| Refugees | |
|---|---|
.jpg) German film poster | |
| German | Flüchtlinge |
| Directed by | Gustav Ucicky |
| Written by | Gerhard Menzel |
| Produced by | Günther Stapenhorst |
| Starring | Hans Albers Käthe von Nagy Eugen Klöpfer |
| Cinematography | Fritz Arno Wagner |
| Edited by | Eduard von Borsody |
| Music by | Ernst Erich Buder Herbert Windt |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | UFA |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
Refugees (German:Flüchtlinge) is the 1933Germandrama film, directed byGustav Ucicky and starringHans Albers,Käthe von Nagy, andEugen Klöpfer. It depictsVolga German refugees persecuted by theBolsheviks on theSino-Russian border inManchuria in 1928.[1]
The screenplay was written byGerhard Menzel and was based on his own novel of the same title.[2] It was shot at theBabelsberg Studios with sets designed by theart directorsRobert Herlth andWalter Röhrig.[3] A separate French-language versionAt the End of the World was also produced, with Käthe von Nagy appearing alongside a different cast.
It was the first movie to be awarded an NS-Staatspreis prize, and Goebbels praised it as among those films that, while they did not explicitly cite National Socialist principles, nevertheless embodied its spirit,[1] a new film reflecting the ideal of their national revolution.[2]
The refugees are rescued bya heroic German leader much like theFührer; the symbolism is obviously intended to emulateAdolf Hitler.[4] He is disgusted by "November Germany", and devotes himself to the ideal of "true Germany".[5] He off-handedly disposes of some refugees as worthless, and demands complete obedience from all others.[6] The death of a boy deeply devoted to him moves him, as dying for a cause is something he would wish for himself, in keeping with Nazi glorification of heroic death.[6]
Their Communist persecutors are portrayed simply as brutal murderers, typical of works prior to theMolotov–Ribbentrop Pact (and again after its breach).[7] The film was shown for some time after the pact, owing to bureaucratic oversight, complicating the efforts of Nazi propaganda.[8]
The movie is mostly set in the city ofHarbin, in what was at the time theRepublic of China.
Gerhard Menzel wrote a screenplay based on his own novel[9] after writing the screenplay forMorgenrot. The film was directed byGustav Ucicky. The cinematography was done byFritz Arno Wagner and the soundtrack was composed byHerbert Windt andErnst Erich Buder.[10]
The film was approved by the censors on 1 December 1933, and premiered on 3 December.[9] It premiered in the United States at the 79th Street Theater in New York.[11]