''1-2-3 Corona'' is an

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

film directed by Hans Müller. It was released in 1948.

Plot

In ruined

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

, several bands of abandoned children roam the streets, engaging in petty crimes. When a circus arrives nearby, the boys are charmed by one

trapeze A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, an ...

performer called Corona. They are upset when the circus' manager insults her, and plan a revenge by setting a trap on the ring. But their scheme fails and it is Corona that is injured. Being unable to work, she is dismissed. The boys tend to her, and as time passes, she teaches them her art, and they form a little circus of their own. A manager of another circus offers Corona a job. She is reluctant to leave the children. Eventually, the manager takes them all in into his circus.

Cast

* Eva Ingeborg Scholz as Corona * Lutz Moik as Gerhard Wittmann * Piet Clausen as Dietrich *

Ralph Siewert Ralph Paul Siewert (December 31, 1923 – November 21, 1990) was an American professional basketball player. He played for the St. Louis Bombers and Toronto Huskies during the inaugural 1946–47 season of the Basketball Association of America. At ...

as Fritzchen * Walter Werner as Doctor Waldner *

Annemarie Hase Annemarie Hase (1900 – 1971) was a German actress and cabaret artist. She emerged as a star during the Weimar Republic, but because she was Jewish she faced increasing persecution following the Nazi takeover in 1933. In 1936 she went into ex ...

as Frau Schmittchen *

Herbert Hübner Herbert Hübner (6 February 1889 – 27 January 1972) was a German stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 150 films between 1921 and 1966. He was born in Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland) and died in Munich, Germany. Selected fil ...

as Professor Hanke * Hans-Edgar Stecher as Heinz * Horst Gentzen as Emil *

Werner Müller Werner may refer to: People * Werner (name), origin of the name and people with this name as surname and given name Fictional characters * Werner (comics), a German comic book character * Werner Von Croy, a fictional character in the ''Tomb Ra ...

as Carl *

Hans Neie Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...

as Rudi * Eduard Wandrey as Hugo Grandini *

Hans Leibelt Hans Leibelt (11 March 1885 in Leipzig, German Empire – 3 December 1974 in Munich, West Germany) was a German film actor. Selected filmography * ''Heimliche Sünder'' (1926) * '' The False Prince'' (1927) * '' The Man in Search of His Mu ...

as Circus Manager Barlay

Production

The script writers were inspired by a real children's circus, ''Rose'', that was a popular attraction in the city of Pößneck during the first post-war years. ''1-2-3 Corona'' was the first DEFA picture to be filmed in UFA's old studio in Potsdam-Babelsberg, which was turned into the DEFA Feature Films Studio. Outdoor photography took place in

Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Prussia, it is best known for Charlottenburg Palace, the la ...

and

Prenzlauer Berg Prenzlauer Berg () is a locality of Berlin, forming the southerly and most urban district of the borough of Pankow. From its founding in 1920 until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a district of Berlin in its own right. However, that year it was incorp ...

Reception

''1-2-3 Corona'' had its premiere in

East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as West Berlin. From 13 August 1961 u ...

's Babylon Cinema. It was viewed by some eight million people. The Catholic Film Service defined it as a "realistic picture, managing to create an entertaining film with modest resources." Author Peter Pleyer regarded it as a classical " Rubble film", that "tried to provide some optimism".Peter Pleyer. ''Deutscher Nachkriegsfilm 1946-1948''. Fahle (1965). ASIN B0000BMEKK. p. 120.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title
''1-2-3 Corona'' original poster
on ostfilm.de. *
1-2-3 Corona
' on DEFA Sternstunden. 1948 films DEFA films 1940s German-language films German black-and-white films Circus films Films set in Berlin German crime drama films 1948 crime drama films