Große Freiheit Nr. 7
Encyclopedia
Große Freiheit Nr. 7 is a 1944 German musical
drama film directed by Helmut Käutner. It was named after Große Freiheit
(grand freedom), a street next to Hamburg
's Reeperbahn
road in the St. Pauli
red light district.
The film is also known as Port of Freedom in the United Kingdom.
) who works in a Reeperbahn club and falls in love with a girl played by Ilse Werner
.
raids to Hamburg Harbour
and to the Ufa
studios in Berlin
's Neubabelsberg and Tempelhof
when it was made in 1943 (May to November), most of the movie was shot in Prague
's Barrandov Studios
by Helmut Käutner, as the first Agfa colorfilm by Terra. For a scene with a boat trip in Hamburg harbour warships had to be covered up.
was dissatisfied, and demanded many changes to make the film more "German", for instance by renaming the lead role from Jonny (as in Albers' earlier hit song "Good bye, Jonny") to Hannes. After a year of editing, the movie was banned anyway in Nazi Germany on 12 December 1944, and was only shown outside of the Großdeutsches Reich
proper, with the premiere on 15 December 1944 in Prague (then a Reichsprotektorat). It remained banned in Nazi Germany, opening on 6 September 1945 in Berlin
's Filmbühne Wien after the Allied victory.
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
drama film directed by Helmut Käutner. It was named after Große Freiheit
Große Freiheit
The Große Freiheit is a cross street on the North Side to Hamburg's Reeperbahn road in the St. Pauli quarter. It is part of the so called red light district or Kiez.-History:...
(grand freedom), a street next to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
's Reeperbahn
Reeperbahn
The Reeperbahn is a street in Hamburg's St. Pauli district, one of the two centres of Hamburg's nightlife and also the city's red-light district...
road in the St. Pauli
St. Pauli
St. Pauli , located in the Hamburg-Mitte borough, is one of the 105 quarters of the city of Hamburg, Germany. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the Landungsbrücken are a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. Pauli contains a world famous red light district around the street Reeperbahn...
red light district.
The film is also known as Port of Freedom in the United Kingdom.
Plot summary
The film tells the story of the blond "singing sailor" Hannes Kröger (played by Hans AlbersHans Albers
Hans Philipp August Albers was a German actor and singer. He was the single biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1945 and one of the most popular German actors of the twentieth century.- Life and work :...
) who works in a Reeperbahn club and falls in love with a girl played by Ilse Werner
Ilse Werner
Ilse Werner was an actress and singer. She was born to a Dutch father and a German mother and was a Dutch citizen by birth...
.
Cast
- Hans AlbersHans AlbersHans Philipp August Albers was a German actor and singer. He was the single biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1945 and one of the most popular German actors of the twentieth century.- Life and work :...
as Hannes Kroeger - Ilse WernerIlse WernerIlse Werner was an actress and singer. She was born to a Dutch father and a German mother and was a Dutch citizen by birth...
as Gisa Häuptlein - Hans SöhnkerHans SöhnkerHans Söhnker was a German film actor. He appeared in 105 films between 1933 and 1980.He was born in Kiel, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany.-Selected filmography:* Faithful * Beloved Corinna...
as Willem - Hilde HildebrandHilde HildebrandHilde Hildebrand was a German actress born in Hanover, Germany on 10 September 1897. She died at the age of 78 in Grunewald, Berlin, on 28 April 1976.-Filmography:...
as Anita - Gustav KnuthGustav KnuthGustav Knuth was a German film actor. He appeared in 128 films between 1935 and 1982.-Selected filmography:* Friedemann Bach * Das Grosse Spiel * Die Mücke * Sissi...
as Fiete - Günther Lüders as Jens
- Ilse Fürstenberg as Gisa's mother
- Ethel Reschke as Margot
- Erna SellmerErna Sellmer-Selected filmography:* Port of Freedom * Murderers Among Us * Corinna Schmidt * Das Herz von St. Pauli * Münchhausen in Afrika * Homesick for St. Pauli * Charleys Onkel...
as Frau Kaasbohm - Kurt Wieschala as Jan
- Helmut Käutner as Karl
- Richard Nicolas as Admiral
- Maria Besendahl as Frau Boergel
- Justus Ott as Herr Wellenkamp
- Gottlieb Reeck as Herr Puhlmann
- Thea Thiele as Consul's wife
- Alfred Braun as Rundfunkreporter
- Rudolf Koch-Riehl as Master of ceremonies
- Karl-Heinz PetersKarl-Heinz Peters-Selected filmography:* Mein Leben für Irland * Bismarck * Emilia Galotti * Tatort Berlin * Der rote Kreis * Hurrah, the School Is Burning * Birdie * Ludwig...
as Postman - Erwin Loraino as Sailor
Soundtrack
- Hans Albers - "Auf der Reeperbahn"
- Hilde Hildebrand - "Beim ersten Mal, da tut's noch weh"
- Hans Albers - "La PalomaLa PalomaThis article is about the song. For the American city, see La Paloma, Texas."La Paloma" is a popular song, having been produced and reinterpreted in diverse cultures, settings, arrangements, and recordings over the last 140 years. The song was composed and written by Spanish composer Sebastián...
" - Hans Albers - "Nein, ich kann Dich nicht vergessen"
- Hans Albers - "Schön ist die Liebe im Hafen"
- Hans Albers - "Was kann es denn schöneres geben"
- Hans Albers - "Wenn ein Seemann mal nach Hamburg kommt"
Production
Due to the threat of Allied bombingAllied bombing
Allied bombing refers mostly to strategic bombing during World War II, as conducted by the Allies of World War II. Targets were places under control by the Axis powers, which included e.g...
raids to Hamburg Harbour
Hamburg Harbour
-External links:* * Port of Hamburg: Facts, figures, and outlook* * Currently under construction in the HafenCity* *...
and to the Ufa
Universum Film AG
Universum Film AG, better known as UFA or Ufa, is a film company that was the principal film studio in Germany, home of the German film industry during the Weimar Republic and through World War II, and a major force in world cinema from 1917 to 1945...
studios in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
's Neubabelsberg and Tempelhof
Tempelhof
Tempelhof is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg. It is the location of the former Tempelhof Airport, one of the earliest commercial airports in the world. It is now deserted and shows as a blank spot on maps of Berlin. Attempts are being made to save the still-existing...
when it was made in 1943 (May to November), most of the movie was shot in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
's Barrandov Studios
Barrandov Studios
Barrandov Studios is a famous set of film studios in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the largest film studio in the country and one of the largest in Europe.Several of the movies filmed there won Academy Awards...
by Helmut Käutner, as the first Agfa colorfilm by Terra. For a scene with a boat trip in Hamburg harbour warships had to be covered up.
Reception
Nazi propaganda minister Joseph GoebbelsJoseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
was dissatisfied, and demanded many changes to make the film more "German", for instance by renaming the lead role from Jonny (as in Albers' earlier hit song "Good bye, Jonny") to Hannes. After a year of editing, the movie was banned anyway in Nazi Germany on 12 December 1944, and was only shown outside of the Großdeutsches Reich
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
proper, with the premiere on 15 December 1944 in Prague (then a Reichsprotektorat). It remained banned in Nazi Germany, opening on 6 September 1945 in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
's Filmbühne Wien after the Allied victory.
External links
- Große Freiheit Nr. 7
- http://www.der-blonde-hans.de/albers10a.htm