''The Case of Colonel Redl'' (German: ''Der Fall des Generalstabs-Oberst Redl'') is a 1931 Czechoslovak

spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Karl Anton Karl Anton or Karel Anton (25 October 1898 12 April 1979) was a Bohemian-born German film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Biography He was born in Prague on 25 October 1898. His father, Wilhelm Anton (1861–1918) was a physician. ...

in German language. It stars

Theodor Loos Theodor August Konrad Loos (18 May 1883 – 27 June 1954) was a German actor. The son of a watchmaker and instruments manufacturer, he left secondary school prematurely and worked for three years at an export firm for music instruments in Leipz ...

Lil Dagover Lil Dagover (; born Marie Antonia Siegelinde Martha Seubert; 30 September 1887 – 23 January 1980) was a German actress whose film career spanned between 1913 and 1979. She was one of the most popular and recognized film actresses in the Weimar ...

and Otto Hartmann. It was a co-production between the

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

-based companies

Elektafilm Elektafilm a.s., formerly Elektafilm s.r.o. was a Czechoslovak film production and film distribution company that existed from 1923 to 1951. It produced and distributed silent film, silent and since 1930 sound films in Czech language, Czech, Germ ...

and Sonor Film. A separate Czech-language version ''

The Affair of Colonel Redl ''The Affair of Colonel Redl'' () is a Czech drama film directed by Karel Anton. German version of the movie '' The Case of Colonel Redl'' was released in 1931. The film is considered lost. Cast * Emil Artur Longen as Alfred Redl * Marie Gro ...

'' was also shot at the same time.Von Dassanowsky p.337 It was based on a 1924 book of the same title by

Egon Erwin Kisch Egon Erwin Kisch (29 April 1885 – 31 March 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian and Czechoslovak writer and journalist, who wrote in German. He styled himself ''Der Rasende Reporter'' (The Racing Reporter) for his countless travels to the far corners ...

, detailing the story of

Alfred Redl Alfred Redl (14 March 1864 – 25 May 1913) was an Austro-Hungarian military officer who rose to head the '' Evidenzbureau'', the counterintelligence wing of the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Army. He was one of the leading figures of pr ...

Synopsis

In the years leading up to the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Colonel Redl of the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

army acts as a

double agent In the field of counterintelligence, a double agent is an employee of a secret intelligence service for one country, whose primary purpose is to spy on a target organization of another country, but who is now spying on their own country's organi ...

for enemy powers.

Cast

as Oberst Alfred Redl *

as Vera Nikolayevna * Otto Hartmann as Stephan Dolan, Ulanenleutnant *

Friedrich Hölzlin Friedrich may refer to: Names *Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich'' *Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich'' Other *Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Years' ...

as Marchenko *

Alexander Murski Alexander Alexandrovich Murski (Russian: Александр Александрович Мурский) (1 November 1869 – April 1943) was a Russian-born German actor. Murski died in 1943 in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, France. Murski known for ...

as Daragaieff, Russian spy *

Werner Jansch 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 Rai ...

as Chief of Russian spy service in Petersburg *

Michael von Newlinsky Michael von Newlinsky (21 June 1891 – 14 August 1964) was an Austrian film actor who appeared in numerous supporting roles during his career, in films such as Georg Wilhelm Pabst's ''Pandora's Box'' (1929).Roberts p.82 Selected filmography * ' ...

as Russian ambassador in Vienna *

Willy Bauer Willy Bauer is a German former professional motocross racer. He was one of the top racers in the Motocross World Championships of the early 1970s. In 1973, as a member of the Maico factory racing team, he battled the reigning world champion, ...

as General Conrad von Hoetzendorf *

Magnus Stifter Magnus Stifter (23 January 1878 – 8 September 1943) was an Austrian stage and film actor. He appeared in 85 films between 1914 and 1941. He was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria), and died in Vienna, Nazi Germany (now Austria). ...

as Colonel Umanizky, Head of the Evidence Office in Vienna *

Hans Götz Hans Götz (2 June 1919 – 4 August 1943) was a former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Hans Götz was credited with 82 victories in 600 combat missions. He claimed three victories ...

as The Archduke * Dr. Weinmann as Prague Corps Commander *

Philipp Veit Philipp Veit (13 February 179318 December 1877) was a German Romantic painter and one of the main exponents of the Nazarene movement. It is to Veit that the credit of having been the first to revive the nearly forgotten technique of fresc ...

as Police president in Vienna * Leo Dudek as First Detective * Rudolf Stadler as Second Detective *

Truda Grosslichtová Truda Grosslichtová (23 February 1912 – 8 June 1995) was a Czechoslovak film actress. Life Truda Grosslichtová was born Gertruda Marie Grosslichtová in Prague. She spoke Czech, German, French, English and Italian. She acted in amateur ...

as Franzi *

Luigi Bernauer Luigi (; ) is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Part of Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, he is a kind-hearted, cowardly Italian plumber, and the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario. Like ...

as Cabaret singer in 'Trocadero'

References

Bibliography

* Von Dassanowsky, Robert. ''Screening Transcendence: Film Under Austrofascism and the Hollywood Hope, 1933-1938''. Indiana University Press, 2018

External links

* 1931 films 1931 drama films 1930s Czech films 1930s German-language films Films directed by Karl Anton Films of the Weimar Republic Czech drama films Czech black-and-white films German-language Czech films Films set in Vienna Films set in the 1910s 1930s spy films Films based on Czech novels {{1930s-Germany-film-stub