D
Film Archive
Barfuß und ohne Hut
Documentary Film
GDR
1964
26 minutes
subtitles:
English
Der Augenzeuge 1960 / A 75
The funeral of Wilhelm Pieck, who was president of the GDR from 1949 to 1960. Episode of the weekly GDR news programme.
Der Augenzeuge 1960 / A 75
Credits
DEFA-Studio für Wochenschau und Dokumentarfilme
The funeral of Wilhelm Pieck (1876–1960), who was president of the GDR from 1949 to 1960. Episode of the weekly GDR news programme "Der Augenzeuge" ("The Eyewitness"). Helene Weigel talks. Official guests pay their respects. For a moment, work comes to a standstill in the whole country.
Ralph Eue
Ralph Eue
Der Sekretär
Jürgen Böttcher
Party secretary Grimmer is part occupational therapist, part employee representative, yet he remains the party secretary.
Many women work at the Buna chemicals factory. Party secretary Grimmer is part occupational therapist, part employee representative, yet he remains the party secretary.
Ralph Eue
Ralph Eue
Die Revolution kann keiner aufhalten
Exkursion Thierbach
Invited by the SED district authorities and the council of the district of Leipzig, a group of Leipzig artists visited the newly-built brown coal power plant Thierbach in 1974.
Exkursion Thierbach
Credits
Bezirksfilmstudio Leipzig
In socialist realism art was not meant to be an end in itself. It was expected to refer to the production of goods and the state of quota fulfilment. Invited by the SED district authorities and the council of the district of Leipzig, a group of Leipzig artists visited the newly-built brown coal power plant Thierbach in 1974, presented as the result of a “socialist economic integration” directed by Soviet specialists. The Leipzig Bezirksfilmstudio (district film studio), originally “Technisches Zentrum Amateurfilm” (technical amateur film centre) followed 40 painters, musicians, writers and “theatre makers”, including Wolfgang Mattheuer, Helmut Richter and Karl Kayser.
Stefan Gööck
Stefan Gööck
Fotografien. Texte Marx. Musik Bach.
Peter Voigt
A composition of photos of the Marx-Engels-Forum Berlin from the Fischer-Voigt collection, quotes by Karl Marx ...
Freundschaft und Frieden
Karl Gass, Bruno Kleberg
In October 1951 Wilhelm Pieck travelled to Czechoslovakia. This short documentary is a kind of public relations account of the journey.
Freundschaft und Frieden
Credits
DEFA-Studio für Wochenschau und Dokumentarfilme
Karl Gass, Bruno Kleberg
Heinz Peer Czygan, Erich Nitzschmann
Traute Wischnewski
In October 1951 a government delegation of the still young GDR, headed by its first and only President, Wilhelm Pieck, travelled to Czechoslovakia. The short documentary “Friendship and Peace”, directed by Karl Gass and Bruno Kleberg, another pioneer of DEFA documentary film, is a kind of public relations account of this journey. The film is Karl Gass’s second work as a director after he had co-operated with Andrew Thorndike on “The Ascending Path”.
Fabian Tietke
Fabian Tietke
Frühe Fragmente: Funktionäre an der Basis
Two silent, black and white pieces of film material, preserved in (standard) 8mm format and screened in a version edited by the Saxon State Archive.
Frühe Fragmente: Funktionäre an der Basis
Documentary Film
GDR
1957
5 minutes
subtitles:
_without dialogue / subtitles
Two silent, black and white pieces of film material, preserved in (standard) 8mm format and screened in a version edited by the Saxon State Archive. On 9 August 1957 Walter Ulbricht, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED (Socialist Unity Party of Germany), welcomes Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, at the GDR agricultural fair in Markkleeberg near Leipzig. Around 1960 Otto Grotewohl, Prime Minister of the GDR, speaks to employees of the VEB (Publicly Owned Corporation) Steinkohlewerk (hard coal mine) “August Bebel” in Zwickau. In the following decade the miners were to be retrained and hard coal mining in the GDR closed down because the deposits were exhausted.
Stefan Gööck
Stefan Gööck
Gäste aus dem Kosmos
When Soviet cosmonauts toured the GDR yet again in 1977, the propaganda centred on East German space technology.
Gäste aus dem Kosmos
For many GDR citizens, the initial dominance of the USSR in the space race was a source of genuine enthusiasm for progress. However, circumstances were reversed when the US astronauts were the first to land on the moon in 1969. When Soviet cosmonauts toured the GDR yet again in 1977, the propaganda centred on East German space technology. Part of the visitors’ schedule in Leipzig was a visit to the ISKRA memorial in Russenstraße which commemorated the printing of Lenin’s first revolutionary newspaper. The 35mm film was obviously a secondary exploitation, professionally edited from various dupe negatives and with an added soundtrack. No positive is preserved.
Stefan Gööck
Stefan Gööck
Leipzig 1990 – Der Handelsplatz
The 1990 Leipzig spring fair took place at a time of critical junctures for Leipzig, Saxony and Germany.
Leipzig 1990 – Der Handelsplatz
Credits
DEFA-Studio für Dokumentarfilme, Produktionsgruppe Video
The Berlin Wall has fallen, last elections to the People’s Chamber; the currency union and the Unification Treaty are still to come. The 1990 Leipzig spring fair took place at a time of critical junctures for Leipzig, Saxony and Germany. This location sound film features atmospheric images, documents conflicting political and economic expectations, hope and discouragement. In this DEFA video businessmen from the East and West speak up, but also a female pensioner whose neighbourhood is falling into ruin. Hans Modrow, who as chairman of the Council of Ministers of the GDR had submitted the concept of “For Germany, our united fatherland”, takes a tour of the fair, accompanied by Johannes Rau, Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Stefan Gööck
Stefan Gööck
Lied der Sieger
Nina Hartung
A propagandistic documentary about the German communist politician Walter Ulbricht.
Credits
DEFA-Studio für Dokumentarfilme
Nina Hartung
Rolf Schnabel
Wolfgang Heinz
A propagandistic documentary about the German communist politician Walter Ulbricht (1893–1973) that explores the irresolvable conflict between the great "cause" and a person's private life.
Ralph Eue
Ralph Eue
Mädchen in Wittstock
Documentary Film
GDR
1975
19 minutes
subtitles:
No
Credits
DEFA-Studio für Dokumentarfilme
Volker Koepp
Konrad Körner
Michael Zausch
Barbara Masanetz-Mechelk
Wolfgang Geier, Volker Koepp, Richard Ritterbusch
Wolfgang Geier
Nationalität: deutsch
Karl Gass
The school chronicle of a village school teacher from the Altmark – almost four decades of contemporary history and the history of mentalities in Germany.
Karl Gass based his last film on the school chronicle of a village school teacher from the Altmark. World War I brought Albert Linnecke, born 1889, died 1954, to Rindtorf as a substitute teacher. His chronicles record school trips as well as political events and the economic ups and downs in times of war and peace – almost four decades of contemporary history and the history of mentalities in Germany, seen through the eyes of a man who never failed to adjust to changing political systems.
Fabian Tietke
Fabian Tietke
Rosa Luxemburg
Renate Drescher
A narrative documentary which uses rare archive footage to shed light on the life of Rosa Luxemburg.
Credits
DEFA-Studio für Dokumentarfilme
Renate Drescher
Ruth Zechlin
Jürgen Bahr, Bernd Merten
Evelyn Eweleit
Renate Drescher, Günter Radczun
Manfred Wagner, Irma Münch
Erika Wiens
A narrative documentary which uses rare archive footage to shed light on the life of Rosa Luxemburg (1871–1919) which ended abruptly with her murder. According to the film, her theory lives on and prospers in the GDR.
Ralph Eue
Ralph Eue
Träumt für morgen
Documentary Film
GDR
1956
19 minutes
subtitles:
No
Von Eurem Geist
Wolfgang Bartsch
A short documentary biopic about the German socialist leader Karl Liebknecht.
Credits
DEFA-Studio für Dokumentarfilme
Wolfgang Bartsch
Reiner Bredemeyer
Georg Kilian
Wolfgang Bartsch, Fritz Gebhard
A short documentary biopic about the German socialist leader Karl Liebknecht (1871–1919) and his unstoppable willpower and fearless struggle against imperialist warmongering.
Ralph Eue
Ralph Eue