Underplayed Gems

The Great King (1942)

The Great King poster
Original title
Der große König
Directed by
Veit Harlan
Genre
drama film
Country
Germany
Runtime
1h 58m
Rated
12
Rating
7.0 of 10 from 8 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

This film tells the story of Frederick the Great, a Prussian king who ruled during the 1700s. It shows his struggles during a war and his strict philosophy about leadership and loyalty.

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What happens

The Great King (German: Der große König) is a 1942 German drama film directed by Veit Harlan and starring Otto Gebühr. It depicts the life of Frederick the Great, who ruled Prussia from 1740 to 1786. It received the rare "Film of the Nation" distinction. It was part of a popular cycle of "Prussian films". The film is a depiction of the Führerprinzip. The analogy to Adolf Hitler was so clear that Hitler sent a print to Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Goebbels warned against the drawing of the comparison in print, in particular, because of the pessimistic mood that opens the film. After a sergeant gives an unauthorised order, the king orders him simultaneously promoted and punished. His later decision to desert results in his death because no disobedience is justified. Goebbels declared that the parallels were not a matter of propaganda, but an obvious result of the parallels of history. Goebbels also regarded it as instructive that current sufferings would be a source of strength. Goebbels had some difficulty with the Army High Command over this film because it depicted the king as being left in the lurch by his generals. He complained that the army felt that any depiction, however historical, reflected badly on them. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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