The Murderers Are Among Us

The Murderers Are Among Us (UK)
Murderers Among Us (US)
Die Mörder sind unter uns (Germany)
German movie poster
Directed byWolfgang Staudte
Written byWolfgang Staudte
Produced byDEFA
StarringErnst Wilhelm Borchert
Hildegard Knef
Arno Paulsen
Erna Sellmer
CinematographyFriedl Behn-Grund
Eugen Klagemann
Edited byHans Heinrich
Music byErnst Roters
Release date
  • 15 October 1946 (1946-10-15)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryGermany
LanguageGerman

Die Mörder sind unter uns, a German film known in English as Murderers Among Us in the United States or The Murderers Are Among Us in the United Kingdom was one of the first post-World War II German films[1] and the first Trümmerfilm. It was produced in 1945/46 in the Althoff Studios in Babelsberg and the Jofa-Ateliers in Johannisthal. The film was written and directed by Wolfgang Staudte.

Plot

Berlin in 1945 after Germany's defeat in the war. The former military surgeon Dr. Hans Mertens (Ernst Wilhelm Borchert) stumbles down the street, drunk. He suffers from flashbacks of the war and has an aversion to people in pain, which prevents him from practicing medicine. Instead, he spends his days drinking. An artist and Nazi concentration camp survivor, Susanne Wallner (Hildegard Knef), finds him living in her apartment as she returns home.

They reluctantly live together at first, then become friends. Susanne finds a letter to a Mrs. Brückner in the apartment and confronts Mertens about it. Mertens tries to get a job at a hospital, but a screaming woman gives him flashbacks and he is left incapacitated. Meanwhile, Susanne meets with Ferdinand Brückner (Arno Paulsen). When Mertens returns, Susanne informs him that Brückner is alive and well. Mertens visits Brückner, his former captain, and stays for dinner. Brückner is now a successful businessman, producing pots out of old Stahlhelme, the German military steel helmet. After the dinner, Brückner returns to Mertens his gun from the war. Mertens has another flashback and goes home drunk.

Soon after, Mertens decides to kill Brückner. He leads Brückner away under the pretense of going to a bar and takes him along a purportedly shorter route, through the rubble and abandoned buildings of Berlin. When he thinks they are alone, he draws his gun. As he does so, a woman in need of a doctor runs out of one of the ruined buildings. Brückner tells her that Mertens is a doctor, but Mertens is reluctant to help. The woman tells him her only child stopped breathing an hour before, and he goes along with her, while Brückner leaves for the bar alone. Mertens performs a tracheotomy on the girl, then Mertens returns home and proclaims his love for Susanne.

The film skips forward to Christmas Eve. Susanne and Mertens are still living together, and Mertens is now a practicing surgeon. Mertens tells Susanne he has to finish something. He goes to Brückner's factory, where Brückner and his employees are singing Christmas carols. Mertens has a flashback, which reveals that Brückner had ordered the shooting of over a hundred civilians on Christmas Eve of 1942 in a Polish village on the Eastern Front. Mertens tries to kill Brückner again, but Susanne stops him at the last minute. Instead of killing Brückner they denounce him and he is put on trial for war crimes.

Filming

To get permission for the film, Staudte had gone to the British, the French, and the Americans, but they all rejected the proposal, citing its political nature as the reason for refusing to grant the film a license. The Soviets, on the other hand, accepted the script with a change to the film's ending. Originally the film was supposed to be named Der Mann den ich töten werde (The Man I will kill) and Mertens was supposed to succeed in killing Brückner, but the script and the title were changed because the Soviets were afraid that viewers could interpret that as a call for vigilante justice.[2] The title alludes to the initial title of Fritz Lang's 1931 classic M, which was to be called Mörder unter uns (Murderer Among Us).

The Murderers Among Us debuted on 15 October 1946 in the Admiralspalast, which was at the time the home of the Berlin State Opera, in the Soviet sector. The television debut in the German Democratic Republic was on 1 November 1955 and in the Federal Republic on 18 November 1971.

Denazification

In the post-war period, it was a goal of both the American and the Soviet authorities to reeducate the German public. For the Americans, this meant exporting American films to West Germany. For the Soviets, this meant the establishment of DEFA.[2] The Soviets believed film could be used to reeducate the public. With The Murderers Are Among Us, the aim was to urge the public to judge those responsible for the atrocities committed during the war.[2] Angel Wagenstein, a Bulgarian director, said, “For me [Staudte] was the first ambassador, who through his film renewed our faith in a nation capable of self-reflection, of looking into the mirror and acknowledging its own guilt, of making a confession that very few nations would be able to make.”[2]

Ernst Wilhelm Borchert was removed from advertisements for the movie because he had been accused and arrested for lying on denazification paperwork,[3] but an article published in the Neue Zeit in 1947 later reported that he'd been exonerated by the Denazification Commission for Artists.[4]

Part of denazification was also the search toward finding a new German culture. Being a part of German culture, post-war period German cinema had a role to play and embarked on this search by exploring different film styles. The Murderers Are Among Us embarks on this search by drawing namely on the Western and the domestic melodrama.[5] The movie adopts certain features of the classical Western, while also giving them a unique twist. Hans, although presented as a Western hero, is an atypical one, as he does not give into vengeance at the end of the movie. The style of the domestic melodrama is also given a twist by being awkwardly placed in a Western-like movie. It serves the purpose of wanting to restore order through the character of Susanne and her attempt to establish a household for Hans, cure his precarious emotional state, and re-integrate him in society.

The melding of these film styles explains why despite being “an often overlooked cinematic legacy” The Murderers Are Among Us “tells us much about the politics of the past in early postwar German culture,”[6] namely the tension between establishing a new society and culture while also coming to terms with a Nazi past.

Reception

The picture sold 6,468,921 tickets.[7]

Most of the reviews were positive, although some criticized the fact that the characters appeared in modern and trendy clothes, which did not reflect the reality of the living conditions of Berliners in the immediate post-war period. In this film, Staudte was not only dealing with Germany's past, but also with his own, as he had been involved in the filming of the Nazi propaganda film Jud Süß.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ Cinema in Democratizing Germany: Reconstructing National Identity After Hitler, Heide Fehrenbach, 1995, University of North Carolina Press, ISBN 0-8078-4512-4
  2. ^ a b c d Brockmann, Stephen (2010). A Critical History of German Film. Rochester: Camden House. pp. 200–201, 184–189, 201, 209. ISBN 978-1-57113-468-4.
  3. ^ Baer, Hester (2009). Dismantling the Dream Factory. Berghahn Books. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-84545-605-4.
  4. ^ "Biography of Ernst Wilhelm Borchert".
  5. ^ Shandley, Robert R. (2001). Rubble Films: German Cinema in Shadow of 3Rd Reich. Temple University Press. p. Chapter 2.
  6. ^ Shandley, Robert R. (2001). Rubble Films: German Cinema in Shadow of 3Rd Reich. Temple University Press. p. 22.
  7. ^ List of the 50 highest-grossing DEFA films.

Read other articles:

Nicholas KemmerBiographieNaissance 7 décembre 1911Saint-PétersbourgDécès 21 octobre 1998 (à 86 ans)ÉdimbourgNationalité britanniqueFormation Université de GöttingenUniversité de ZurichActivités Physicien, professeur d'universitéAutres informationsA travaillé pour Université de CambridgeUniversité d'ÉdimbourgMembre de Royal Society (1956)Directeurs de thèse Gregor Wentzel (1935), Wolfgang Pauli (1935)Distinctions Liste détailléeMédaille Hughes (1966)Prix en mémoire de...

 

Cet article est une ébauche concernant le domaine militaire, l’astronautique et la science-fiction. Vous pouvez partager vos connaissances en l’améliorant (comment ?) selon les recommandations des projets correspondants. Une vision pour l’avenir du US Space Command en 2020 : un laser spatial à haute énergie détruisent une cible terrestre La guerre dans l'espace est une forme de conflit armé hypothétique où au moins l'un des belligérants agit dans l'Espace. Concept La ...

 

Die Liste der Kulturdenkmale in Pieschen umfasst sämtliche Kulturdenkmale der Dresdner Gemarkung Pieschen. Die Anmerkungen sind zu beachten. Diese Liste ist eine Teilliste der Liste der Kulturdenkmale in Dresden. Diese Liste ist eine Teilliste der Liste der Kulturdenkmale in Sachsen. Aufgrund der hohen Anzahl der Kulturdenkmale wurde die alphabetisch nach Adressen geordnete Liste in folgende zwei Teillisten untergliedert: Liste der Kulturdenkmale in Pieschen (A–K) Liste der Kulturdenkmale ...

Esta página cita fontes, mas que não cobrem todo o conteúdo. Ajude a inserir referências. Conteúdo não verificável pode ser removido.—Encontre fontes: ABW  • CAPES  • Google (N • L • A) (Março de 2009) Comparação entre as plântulas de uma mono- e de uma eudicotiledônea germinando Cotilédone é uma folha embrionária que surge dos embriões das espermatófitas, irrompendo durante a germinação das sementes[1]. São e...

 

Bạn có thể mở rộng bài này bằng cách dịch bài viết tương ứng từ ngôn ngữ khác. (tháng 5/2022) Nhấn [hiện] để xem các hướng dẫn dịch thuật. Đừng dịch những nội dung không đáng tin hay chất lượng thấp. Nếu được, bạn hãy tự kiểm chứng các thông tin bằng các nguồn tham khảo có trong bài gốc. Bạn phải ghi công bản quyền bài gốc trong tóm lược sửa đổi bài dịch. Chẳng hạn, b...

 

جوائز نقابة ممثلي الشاشةمعلومات عامةنوع الجائزة جائزة أفلام منحت لـ المتميزين في السينما والتلفزيونالبلد  الولايات المتحدةمقدمة من نقابة شاشة التليفزيون والإذاعة الأمريكيةأول جائزة 1995موقع الويب sagawards.org (الإنجليزية) تعديل - تعديل مصدري - تعديل ويكي بيانات جائزة نقابة ...

NBC affiliate in El Paso, Texas KTSM-TVEl Paso, TexasLas Cruces, New MexicoCiudad Juárez, ChihuahuaUnited States–MexicoCityEl Paso, TexasChannelsDigital: 16 (UHF)Virtual: 9BrandingKTSM 9; KTSM 9 NewsProgrammingAffiliations9.1: NBCfor others, see § SubchannelsOwnershipOwnerNexstar Media Group(Nexstar Media Inc.)HistoryFirst air dateJanuary 4, 1953 (70 years ago) (1953-01-04)Former channel number(s)Analog: 9 (VHF, 1953–2009)Digital: 16 (UHF, 2005–2009), 9 (VHF, 2009...

 

Staff of Estonian Defence Forces Headquarters of the Estonian Defence ForcesEesti Kaitseväe peastaapInsignia of the Headquarters of the Estonian Defence ForcesActive1918–19401991–presentCountry EstoniaPart ofEstonian Defence ForcesGarrison/HQJuhkentali 58, 15007, Tallinn, EstoniaMotto(s)Viribus unitis(With united forces)Anniversaries26 November (formed)31 October (restored)[1]EngagementsEstonian War of IndependenceCommandersChief of StaffMajor General Enno MõtsMilitary...

 

У этого термина существуют и другие значения, см. Эталон (значения). Этало́н (англ.  measurement standard, etalon, фр. étalon) — средство измерений (или комплекс средств измерений), обеспечивающее воспроизведение и хранение единицы физической величины для передачи её размера ниже...

Area Tekanan Tinggi yang Tidak Biasa di Australia Selatan pada 9 Agustus 2012. Wilayah bertekanan tinggi adalah wilayah dimana atmosfernya relatif tebal dan memiliki tekanan lebih besar dari atmosfer pada wilayah lain yang berada di bumi. Biasanya angin bertiup dari wilayah yang bertekanan tinggi ke wilayah yang bertekanan rendah. Namun, sistem ini terkadang dapat membalik arah atau “melengkung” dan berhenti di suatu wilayah selama beberapa minggu. Angin dari wilayah yang bertekanan tingg...

 

De Smurfen (The Smurfs) (Filmposter op en.wikipedia.org) Regie Raja Gosnell Producent Ben Haber Jordan Kerner Paul Neesan Ezra Swerdlow Scenario Peyo (personages) J. David Stem David N. WeissJay ScherickDavid Ronn Hoofdrollen Zie Rolbezetting Muziek Heitor Pereira Distributie Columbia Pictures Première Vlag van Verenigde Staten 24 juli 2011 3 augustus 2011 3 augustus 2011 Genre Animatie, fantasie, actie, familie Speelduur 98 minuten Taal Engels (originele versie) Land Vlag van Verenigde Stat...

 

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Take You Back – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) 2004 single by Jeremy CampTake You BackSingle by Jeremy Campfrom the album Restored Released2004Recorded2004GenreChristian rockLeng...

Horror film The RentalTheatrical release posterDirected byDave FrancoScreenplay by Dave Franco Joe Swanberg Story by Dave Franco Joe Swanberg Mike Demski Produced by Dave Franco Elizabeth Haggard Teddy Schwarzman Ben Stillman Joe Swanberg Christopher Storer Starring Dan Stevens Alison Brie Sheila Vand Jeremy Allen White Toby Huss CinematographyChristian SprengerEdited byKyle ReiterMusic by Danny Bensi Saunder Jurriaans ProductioncompanyBlack Bear PicturesDistributed by IFC Films (United State...

 

For other uses, see Guajira (disambiguation). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: La Guajira Desert – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Dunes in La Guajira Desert The La Guajira Desert (Wayuu: Woumainkat Wajiira) is a ...

 

1916 film by Maurice Tourneur The Velvet PawDirected byMaurice TourneurWritten byGardner HuntingPaul WestStarringHouse PetersGail KaneNed BurtonCinematographyJohn van den BroekEdited byClarence BrownProductioncompanyParagon FilmsDistributed byWorld FilmRelease dateSeptember 11, 1916CountryUnited StatesLanguagesSilentEnglish intertitles The Velvet Paw is a lost[1] 1916 American silent drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring House Peters, Gail Kane and Ned Burton. The film ...

Seventh Mountain Lugar designado por el censo Seventh MountainUbicación en el condado de Deschutes en Oregón Ubicación de Oregón en EE. UU.Coordenadas 44°00′26″N 121°22′52″O / 44.0072, -121.381Entidad Lugar designado por el censo • País Estados Unidos • Estado  Oregón • Condado DeschutesFundación 31 de marzo de 2010Superficie   • Total 5,07 km² Altitud   • Media 1201 m s. n. m.Población (2010) ...

 

Material; type of glass Use of float glass at Crystal Palace railway station, London Float glass is a sheet of glass made by floating molten glass on a bed of molten metal of a low melting point, typically tin,[1] although lead was used for the process in the past.[2] This method gives the sheet uniform thickness and a very flat surface.[3] Modern windows are usually made from float glass.[4] Most float glass is soda–lime glass,[5] although relatively...

 

Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture This article is about a division of the United States Department of Agriculture. For agriculture extensions in general, see Agricultural extension. USFS redirects here. For the figure skating organization, see U.S. Figure Skating. For the other U.S. Government branch, see United States Foreign Service. It has been suggested that National Partnership Office be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since October 2023. United States Forest Serv...

British-born Australian sculptor (1923–2021) Marc ClarkClark in 2016Born(1923-10-20)20 October 1923Surrey, EnglandDied12 September 2021(2021-09-12) (aged 97)Australia Sir Edmund Barton, Marc Clark. Governor Bligh, Marc Clark Marc Clark (20 October 1923 – 12 September 2021) was a British-born Australian academic, sculptor and printmaker.[1][2] Clark's sculptures can be found in parks in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra in Australia and in Tonga. Early life Marc Clark was...

 

International sporting eventTable tennis at the 2007 Pan American Games«2003 2011» Table tennis competitions at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro were held in July 2007 at the Riocentro Sports Complex . Singles [1] Games Gold Silver Bronze Men's singlesdetails Lin Ju Dominican Republic Liu Song Argentina Hugo Hoyama Brazil Thiago Monteiro Brazil Women's singlesdetails Gao Jun United States Wu Xue Dominican Republic Wang Chen United Stat...

 

Strategi Solo vs Squad di Free Fire: Cara Menang Mudah!