KLK Calling PTZ - The Red Orchestra
Encyclopedia
KLK Calling PTZ - The Red Orchestra (German
: KLK an PTX – Die Rote Kapelle) is a 1971 East German film about the history of the Red Orchestra espionage ring.
and Arvid Harnack
. They gather intelligence and pass it on to other countries. After the outbreak of the Second World War, and especially after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, they intensify their work. In August 1942, the Gestapo
arrests Boysen and soon after cracks down on the spy ring.
's Department of Agitation heard of his project, he was granted full government support and access to previously undisclosed materials in the Stasi's archives. Rather than documentary, a full-length feature film was commissioned.
On 4 October 1971, director Horst E. Brandt, cinematographer Günter Haubold and the Küchenmeister couple were awarded the National Prize
1st class for their work on the film. They, dramatist Anne Pfeuffer and actors Horst Drinda, Irma Münch, Horst Schulze
, Klaus Piontek, Barbara Adolph, Jutta Wachowiak, Manfred Karge, Ursula Karusseit, Harry Pietzsch, Eberhard Esche
and Günther Simon
were all granted the Art Prize of the Free German Trade Union Federation
in the same year.
Daniela Bergahn noted that, while the film still "inflated" the role of the communists in the resistance to the Nazis, it "at least acknowledged" the participation of other groups.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: KLK an PTX – Die Rote Kapelle) is a 1971 East German film about the history of the Red Orchestra espionage ring.
Plot
After Hitler's rise to power in 1933, a group of regime opponents from various backgrounds consolidated under the leadership of Harro Schulze-BoysenHarro Schulze-Boysen
Heinz Harro Max Wilhelm Georg Schulze-Boysen was a German officer, commentator, and German Resistance fighter against German dictator Adolf Hitler's Nazi régime.- Early life :...
and Arvid Harnack
Arvid Harnack
Arvid Harnack was a German jurist, economist, and resistance fighter in Nazi Germany.- Early years :...
. They gather intelligence and pass it on to other countries. After the outbreak of the Second World War, and especially after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, they intensify their work. In August 1942, the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
arrests Boysen and soon after cracks down on the spy ring.
Cast
- Horst Drinda: Arvid HarnackArvid HarnackArvid Harnack was a German jurist, economist, and resistance fighter in Nazi Germany.- Early years :...
- Irma Münch: Mildred HarnackMildred HarnackMildred Fish-Harnack was an American-German literary historian, translator, and resistance fighter in Nazi Germany.- Life in the United States:...
- Horst SchulzeHorst SchulzeHorst Schulze is a German actor and opera singer, born April 26, 1921, in Dresden.-Selected filmographgy:* KLK Calling PTZ - The Red Orchestra * Woman Doctors * Stalingrad -External links:...
: Adam KuckhoffAdam KuckhoffAdam Kuckhoff was a German writer, journalist, and resistance fighter in the Third Reich.... - Barbara Adolph: Greta Kuckhoff
- Klaus Piontek: Harro Schulze-BoysenHarro Schulze-BoysenHeinz Harro Max Wilhelm Georg Schulze-Boysen was a German officer, commentator, and German Resistance fighter against German dictator Adolf Hitler's Nazi régime.- Early life :...
- Jutta WachowiakJutta WachowiakJutta Wachowiak is a German actress. She has appeared in over 60 films and television shows since 1962. She starred in the 1986 film So Many Dreams, which was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival....
: Libertas Schulze-BoysenLibertas Schulze-BoysenLibertas Schulze-Boysen, born Libertas Viktoria Haas-Heye was a German opponent of the Nazis who belonged to the Red Orchestra resistance group during the Third Reich.- Early years :Schulze-Boysen spent her childhood at her grandfather's estate Philip, Prince of Eulenburg and Hertefeld... - Harry Pietzsch: Walter Küchenmeister
- Karin Lesch: Elfriede Paul
- Marylu Poolman: Elisabeth SchumacherElisabeth SchumacherElisabeth Schumacher, née Hohenemser, was an artist and resistance fighter in the Third Reich. She belonged to the Red Orchestra resistance group.- Life :...
- Eberhard EscheEberhard EscheEberhard Esche was an actor from the former East Germany.Born on 25 October 1933 in Leipzig, Germany, Eberhard Esche was a German film and television actor who appeared in the following:*Das Haus der Schwestern *Mama ist unmöglich...
: Kurt SchumacherKurt Schumacher (sculptor)Kurt Schumacher was a sculptor and Communist member of the German Resistance against National Socialism. He was married to the painter and graphic designer, Elisabeth Schumacher and was in the Red Orchestra.- Biography :... - Katharina Lind: Oda Schottmüller
- Günther SimonGünther Simon-Early life:A bank clerk's son, Simon attended an acting school already in Gymnasium. At the age of sixteen, he was sent to a pre-military training camp of the Hitler Youth and then drafted to the Reich Labour Service. He volunteered to join the paratroopers in August 1943...
: John SiegJohn SiegJohn Sieg was a railroad worker and journalist who publicized Nazi atrocities through the underground Communist press and fought against National Socialism in the German Resistance. He was a key member of the Red Orchestra.... - Jessy Rameik: Sophie Sieg
- Ursula KarusseitUrsula KarusseitUrsula Karusseit is a German actress.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
: Hilde CoppiHilde CoppiHilde Coppi was a German resistance fighter against the Third Reich. Together with her husband Hans Coppi, she belonged to the Red Orchestra .- Life :... - Manfred Karge: Hans CoppiHans CoppiHans Coppi was a German Red Orchestra resistance fighter against the Third Reich.- Life before World War II :...
- Leon NiemczykLeon NiemczykLeon Stanisław Niemczyk was a Polish actor.Niemczyk appeared in over 500 films and television shows over the course of his very long career...
: Vincente Douglas - Siegfried Weiss: Wilhelm CanarisWilhelm CanarisWilhelm Franz Canaris was a German admiral, head of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service, from 1935 to 1944 and member of the German Resistance.- Early life and World War I :...
- Alfred Müller: Wolfgang LanghoffWolfgang LanghoffWolfgang Langhoff was a German theatre, film and television actor and theatre director.-Early career:...
- Hannjo HasseHannjo Hasse-Biography:Hasse began studying acting in 1938, and attended Lily Ackermann's Institute for Stage Artists' Education in Berlin. At 1941, he was drafted for the Labour Service, and later to the Army...
: guest in the American Embassy - Alfred StruweAlfred StruweAlfred Struwe was a German actor, best known for his television role as Dr. Alexander Wittkugel in Zahn um Zahn....
: Bellini - Peter SturmPeter SturmNot to be confused with the National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control director by the same name.Josef Michel Dischel , known by his adopted stage name Peter Sturm, was an Austrian and an East German actor.-Early life:Josef Michel Dischel was born into a religious Jewish family...
: Krapotschkin - Horst GieseHorst GieseHorst Fritz Otto Giese was an East German actor.-Biography:In 1945, Giese made his debut on stage at his native Neuruppin, then in the Soviet occupation zone. Later he appeared on television. His first role in a movie was at the 1954 Alarm in the Circus...
: Schröder
Production
Writer Claus Küchenmeister and his wife Wera began conducting interviews with former members of the Red Orchestra during 1966. Claus, son of the executed organization member Walter Küchenmeister, intended to make a documentary about the activities of his father. When officials in the Ministry of State SecurityStasi
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...
's Department of Agitation heard of his project, he was granted full government support and access to previously undisclosed materials in the Stasi's archives. Rather than documentary, a full-length feature film was commissioned.
Reception
KLK Calling PTZ was distributed in fifty-eight copies, and sold 2,107,093 tickets in the first year after its release.On 4 October 1971, director Horst E. Brandt, cinematographer Günter Haubold and the Küchenmeister couple were awarded the National Prize
National Prize of East Germany
The National Prize of the German Democratic Republic was an award of the German Democratic Republic given out in three different classes for scientific, artistic, and other meritorious achievement...
1st class for their work on the film. They, dramatist Anne Pfeuffer and actors Horst Drinda, Irma Münch, Horst Schulze
Horst Schulze
Horst Schulze is a German actor and opera singer, born April 26, 1921, in Dresden.-Selected filmographgy:* KLK Calling PTZ - The Red Orchestra * Woman Doctors * Stalingrad -External links:...
, Klaus Piontek, Barbara Adolph, Jutta Wachowiak, Manfred Karge, Ursula Karusseit, Harry Pietzsch, Eberhard Esche
Eberhard Esche
Eberhard Esche was an actor from the former East Germany.Born on 25 October 1933 in Leipzig, Germany, Eberhard Esche was a German film and television actor who appeared in the following:*Das Haus der Schwestern *Mama ist unmöglich...
and Günther Simon
Günther Simon
-Early life:A bank clerk's son, Simon attended an acting school already in Gymnasium. At the age of sixteen, he was sent to a pre-military training camp of the Hitler Youth and then drafted to the Reich Labour Service. He volunteered to join the paratroopers in August 1943...
were all granted the Art Prize of the Free German Trade Union Federation
Free German Trade Union Federation
The Free German Trade Union Federation, in German Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund , was the trade union federation in East Germany. It was part of the National Front and had representatives in the Volkskammer....
in the same year.
Daniela Bergahn noted that, while the film still "inflated" the role of the communists in the resistance to the Nazis, it "at least acknowledged" the participation of other groups.
External links
- KLK Calling PTZ - The Red Orchestra on the IMDb.