''Schinderhannes'' is a 1927 play by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

writer

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 ...

. It was first performed on 13 October 1927 at the

Lessing Theater The Lessing Theater was a theatre in the Mitte (locality), Mitte district of Berlin, Germany. It opened in 1888 and was destroyed in April 1945 in a Bombing of Berlin in World War II, bombing raid; its ruins were demolished after World War II. ...

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 ...

starring

Eugen Klöpfer Eugen Gottlob Klöpfer (10 March 1886 in Talheim, Heilbronn – 3 March 1950 in Wiesbaden) was a German actor. Early life Born to Karl Klöpfer and his wife Karoline, née Hörsch, Eugen attended the Realschule (secondary school) in Heilbronn. ...

and

Käthe Dorsch Katharina "Käthe" Dorsch (, 29 December 1890 – 25 December 1957) was a German stage and film actor. Biography Katharina Dorsch was born on 29 December 1890 at 5:30 P.M. in the Kingdom of Bavaria, Bavarian town of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, th ...

.Wagener p.44-45 The play portrays the adventures of the 18th century German criminal

Schinderhannes Johannes Bückler ( 177821 November 1803; ) was a German outlaw who orchestrated one of the most famous crime sprees in German history. He has been nicknamed Schinderhannes and Schinnerhannes () in German and John the Scorcher, John the Flayer ...

, often compared to

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

, whose gang operated around the

Hunsrück The Hunsrück () is a long, triangular, pronounced mountain range, upland in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the valleys of the Moselle (river), Moselle-Saar (north-to-west), the Nahe (south), and the Rhine (east). It is continued ...

mountains in the

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

. Zuckmayer's drama is based on the life story of

, but without being completely historically accurate.

Film

In 1928 the play was adapted into a film ''

The Prince of Rogues ''The Prince of Rogues'' () is a 1928 German silent drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Hans Stüwe, Lissy Arna and Albert Steinrück. It was shot at the Johannisthal Studios in Berlin. The film's art direction was by He ...

'', directed by

Curtis Bernhardt Curtis Bernhardt (15 April 1899 – 22 February 1981) was a German film director born in Worms, Germany, under the name Kurt Bernhardt. Career He trained as an actor in Germany, and performed on the stage, before starting as a film director in ...

and starring

Hans Stüwe Hans Stüwe (14 May 1901 – 13 May 1976) was a German stage and film actor, singer, film and opera director. As a singer he made his debut at the Stadttheater in Königsberg and moved to Berlin to play on stage. Filmography References Biblio ...

as Schinderhannes. 1958 ''

Der Schinderhannes ''Der Schinderhannes'' is a 1958 film directed by Helmut Käutner, starring Curd Jürgens and Maria Schell. It was also known as ''Duel in the Forest''. The story depicts the life of the 18th century outlaw Schinderhannes. It is based on a 1927 ...

'', directed by

Helmut Käutner Helmut Käutner (25 March 1908 – 20 April 1980) was a German film director active mainly in the 1940s and 1950s. He entered the film industry at the end of the Weimar Republic and released his first films as a director in Nazi Germany. Käu ...

, starring

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 Schinderhannes.

References

Bibliography

* Wagener, Hans. ''Carl Zuckmayer Criticism: Tracing Endangered Fame''. Camden House, 1995. Plays by Carl Zuckmayer 1927 plays German plays adapted into films Plays set in Germany Plays set in the 18th century {{Germany-theat-stub