The Industrial Worlds at DEFA Feature Films

FEATURE FILMS

The iconography of the DEFA industrial feature films of the 1950s found its aesthetic models in the Soviet Stalinist epics of Mikheil Chiaureli. His monumental films depict industrial progress by means of various motifs that were later to be found in various DEFA feature films, the difference being that the anti-Semitic tones of Chiaureli remained completely alien to DEFA. One example of this is Kurt Maetzig's Thälmann epics ERNST THÄLMANN – SOHN SEINER KLASSE (1954) and the second part ERNST THÄLMANN – FÜHRER SEINER KLASSE (1955). In the 1960s, the film BESCHREIBUNG EINES SOMMERS (1963) by Ralf Kirsten introduced the image of an independent, autonomous man, an image that was later continued in the film SPUR DER STEINE (1966) by Frank Beyer. In these films, the industrial, 'dirty' scenes of the construction sites are contrasted with attractive scenes of nature, hinting at the idealization of reality within the film. A new type of hero emerged in BANKETT FÜR ACHILLES (1975) by Roland Gräf one that distances themself from the heroism of the working class individual and, unlike the Thälmann films, is not historicized or politicized. The image of the hero is an everyday figure with which the viewer can identify: fragile, hard-working, fierce, and informal.

Wilhelm Lehmann, foreman of a chemical plant, is celebrating his 65th birthday. His family is preparing for a big celebration. Like every year, his sons are in charge of making the punch, or 'Maibowle', but several family members cancel for different reasons. Meanwhile, preparations are being made at the chemical plant for Wilhelm to receive an award for his work; he is being awarded the "Banner of Labor" for his work. When his family members hear this news on the television, they rush to make it to the ceremony and prepare the Maibowle as quickly as possible. Wilhelm's birthday and his award are eventually celebrated with the Maibowle.

The screenplay of the film MAIBOWLE was written as a commitment to the SED's 5th Party Congress and was made as a film to advertise the GDR's chemistry program. The premiere took place on the 10th anniversary of the GDR (7 October 1959). Despite being under strict controls, the filmmakers found a way to incorporate criticism through satire. This is clear in the way the film portrays a television team, a postman, an unconventional secretary of state and the wife of an employee of the state apparatus. The caricature-like figures were later criticized. One year later the Lehmann family returned to the big screen in the film "Silvesterpunsch" (New Year's Eve Punch, 1960), which Günter Reisch also directed. In this sequel, workers of the chemical plant must prepare for an ice-skating show, which will take place as part of a New Year's Eve celebration.

The film's music is by Helmut Nier and was played by the DEFA Symphony Orchestra ("Sinfonieorchester") and the Dresden Dance Orchestra ("Dresdner Tanzsinfoniker"). The scenery was designed by Paul Lehmann.

Suse Lehmann (Christel Bodenstein) at the acting examination in the film MAIBOWLE (1959)

The proletarians of all countries belong together.

On 21 April 1929 in the small miners' town of Gerbstedt in the Mansfeld area, hewer Otto Brosowski, official of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), takes a banner into his care, after the banner—a gift of solidarity from the miners of Krivoy Rog—is presented in a ceremony. The flag is held up by the workers during demonstrations, and symbolizes cohesion. When the Nazis seize power, they recognize the symbolic power of the banner and want to take it from the miners. The miners, along with their families and allies, refuse to give up the banner despite persecution, torture and imprisonment. During the Second World War, the small town is first occupied by the Americans. When the Red Army troops march in in July 1945, the Gerbstedt miners proudly carry the banner towards Krivoy Rog and the Red Army.
The film DIE FAHNE VON KRIWOJ ROG is influenced by a documentary style and gives viewers an accurate picture of the working families in a central German industrial area at that time. The propagandist style also cannot be missed—this is illustrated above all by the solidarity and loyalty to the comrades from Krivoy Rog and the Red Army. The film portrays a hero reminiscent of the Thälmann films by Kurt Maetzig, where the heroism of the individual in the working class is always present.
The film was shot mainly in Saxony-Anhalt, including Gerbstedt, Hettstedt and Eisleben.

Another version of the poster focuses on the artistic interplay between nature and industry.
 

In contrast to the other two film posters, the banner is the focus here.

Helmut Schellhardt as Otto Brosowski Junior and Manfred Krug as Jule Hammer

When the Nazis seize power in the film, they recognize the symbolic power of the banner and want to take it from the miners. The miners, along with their families and allies, do not relinquish the banner despite persecution, torture and imprisonment.
 

The film takes place on a single day: the last working day for foreman Karl Achilles at the Bitterfeld chemical plant. Achilles is 65 years old and is about to be replaced by a young engineer, university graduate Bahre. Achilles doesn't want to leave his job, as he is still strong and active, but can no longer cope with the demands of his position. The divisional manager organizes a celebratory banquet for the honorable farewell of the foreman, along with speeches praising him, bonuses and even an amateur film. In addition, his family is organizing a private party. Achilles, however, feeling overwhelmed, leaves the celebration and goes to a special place in the hope of finding his sense of working life again - his flower bed on the industrial waste heap.

BANKETT FÜR ACHILLES s not necessarily a film about aging. Instead, it is more about the relationship of the individual to work and a meaningful existence. Work represents the meaning of life for Achilles. Losing it or having to give it up brings him closer to a feeling of uselessness that he did not know before. Achilles' ethical and moral qualities, as well as his productive restlessness, mean that he cannot resign himself to the situation, but instead tries for a new beginning. Director Roland Gräf and screenwriter Martin Stephan found a symbol for the hero's ability to overcome his resignation. We see Achilles next to his destroyed flower bed on the industrial waste heap trying to grow a cornflower, while a helicopter tosses bales of straw onto the bare heaps to get them ready for vegetation. This is depicted in a long shot, which makes the stark landscape palpable. It is a symbol of the hero Achilles' hopeful attitude, who remains active thanks to his creative energy and finds a new meaningful existence away from the chemical plant.

This film poster, designed by Dieter Heidenreich, shows only the lead actor Erwin Geschonneck.

Ute Lubosch as Beate in BANKETT FÜR ACHILLES (1975)

Fred Delmare in BANKETT FÜR ACHILLES (1975)