DAS VERURTEILTE DORF [Main Title]

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  • Title: DAS VERURTEILTE DORF [Main Title]
  • Film Number: GWY 1057
  • Other titles: THE CONDEMNED VILLAGE [Translation]
  • Summary: Inhabitants of a village in West Germany unite to defeat a plan of the warmongering Americans to build an airfield on their land.
  • Description: Reel 1. Postman delivers letter to Mutter Weimann announcing forthcoming return of her son Heinz, a prisoner of war in the Soviet Union. Heinz in uniform steps off train and is dazed by first impressions of the city: destitution alongside well-stocked shops, a young German girl with an American officer, boys mesmerised by warlike toys in a window, a newsstand selling magazines with pictures of an American airman and an article by the wife of war criminal Hess. Turning away, Heinz bumps into an old friend now working for the Roeder construction company. Back home in Bärenweiler he is welcomed as a long lost son; surrounded by his friends he assures the villagers that propaganda that the Russians want war is false and that in reality they want to live in peace, especially as their towns and villages suffered even worse destruction than did Germany's. Meanwhile Fritz Vollmer and two bourgeois friends sit together rejoicing at the rumour that a new German Army is to be formed; this raises their hopes of regaining their lands in the East. News headline announces Eisenhower's despatch of more troops to Europe. Back in the Weimann household Heinz's mother reveals that his old love Käthe has married the revanchist Fritz in order to please her socially ambitious father. Next day when Heinz and Käthe meet it is clear that their old love remains strong and that her marriage is unhappy. Heinz and Fritz quarrel in the inn when Fritz mocks Heinz as a communist; Heinz retorts that he loves peace, having had enough of war, and that his only desire is to work his fields. Bärenweiler's fields however are coveted by the US for a new airfield, following the strengthening of NATO's forces. American Colonel, after visiting the area and arousing instant suspicion and hostility of the villagers, makes arrangements with Roeder for the company to build the airfield. During village festivities Käthe's father boasts of his son-in-law's war record while his daughter dances with Heinz. Merriment is interrupted by letter notifying Mayor that Control Commission intends to take over large area for defence by October 15. Outraged Mayor agrees with equally shocked and sympathetic old Pastor to contest the decision, but a meeting with the Regionsrat shows that the German authorities favour the airfield plan too: it will serve not only the Americans but the West Germans also. Reel 2. Fritz is alone in the village in welcoming the plan. Käthe is distraught, her father outraged and Heinz incredulous. Pastor drafts a letter of protest for the Mayor to send to the Americans, pleading against the destruction of the ancient village community, and promises to intervene with the Bishop. Bishop in palatial setting eventually sees Pastor, only to argue first that the matter is outside the realm of the church, then to state that the values of the West have sometimes to be defended with fire and sword. Disappointed Pastor replies that those who live by the sword shall perish by the sword. Back in Bärenweiler a petition to the American Control Commission is signed by all the villagers except Fritz, who realises airfield is not for peace and that it will help him recover his lands in the East which now belong to the peasants. Petition is rejected by the Americans and Roeder starts to assemble equipment for the proposed airfield. Letter in English announcing American rejection is translated by the schoolteacher and strengthens villagers' determination not to move. Heinz seeks support of his worker friend at Roeder's in protest campaign, while Fritz tries to forbid his wife from participating in a protest march. March converges on city carrying placards that Germans will not surrender their land to the Americans. While police chief prepares to contain the demonstration, the State Minister receives a delegation consisting of the Mayor, Pastor and Heinz, whom he accuses of irresponsibility. Outside an American jeep pulls up to shouts of "Yanks go home! Germany is German!". American Colonel orders the police to disperse the crowd, which they do with the aid of batons and water cannon, emptying the square of all but several prostrate bodies, to the Colonel's satisfaction. Käthe returns from the demonstration to find a scrawled note from Fritz announcing his departure and the end of the marriage. Anger at biased newspaper report of demonstration is balanced by satisfaction at flood of messages of support from workers' organisations throughout Germany, including one from the GDR. Meanwhile State Minister holds cabinet meeting; all but one agree that there is no alternative to compliance with the American General, who reminds the German politicians that the choice is really between one form of rule and another. Americans refuse to postpone ultimatum to villagers and on appointed day of October 15 German police move in to clear Bärenweiler. Mayor protests at outrage of Germans attacking Germans, but the police have their orders. Elderly Frau Rühling refuses to budge from her home as police break into houses all around. Reel 3. Heinz is arrested while trying to protect Käthe's house from the police. Meanwhile the Bishop gives orders for Bärenweiler's obstreperous Pastor to be transferred to another parish. Building workers black airfield project; when Roeder tells Colonel that work cannot begin until Bärenweiler is cleared, the American promises to take care of the matter. In prison awaiting trial, Heinz learns from Käthe that villagers now hope that airfield will be built elsewhere; Heinz points out that other villagers will then suffer. In court defending himself against the charge of resistance to the state, Heinz argues that he has already lost ten years of his life because people did not resist the unjust demands of the state (during the Nazi period); crowds outside support his stand for peace, which earns him a year's sentence. Simultaneously workers celebrate Roeder's decision to withdraw from airfield project and the Pastor delivers a sermon rejoicing that Bärenweiler's lands will never become battlefields. Americans decide to take village by surprise and send in troops and trucks to remove inhabitants and their belongings in four-hour operation. Scheming inhabitants of surrounding villages answer church bell alarm, workers from Roeder's are alerted; town and country united converge on Bärenweiler and force Americans to call off their operation, although not before Frau Rühling has committed suicide rather than be evicted from her house. Music soars triumphantly as defeated American troops depart.
  • Alternative Title: THE CONDEMNED VILLAGE [Translation]
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: No
  • Object_Number: GWY 1057
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions: NON-IWM
  • Featured Period: 1946-1975
  • Production Date: 1952-02-15
  • Production Country: Germany (Democratic Republic)
  • Production Details: DEFA (Production company) Hellberg, Martin (Production individual) Fischer, Adolf (Production individual) Plintzner, Karl (Production individual) Hasler, Joachim (Production individual) Stern, Kurt (Production individual) Stern, Jeanne (Production individual) Vorwerg, Wilhelm (Production individual) Schulz, Alfred (Production individual) Roters, Ernst (Production individual) Reisch, Güxfc;nter (Production individual) Lockau, Horst (Production individual) Walter, Heinz (Production individual) Rosinski, Johanna (Production individual) Kuhnle, Albert (Production individual) Göring, Helga (Production cast) Simon, Güxfc;nther (Production cast) Winterstein, Eduard von (Production cast) Garbe, Albert (Production cast) Legal, Marga (Production cast) Doerner, Albert (Production cast) Crusius, Lotte (Production cast) Stüxfc;bler, Otto Eduard (Production cast) Kaiser, Wolf (Production cast) Gnass, Friedrich1892-11-131958-05-08 (Production cast) Hinzelmann, Helmuth (Production cast) Trenck, Ulrich von der (Production cast) Paulsen, Paul (Production cast) Grimmer, Aribert (Production cast) Dhein, Heinz (Production cast) Stövesand, Hermann (Production cast) Turoff, Nico (Production cast) Gade, William (Production cast) Deickert, Karl Heinz (Production cast) Pledath, Werner (Production cast) Dornseif, I P (Production cast) Venohr, Albert (Production cast) Finohr, Hans (Production cast) Rosenthal, Heinz (Production cast) Kröning, Georg (Production cast)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords:
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: German Title language: German Subtitle language: None
  • Technical Details: Format: 16mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 3 Footage: 3837 ft; Running time: 107 mins
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  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    GWY 1057

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