As:Kuhle Wampe oder: Wem gehört die Welt?
Filming Locations:Berlin, Germany
Runtime: 80 min
Sound Mix:Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)
Color:Black and White