Karl May

Karl May

187 mins | Drama, History | Oct. 18, 1974

This ethereal, three-hour biopic is the middle film in Hans-Jürgen Syberberg’s “German Trilogy” on the mythological foundations of the Third Reich. By fusing theater, music, and cinema, Syberberg conjures up Karl May (1842-1912), the immensely popular German author, who set many of his adventure novels in an idealized version of the American Wild West. His tales of the cowboy and the Ubermensch alike were beloved by many, including (Our) Hitler, who supposedly ordered his generals to read May works after defeats in the Russian campaign.

Karl May

187 mins | Drama, History | Oct. 18, 1974

Karl May
This ethereal, three-hour biopic is the middle film in Hans-Jürgen Syberberg’s “German Trilogy” on the mythological foundations of the Third Reich. By fusing theater, music, and cinema, Syberberg conjures up Karl May (1842-1912), the immensely popular German author, who set many of his adventure novels in an idealized version of the American Wild West. His tales of the cowboy and the Ubermensch alike were beloved by many, including (Our) Hitler, who supposedly ordered his generals to read May works after defeats in the Russian campaign.
IMDb rating 7.1
Producers ZDF, TMS Film GmbH
Original title Karl May
Directors Hans-Jürgen Syberberg
Writers Hans-Jürgen Syberberg

Cast

Helmut Käutner

as Karl May

Kristina Söderbaum

as Emma May

Käthe Gold

as Klara May

Attila Hörbiger

as Schriftsteller Dittrich

Rudolf Fernau

as Anwalt Bredereck

Lil Dagover

as Berta von Suttner

Mady Rahl

as Pauline Münchmeyer

Rudolf Prack

as sächsischer Justizminister

Alexander Golling

as Möbelhändler Fischer

Wolfgang Büttner

as Kriminalgerichtsvorsitzender Ehricke

André Heller

as Robert Müller, Vorsitzender des akadem. Vereins

Rudolf Lenz

as Casella

Rudolf Schündler

as Konditor Kreutzkamm

Peter Kern

as George Grosz

Heinz Moog

as Oskar Gerlach