''The Devil's General'' () is a 1955 black and white West German film based on the play of the same title by

Carl Zuckmayer Carl Zuckmayer (27 December 1896 – 18 January 1977) was a German writer and playwright. His older brother was the pedagogue, composer, conductor, and pianist Eduard Zuckmayer. His first two dramas were failures. In 1929, he wrote the script ...

. The film features

Curd Jürgens Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens (13 December 191518 June 1982) was a German-Austrian stage and film actor. He was usually billed in English-speaking films as Curt Jurgens. He was well known for playing Ernst Udet in ''Des Teufels Gener ...

as General Harras,

Marianne Koch Marianne Koch (; born 19 August 1931) is a German retired actress, best known for her appearances in Spaghetti Westerns and adventure films of the 1960s. She later worked as a television host and as a physician. Career Between 1950 and 1971 ...

Viktor de Kowa Viktor de Kowa (also spelled Victor de Kowa, born Victor Paul Karl Kowalczyk; 8 March 1904 – 8 April 1973) was a German stage and film actor, chanson singer, director, narrator, and comic poet. Life He was born the son of a farmer and engineer ...

, Karl John,

Eva Ingeborg Scholz Eva Ingeborg Scholz (16 February 1928 – 21 March 2022) was a German film and television actress. Biography Eva Ingeborg Scholz made her debut in the title role of the 1948 film '' 1-2-3 Corona'' and appeared regularly in films over the follo ...

, and

Harry Meyen Harry Meyen (born Harald Haubenstock; 31 August 1924 – 15 April 1979) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 40 films and television productions between 1948 and 1975. In the 1960s he also worked as a theatre director in West German ...

. It was shot at the

Wandsbek Studios The Wandsbek Studios are film production and television studios located in Wandsbek, a district of the German city of Hamburg. The complex was established in 1948 when Real Film, set up the previous year, acquired a site in Wandsbek for construc ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Albrecht Becker Albrecht Becker (14 November 1906 – 22 April 2002) was a German production designer, photographer, and actor who was imprisoned by the Nazi regime for the charge of homosexuality. Personal life Born in Thale, Germany, Becker trained as a ...

and

Herbert Kirchhoff Herbert Kirchhoff (1911–1988) was a German art director. Selected filmography * '' Nora's Ark'' (1948) * '' My Wife's Friends'' (1949) * '' The Last Night'' (1949) * '' Second Hand Destiny'' (1949) * '' Third from the Right'' (1950) * '' Harb ...

. It was one of a number of films made in Germany in the 1950s that emphasized resistance to

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

among German generals in World War Two. Others included '' Canaris'', ''

Children, Mother, and the General ''Children, Mother, and the General'' (, and also released as ''Sons, Mothers, and a General'') is a 1955 West German war film directed by László Benedek and starring Hilde Krahl, Therese Giehse and Ewald Balser. The film was not a popular ...

'', and ''

The Last Ten Days ''The Last Ten Days'' () is a 1955 Austrian-West German drama film directed by G. W. Pabst. It was the first film in post-World War II Germany to feature the character of Adolf Hitler. It follows him and others in what were the last days of th ...

''.

Plot

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in 1941. The title character is ''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

'' General Harras, a highly decorated World War I veteran contemptuous of the Third Reich and the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

attempt to conquer Europe. Initially courted by '' SS'' officials, he continually mocks the Nazi leadership, which leads to friends turning into enemies and suspicion from ''SS'' and

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

of what may be treason. He is temporarily arrested by order of

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

and, after his release, is determined to break his

deal with the devil A deal with the Devil is a cultural motif exemplified by the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles, as well as being elemental to many Christian traditions. According to traditional Christian belief about witchcraft, the pact is ...

. He backs the

sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, government, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, demoralization (warfare), demoralization, destabilization, divide and rule, division, social disruption, disrupti ...

action of his flight engineer, threatens an ''SS'' officer at gunpoint and finally crashes his aircraft into the control tower of his airbase.

Cast

as ''Harras'', whose character is supposedly based upon German Luftwaffe General

Ernst Udet Ernst Udet (26 April 1896 – 17 November 1941) was a German pilot during World War I and a ''Luftwaffe'' Colonel-General (''Generaloberst'') during World War II. Udet joined the Imperial German Air Service in April 1915 at the age of 19 ...

*Bum Krüger as ''Lüttjohann'', Harras's adjutant. *

Paul Westermeier Paul Westermeier (9 July 1892 – 17 October 1972) was a German film actor. Selected filmography * '' Wedding in the Eccentric Club'' (1917) * '' Agnes Arnau and Her Three Suitors'' (1918) * '' About the Son'' (1921) * '' Memoirs of a Film Act ...

as ''Korrianke'', Harras's chauffeur. *

Albert Lieven Albert Lieven (born Albert Fritz Liévin; 22 June 1906 – 22 December 1971) was a German actor. Early life Lieven was born in Olsztynek, Hohenstein, German Empire. His father was the head physician of the Tuberculosis sanatorium Hohenstein, ...

as ''Friedrich Eilers'', Colonel & squadron leader. *

as ''Hartmann'', Luftwaffe officer. *Hans Daniel as ''Hastenteuffel'', Luftwaffe officer. *

Beppo Brem Beppo Brem (11 March 1906 in Munich, German Empire – September 5, 1990 in Munich, West Germany) was a German film actor, who was in over 200 film and television productions between 1932 and 1990. He often played stereotypically Bavarian characte ...

as ''Pfundtmayer'', Luftwaffe officer. *

Karl Ludwig Diehl Karl Ludwig Diehl (14 August 1896 – 8 March 1958) was a German film actor. He appeared in 66 films between 1924 and 1957. His father was Karl Diehl, the German professor of Anarchism. Filmography * ''Die Tragödie der Entehrten'' (1924) ...

as ''Sigbert von Mohrungen'', President of the Raw Materials Procurement Department. *

Werner Fuetterer Werner Fuetterer (10 January 1907 in Barth, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – 7 February 1991 in Benidorm, Province of Alicante, Spain) was a German film actor. He appeared in nearly 100 films between 1925 and 1967. In his early film career, Fuetterer ...

as ''Baron Pflungk'', Attaché in the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

. *

as ''Dr. Schmidt-Lausitz'', Nazi Party official. * Karl John as ''Oderbruch'', engineer in the

Ministry of Aviation The Ministry of Aviation was a department of the United Kingdom government established in 1959. Its responsibilities included the regulation of civil aviation and the supply of military aircraft, which it took on from the Ministry of Supply. ...

. *Erica Balqué as ''Anne Eilers'', Friedrich Eilers' wife. *

as ''Waltraut von Mohrungen'', nicknamed ''Pützchen'', Anne's sister. *

Camilla Spira Camilla Spira (1 March 1906 – 25 August 1997) was a German film actor. She appeared in 68 films between 1924 and 1986. She was born in Hamburg, Germany, of Jewish ancestry on her father's side, and died in Berlin, Germany. Her father was t ...

as ''Olivia Geiss'', diva. *

as ''Diddo Geiss'', Olivia's niece; love interest of General Harras, despite how much younger than him she is. *

Ingrid van Bergen Ingrid van Bergen (; born 15 June 1931) is a German film actress. She has appeared in 100 films since 1954. She was born in Free City of Danzig, today Gdańsk, Poland. Career Since 1954, Ingrid van Bergen appeared in more than 170 film and tele ...

as ''Lyra Schoeppke'', named "die Tankstelle," which means "The Gas Station." *

Inge Meysel Inge Meysel (; 30 May 1910 – 10 July 2004) was a German actress. From the early 1960s until her death, Meysel was one of Germany's most popular actresses. She had a successful stage career and played more than 100 roles in film and on televisio ...

as ''Frau Korrianke''. *Joseph Offenbach as ''Zernick'', SS-Hauptsturmführer. *

Wolfgang Neuss Wolfgang Neuss (3 December 1923 – 5 May 1989) was a German actor and Kabarett artist. Wolfgang Neuss and (1922–1960) were a popular double act. Beginning in the mid-1960s, Neuss also became famous for his political engagement, first for ...

as police photographer. *

Robert Meyn Robert Meyn (16 January 1896 – 2 March 1972) was a German stage, film and television actor.Fehrenbach p.103 Partial filmography * '' The Sinner'' (1951) - Von Hernsdorf - Marinas Stiefvater / Marina's Stepfather * ''Kommen Sie am Ersten'' (195 ...

as ''von Stetten'', Generalleutnant. *Werner Riepel as ''Kleinschmidt,'', Göring's chauffeur. *

Werner Schumacher Werner Schumacher (born 4 May 1921 in Berlin - died 18 April 2004 in Vienna) was a German actor. From 1971 until 1986 he starred in the Süddeutscher Rundfunk version of the popular television crime series ''Tatort''. Selected filmography * '' ...

as SS-Wachtmeister. *Wolfried Lier as ''Herr Detlev'', restaurant waiter.

Original play

The film was based on a play by

who wrote it while in exile in the USA. In December, 1941, he read about the death of a personal friend,

, who was a World War One ace who later became an important figure within the Nazi-era Luftwaffe, but eventually grew disillusioned with the regime and committed suicide. Zuckmayer wrote the play after World War Two and it had its debut in Zurich in 1946 and in Frankfurt in 1947. The play was hugely popular in Germany and within a few years was the most frequently performed play in the country.

Trevor Howard Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage and screen actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved leading man star status in the film '' Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by '' The Third M ...

starred in a production in England in 1953.

Production

The film was shot in

and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

using Swedish-built

Junkers Ju 86 The Junkers Ju 86 is a monoplane bomber and civilian airliner designed and produced by the Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Junkers. It was designed during the mid-1930s in response to a specification for a modern twin-engined aircraft suit ...

bombers with license-built

Bristol Mercury The Bristol Mercury is a British nine-cylinder, air-cooled, single-row, piston radial engine. Designed by Roy Fedden of the Bristol Aeroplane Company it was used to power both civil and military aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s. Developed from ...

engines on a local airfield including its offices with

Esselte Esselte is a manufacturer and marketer of office products and business supplies with subsidiaries in 25 countries and sales in over 120 countries. Esselte makes files, binders, folders, covers, staplers, letter trays and computer accessories under ...

Files on the shelf. The parking lot contains a post-war VW Bus. All uniforms were of a material and tailoring standard unknown in wartime Germany.

Reception

The film was very successful at the box office in Germany. It was released in the US in 1958 and performed much better in that country than most German films at the time. At the

German Film Awards The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the German film industry. Besides being the most important ...

of 1955 Marianne Koch won the Film Award in Silver for Outstanding Individual Achievement: Supporting Actress for her performance in the film. Reviewing the film

Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael often defied the conse ...

wrote "Though the film is a melodrama of conscience, it derives much of its impact from the sexual assurance of Curt Jurgens in the leading role. Helmut Kautner’s direction is not imaginative, but for a solid story, well-told, about characters and obstacles, it doesn’t need to be: the film has the necessary pulse and excitement."

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Devil's General, The 1955 films 1955 war films German war films West German films 1950s German-language films Films directed by Helmut Käutner Films set in Berlin German films based on plays Films based on works by Carl Zuckmayer Films about the German Resistance World War II aviation films Real Film films German World War II films German black-and-white films 1950s German films Films shot at Wandsbek Studios Films shot in Hamburg German-language war films