The Great King (Der Grosse König)

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An Epic Film Biography of Frederick The Great... One of the Most Lavish & Popular Films of the Third Reich. Starring Otto Gebühr, Kristina Söderbaum & Gustav Fröhlich Filmed at the height of Nazi Germany s triumph, in late 1940 and early 1941, The Great King was Germany s most ambitious film to date. Both Goebbels and Hitler were fascinated by Frederick the Great, and had frequently invoked him in their propaganda as a proto-National Sot hero, in terms calculated to enhance Hitler s own prestige and authority. The Great King extended this myth-making onto the plane of grand movie spectacle. Amidst vividly realized battle scenes, Frederick is shown rallying his armies back from crushing defeat, leading Prussia s way to brilliant triumph in the Seven Years War. His generals counsel capitulation, and his subjects succumb to despair. But Frederick soldiers on; his strength of will is Prussia s safeguard and salvation. The film s concluding montage underscores this message, showing an omniscient Frederick, his gigantic eyes looming over homeland and people, in an unmistakable reference to Germany s own Führer. Yet what seems most striking about The Great King today are its frank depictions of popular war-weariness and complaint, served up by the everyday Prussians miller s daughters and foot soldiers who foreground the film s storyline. Otto Gebühr, who had long specialized in Frederick roles on screen and stage, plays the lead; director Harlan s wife, the inimitable Kristina Söderbaum, the miller s daughter. Directed by Veit Harlan; music by Hans-Otto Borgmann; featuring Otto Gebühr, Kristina Söderbaum, and Gustav Fröhlich. Germany, 1942, B&W, 116 minutes. German dialogue. Switchable English subtitles. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES: Historical Scholarly Slide Show Interactive Scene Selections Switchable English Subtitles Worldwide Playback Compatibility