Der Herrscher is a 1937 German film directed by Veit Harlan

Veit Harlan

Veit Harlan was a German film director and actor.-Life and career:Harlan was born in Berlin. After studying under Max Reinhardt, he first appeared on the stage in 1915 and, after World War I, worked in the Berlin stage. In 1922 he married Jewish actress and cabaret singer Dora Gerson; the couple...

. It was a propagandist demonstration of the Führerprinzip

Führerprinzip

The Führerprinzip , German for "leader principle", prescribes the fundamental basis of political authority in the governmental structures of the Third Reich...

 of Nazi Germany.

Plot

Matthias Clausen is the powerful leader of Clausen Works, an old and prosperous munitions firm. He falls in love with a secretary in the office, and his children conspire against him in order to protect their inheritance. Clausen disowns them and bestows the firm to the state, confident that one of his workers will arise capable of carrying on his work.

Sources

The movie was based on the play 'Before Sunset' by Nobel Prize recipient Gerhart Hauptmann

Gerhart Hauptmann

Gerhart Hauptmann was a German dramatist and novelist who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1912.-Life and work:...

, but the themes have been utterly altered. A mild-mannered art collector in the play, he becomes the dynamic "first worker" of the movies, who proclaims the firm's duty to provide work and serve the community, and unlike the play, triumphs over his children's machinations.

Reactions

Some newspapers objected to the anti-capitalist bent inherent in having a man leave the state his company; the official release contained a postscript by Goebbels

Goebbels

Goebbels, alternatively Göbbels, is a common surname in the western areas of Germany. It is probably derived from the Old Low German word gibbler, meaning brewer...

repudiating such intentions.