''Der Postmeister'' (English: ''The Postmaster'' or ''The Stationmaster'') is a 1940

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

film directed by Gustav Ucicky. Released during the

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that enabled those powers to partition Poland between them. The pact was signed in Moscow on 23 August 1939 by German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ri ...

, it depicts Russians in a sympathetic light, unlike their depiction in such films as '' Frisians in Peril'' before or '' GPU'' after.

Erwin Leiser Erwin Leiser (May 16, 1923 – August 22, 1996) was a German-born Jew and director, writer, and actor. Born and raised in Berlin, he fled to Sweden at the age of 15 to escape the Nazi Party. He graduated from the University of Lund and worked a ...

, ''Nazi Cinema'' p43 It was very loosely based on ''The Station Master'', an 1831 short story from '' The Belkin Tales'' series by

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

. It was remade in 1955 as ''

Dunja Dunja ( sr-cyr, Дуња) is a Serbo-Croatian feminine given name which is in fact homonymous with the vocabulary word for "quince." It derives from the Russian pet form of the Greek name Evdokia. It is a popular name in Serbia, Croatia, and B ...

''. An earlier version was the French film '' Nostalgie'' (1938) with Harry Baur, directed by Victor Tourjansky. The film's sets were designed by the art directors

Kurt Herlth Kurt Herlth (1896–1966) was a German art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It ...

and Werner Schlichting. It was made in German-occupied Austria by the Wien Film company, and distributed by the

UFA Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa rivers, in the centre-north of Bashkortostan, on hills forming the ...

concern. At the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

, ''Der Postmeister'' won the

Mussolini Cup The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

for best foreign film.

Plot

The daughter of a stationmaster falls in love with a cavalry captain. He persuades her to run away with him to St. Petersburg, but she realizes there that he never intended to marry her.

Cast

* Heinrich George as Der Postmeister *

Hilde Krahl Hilde Krahl (10 January 1917 – 28 June 1999) was an Austrian film actress. She appeared in 70 films between 1936 and 1994. She was born Hildegard Kolačný in Brod, Austria-Hungary (now Slavonski Brod, Croatia) in 1917, and she died in Vien ...

as Dunja *

Siegfried Breuer Siegfried Breuer (24 June 1906 – 1 February 1954) was an Austrian stage actor, stage and film actor and occasional film director and screenwriter. Biography Born in Vienna, Siegried was the son of Hans Breuer (tenor), Hans Breuer (1868 or 1 ...

as Rittmeister Minskij *

Hans Holt Hans Holt (22 November 1909 – 3 August 2001) was an Austrian film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1935 and 1990. Selected filmography * '' Hannerl and Her Lovers'' (1936) * ''Catherine the Last'' (1936) * '' Florentine' ...

as Fähnrich Mitja * Ruth Hellberg as Elisawetha *

Margit Symo Margit Symo (13 September 1913 – 6 October 1992) was a Hungarian-born German actress. Selected filmography * '' Gypsy Blood'' (1934) * ''A Night on the Danube'' (1935) * ''Autobus S'' (1937) * ''The Yellow Flag'' (1937) * ''Not a Word Abou ...

as Mascha * Erik Frey as Sergej *

Alfred Neugebauer Alfred Neugebauer (24 December 1888 – 14 September 1957) was an Austrian film actor. Selected filmography * '' Money in the Streets'' (1922) * '' Money on the Street'' (1930) * '' Madame Bluebeard'' (1931) * '' Storm in a Water Glass'' (1931) * ...

as Gutsbesitzer * Franz Pfaudler as Knecht Pjotr *

Leo Peukert Leonhard "Leo" Peukert (26 August 1885 – 6 January 1944) was a prolific German film actor and film director, appearing in more than a hundred and fifty productions between 1910 and his death in 1944. While occasionally he played a leading role ...

as Oberst * Reinhold Häussermann as Schneider * Auguste Pünkösdy as Wirobowa

References

External links

*
''Der Postmeister''
Full movie at the Deutsche Filmothek Nazi propaganda films 1941 films 1940s historical films German historical films Films of Nazi Germany 1940s German-language films Films directed by Gustav Ucicky Films set in Russia Films set in the 19th century Films based on works by Aleksandr Pushkin UFA GmbH films German black-and-white films Films set in Saint Petersburg 1940s German films {{historic-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links