Banned in Germany at the time of it's original release, due to fears of the movie of idol worship. This movie is now considered an gem for students of German history, particularly those interested in understanding the social class system in Imperial Germany. That's if they can find it. It's a hard movie to find. One of the hard things to figure out is what the name of the movie is, because it goes by with many different names. The first title is 'Der Untertan' which means 'the subject' which is the same name of Heinrich Mann's novel. It has been translated into English under the titles "Man of Straw," "The Patrioteer," 'The Kaiser's Lackey' and "The Loyal Subject" to the point, you don't know which movie, you might get. No matter what title you get, the story is the same. Set during the German Kaisereich, the film does an excellent job at illuminating the amoral world of nationalism. Diedrich Hesserling (Werner Peters) is a fearful man whom use any technique to advance in life to become a right hand man to the Kaiser himself. The man really did like the Kaiser and he was a obedient follower to the point, that he maintains a rigid dedication to the nationalist goals of the German state to anybody that knows him. Throughout the movie, Hessling's inflexible ideals are often contradicted by his actions: he is the strongest proponent of the military and preaches bravery but seeks to be excused from his obligatory military service in a cowardly way. When he got into politics, he hates greatest revolutionary Social Democrats, yet he uses his influence to help Social Democrats candidates win seats at the Reichstag (Congress) so they can defeat his Liberal competitors in business. After they win, he starts vicious rumors against the latter and then dissociates himself from them. He preaches and enforces Christian virtues upon others at his factory, but lies, cheats, and regularly commits infidelity himself. Director Wolfgang Staudte puts a spot on satire comedy of the hypocrisy of bourgeois society and the risk of social collapse in a nation of loyal mindless idolatry of authority citizens with symbolism like the toilet paper containing nationalistic slogans and dance number with pickelhaube helmet wearing dancing girls. Photographed beautifully and intelligently, one of the greatest shots in the film is when Diedrich finally get a chance to meet the Kaiser, and he's such a fan, he is running beside the carriage trying to get his autograph. That is a idolize moment. Staudte's film is expertly made, full of verve and wit and a visual vigor that is quite impressive. The director and his cinematographer, Robert Baberske, shoot the movie at a near-frantic pace, employing extreme angles and comedic manipulations. They enjoy juxtaposing their characters with telling objects, crafting deep focus compositions where Diedrich appears in frame with, say, a symbol of Teutonic grandeur, the symbol overshadowing the man that is in service to it. Staudte and his co-writer, Fritz Staudte, also employ a mocking narrator who barely keeps his disdain for Diedrich at bay. There is never a question that this is a man we are intended to despise. Still the movie is a propaganda film produced in the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (East Germany), a Stalinist puppet state at the time. The humor is dry, and it's hard to watch somewhat. The black-and-white full frame image of movie is a fairly decent print. It has much dirt and scratches, but is otherwise clear and unobscured. The downside is that the interlaced transfer makes the image rather soft. The German soundtrack is given a basic mix that is largely clear. There is occasionally some hiss, as well as some unbalanced tones. The English subtitles are easy to read, moderately paced, and free of grammatical problems; they are, however, burned into the picture rather than optional. People who don't like coolly intellectual, literary comedies should not get this. The anti-hero doesn't change for the better and continues to be unlike by some who can't find themselves caring for the character's story. The ending is rather disappointing. In sum, though humorous this film is heavy-handed, unlike Staudte's subtle and truly outstanding 1949 film 'Rotation' which explains German history more incisively, or the 2009 film 'The White Ribbon', which artfully makes many of the same points about Wilhelmine Germany and the sources of Nazism. This film falls somewhat flat.
Review of Der Untertan
Der Untertan
(1951)
A inside look of ultra-nationalism during the Wilhelmine Era of Germany.
1 March 2013
Warning: Spoilers