''Marriage in the Shadows'' (German: ''Ehe im Schatten'') is 1947 German

melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

directed by

Kurt Maetzig Kurt Maetzig (25 January 1911 – 8 August 2012) was a German film director who had a significant effect on the film industry in East Germany. He was one of the most respected filmmakers of the GDR. After his retirement he lived in Wildkuh ...

and starring Paul Klinger, Ilse Steppat and Alfred Balthoff. It was produced in the Soviet zone in what later became

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

and was released by

DEFA DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence. Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PR ...

. The film was described as an "attempt to confront the German people about the morals of the past", being the first film to confront the people about the persecution of the Jews and the atrocities conducted during

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 ...

Plot

Actor Hans Wieland refuses to divorce his actress wife, Elisabeth, who is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, even as extreme pressure is applied on him by the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

authorities. He even takes her to a premiere of one of his films where she is unwittingly introduced to a high Nazi Party official. Upon later discovering that the charming woman at the premiere was in fact Jewish, he orders her arrest. Hans Wieland is given an

ultimatum An ; ; : ultimata or ultimatums) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a coercion, threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance (open loop). An ultimatum is generally the ...

by his former friend Herbert Blohm, now a

official at the Reichskulturministerium (culture ministry), to save himself by divorcing his wife. Knowing that his wife will die in a

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

, Hans Wieland returns home and they drink

poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

in coffee whilst reciting the closing scene of

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...

's tragic play '' Die Jungfrau von Orleans'' together. The film ends with a dedication to the real-life actor Joachim Gottschalk who committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

with his Jewish wife Meta Wolff and their nine-year-old son Michael.

Cast

Production

The screenplay was based on the life and suicide of actor Joachim Gottschalk and his family in 1941. However, Kurt Maetzig said of the film, "almost everything in the film is based on what I myself, or my family and friends, have experienced." Indeed, the character of Kurt Bernstein, portrayed by Alfred Balthoff, is strongly based on Maetzig. Maetzig's mother had committed suicide to avoid being caught by the

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 ...

. It is Kurt Maetzig's first feature film as director. The film was shot at the Johannisthal Studios in

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 ...

and on location around the city. 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 ...

s Otto Erdmann and Kurt Herlth.

Reception

''Ehe im Schatten'' was the only film to be released simultaneously in all the sectors of occupied Berlin, on 3 October 1947, becoming the most successful film produced in the first post-war years and is widely considered one of the best German films of this period. The picture sold 12,888,153 tickets.List of the 50 highest-grossing DEFA films.
/ref> Maetzig and cinematographer Friedl Behn-Grund received the National Prize of East Germany Second Class for their work. The director was also awarded the first ever Bambi Prize, in 1948.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1947 films East German films 1940s German-language films Films directed by Kurt Maetzig 1947 drama films Films about Nazi Germany Holocaust films Films set in Berlin German black-and-white films German drama films Films shot at Johannisthal Studios Films shot in Berlin Films scored by Wolfgang Zeller