Der Postmeister
Der Postmeister (English: The Postmaster or The Stationmaster) is a 1940 Austrian-German film directed by Gustav Ucicky.[1] Released during the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, it depicts Russians in a sympathetic light, unlike their depiction in such films as Frisians in Peril before or GPU after.[2] It was based on The Station Master, an 1831 short story from The Belkin Tales series by Alexander Pushkin. It was remade in 1955 as Dunja. An earlier version was the French film Nostalgie (1938) with Harry Baur, directed by Victor Tourjansky.
Der Postmeister | |
---|---|
Directed by | Gustav Ucicky |
Produced by | Karl Hartl Erich von Neusser |
Written by | Alexander Pushkin (short story) Gerhard Menzel |
Starring | Heinrich George Hilde Krahl Siegfried Breuer |
Music by | Willy Schmidt-Gentner |
Cinematography | Hans Schneeberger |
Edited by | Rudolf Schaad |
Production company | |
Distributed by | UFA |
Release date | 24 April 1940 |
Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | Austria Germany |
Language | German |
The film's sets were designed by the art directors Kurt Herlth and Werner Schlichting. It was made in German-occupied Austria by the Wien Film company, and distributed by the UFA concern.
At the Venice Film Festival, Der Postmeister won the Mussolini Cup for best foreign film.
Plot
The daughter of a stationmaster falls in love with a cavalry captain. He persuades her to run away with him to St. Petersburg, but she realizes there that he never intended to marry her.
Cast
- Heinrich George as Der Postmeister
- Hilde Krahl as Dunja
- Siegfried Breuer as Rittmeister Minskij
- Hans Holt as Fähnrich Mitja
- Ruth Hellberg as Elisawetha
- Margit Symo as Mascha
- Erik Frey as Sergej
- Alfred Neugebauer as Gutsbesitzer
- Franz Pfaudler as Knecht Pjotr
- Leo Peukert as Oberst
- Reinhold Häussermann as Schneider
- Auguste Pünkösdy as Wirobowa
See also
- The Stationmaster (1925)
References
- "New York Times: Der Postmeister (1940)". NY Times. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- Erwin Leiser, Nazi Cinema p43 ISBN 0-02-570230-0
External links
- The Stationmaster (1940) at IMDb
- Der Postmeister Full movie at the Deutsche Filmothek