September Love
Encyclopedia
September Love is an East German film directed by Kurt Maetzig
. It was released in 1961.
. Hans perceives it as betrayal at first, but after all ends well, he realizes she only wanted the best for him.
's line was reaffirmed in the 1958 Bitterfeld Conference; although many pictures with less ideological restrictions were made at the time, the studio devoted much resources to produce films about the East-West German tensions. September Love was one of eight major works of this genre made between 1959 to 1964.
Maetzig told an interviewer that he was influenced by the sharpening political climate, on the eve of the erection of the Berlin Wall
: "it became clear that a confrontation of some kind was brewing... We could not stand and watch... As events lurched toward a crisis".
The script was adapted from Herbert Otto's novel by the same name.
Peter Ulrich Weiss regarded September Love as a continuation of DEFA's long-established tradition of "Saboteur Thrillers", pitting the East German populace against a menance from the West. Antonin and Mira Liehm viewed it also as a forerunner of a new sub-genre, aimed at rationalizing the building of the Wall, but using a new setting, mostly love stories, rather than plain political agitation. Heinz Kersten defined the film as "a completely incontroversial romance, that is remarkable for the unusual qulity of the acting... but still propagates the old political message." Joshua Feinstein categorized September Love among one of the East German film focusing on the exploits of a single female protagonist, a theme that was popular with DEFA. Philip Broadbent and Sabine Hake noted that it was one of several pictures made during the early 1960s that "insisted on the unifying effect" that the closed border with the West had on ordinary people.
Kurt Maetzig
Kurt Maetzig is an East German film director who had a significant effect on the film industry in the GDR. He is one of the most respected filmmakers of East Germany. He currently lives in Wildkuhl, Mecklenburg, and has three children....
. It was released in 1961.
Plot
Leading chemist Hans Schramm is betrothed to Hanna, but falls in love with her younger sister Franka. The two attempt to repress their feelings, but eventually begin an affair. When Hans is extorted by a group of West German agents, who demand to know about his secret work, he is griped by panic and decides the only way out is to flee to the West. Franka discovers his plans and informs the StasiStasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
. Hans perceives it as betrayal at first, but after all ends well, he realizes she only wanted the best for him.
Cast
- Doris Abeßer - Franka
- Ulrich TheinUlrich TheinUlrich Thein was a German actor film director and screenwriter. He appeared in 44 films and television shows between 1953 and 1995...
- Dr. Hans Schramm - Annekathrin Bürger - Hanna
- Hans Lucke - Lieutenant Unger
- Kurt Dunkelmann - Priest Hübenthal
- Anna-Maria Besendahl -Hans' mother
- Micaëla Kreißler - Milli
- Heinz Laggies - Stasi agent
- Karl Heinz Oppel - Stasi agent
Production
While the Khruschev Thaw allowed a considerable degree of liberalization in all Eastern Block countries, including in East Germany, the committment of DEFA to follow the Socialist Unity Party of GermanySocialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
's line was reaffirmed in the 1958 Bitterfeld Conference; although many pictures with less ideological restrictions were made at the time, the studio devoted much resources to produce films about the East-West German tensions. September Love was one of eight major works of this genre made between 1959 to 1964.
Maetzig told an interviewer that he was influenced by the sharpening political climate, on the eve of the erection of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
: "it became clear that a confrontation of some kind was brewing... We could not stand and watch... As events lurched toward a crisis".
The script was adapted from Herbert Otto's novel by the same name.
Reception
The film was a commercial success and received well by the audiences.Peter Ulrich Weiss regarded September Love as a continuation of DEFA's long-established tradition of "Saboteur Thrillers", pitting the East German populace against a menance from the West. Antonin and Mira Liehm viewed it also as a forerunner of a new sub-genre, aimed at rationalizing the building of the Wall, but using a new setting, mostly love stories, rather than plain political agitation. Heinz Kersten defined the film as "a completely incontroversial romance, that is remarkable for the unusual qulity of the acting... but still propagates the old political message." Joshua Feinstein categorized September Love among one of the East German film focusing on the exploits of a single female protagonist, a theme that was popular with DEFA. Philip Broadbent and Sabine Hake noted that it was one of several pictures made during the early 1960s that "insisted on the unifying effect" that the closed border with the West had on ordinary people.
External links
- September Love on PROGRESS' website.
- September Love on film-zeit.de.
- September Love original poster on ostfilm.de.
- September Love on DEFA Sternstunden.