Kolberg: The Restored 1945 Epic Directed by Veit Harlan (DVD)

Kolberg, Classy Propaganda
Kolberg comes under the notion of what I call classy propaganda. Make no mistake, this film was a Nazi production. As such its interesting to see how they use history to make their point. Kolberg was an actual town in what use to be East Prussia. The film takes place just after the epic defeats of Jena-Auerstadt which saw the complete defeat of the old Prussian army by Napolean in October 1807. There is a preamble dated later in 1813 in which Gneisenau, one of the great Prussian army reformers of the period has a spirited discussion with King Fredrich William III of Prussia. The King is shown representing the elitest interests of Prussia, and is hesitant to declare a renewed war against Napolean who has just suffered his great defeat in Russia (1812). Gneisenau argues that the King should lead his people, and rise the peasants as well as the nobility against the French. F.W. III is relectant as he is more fearful of social unrest against established order, than of Napoleonic...

KOLBERG Im Ausland erhältlich
Dieser in Deutschland leider nicht kommerziell vertreibbare Film kann nun hier in deutscher Sprache mit englischen Untertiteln und digital remastered erworben werden. Er hat eine gute Qualität und ist für die damalige Zeit sehr aufwendig produziert. Amerikaner scheinen kein Problem damit zu haben, dass es ein sogenannter Durchhaltefilm der Nazis war. In der heutigen Zeit lassen wir uns ja auch nicht mehr von solchen Werken beeinflussen...außerdem kann man auch überall etwas hineininterpretieren, wenn man es möchte, ich kann den Film ohne Gefahr für Leib und Seele empfehlen.

DIVERSION OF WAR EFFORT
To the foregoing reviews I would only add that Kolberg was and is in eastern Pomerania (Hinterpommern) and not East Prussia. It is - at this moment in history -under Polish rule as a result of the ethnic cleansing of 1945. The Prussian queen (Luise) depicted was and is highly regarded by the Prussians both for her steadfastness against the French and her refusal to accede to her husband's Calvinism.

The Prussian officer who organizes the defense of the town gives a speech in the city square, towards the end of the film. You will note that as he does so his voice changes - into that of Hitler. Audiences of the time would certainly have noticed this.

The film was a pet project of Josef Goebbels, who diverted significant resources and thousands of troops (as extras) to its making. One wonders what Gneisenau would have said about such trading of lives for glitz.

The modern battle of Kolberg, at the close of World War II, was a bloody and pitiless...

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