![]() ![]() After Kolberg is (unhistorically) saved, the film returns to 1813 after the Convention of Tauroggen, a time when Napoleon was defeated in Russia, and Prussian leaders wonder whether it is time to turn openly against him. After an initial confrontation with Nettelbeck, in order to show that there is only one leader in Kolberg, and that Gneisenau is that leader, the two work together with the army and the citizens to save the city from the French. Maria's journey leads to the energetic and charismatic Gneisenau being sent to Kolberg. Nettelbeck creates a citizen militia, in spite of the best efforts of the regular Prussian Army, has supplies collected, and strongly opposes the idea of surrender.įinally, having been threatened with execution, and convinced that Kolberg can only be saved if a great leader can be found, Nettelbeck sends Maria on the dangerous journey to Königsberg whither the Court of Prussia has retreated, to meet with the King and with Queen Louise, who was described by Napoleon as "the only man in Prussia". The film continues in this vein, with Nettelbeck struggling against cowardice, lethargy and the old-fashioned ideas of the garrison commander, to defend his city against the approaching French. Nettelbeck alone is set on resisting the French. Some see the French victories as a good thing, some wonder whether to leave. ![]() The scene set, the film moves to 1806 and a Kolberg not yet affected by war, where the inhabitants are shown enjoying life, and the town's leaders, Nettelbeck chief among them, discuss Napoleon's proclamations, and what it will mean to them. Ending with the admonition that kings who cannot lead must abdicate, the scene switches to Vienna in 1806 to show the abdication of the last Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II of Austria, whom the script has Gneisenau call "an Emperor who abandoned the German people in their hour of need". This is followed by a dialogue between King Frederick William III of Prussia and Count August von Gneisenau, in which Gneisenau explains that the siege of Kolberg taught the importance of citizen armies. The opening scenes show Prussian Landwehr and volunteers marching down the streets of Breslau through enthusiastic crowds. The film begins in 1813 after the phase of the Napoleonic Wars known in German as the Befreiungskriege (Wars of Liberation). In the film, the French abandon the siege. In reality, the city's defence, led by then- Lieutenant Colonel August von Gneisenau, held out until the war was ended by the Treaty of Tilsit. It tells the story of the defence of the besieged fortress town of Kolberg against French troops between April and July 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. The film is based on the autobiography of Joachim Nettelbeck, mayor of Kolberg in Pomerania, and on a play drawn from the book by Paul Heyse. One of the last films of the Third Reich, it was intended as a Nazi propaganda piece to bolster the will of the German population to resist the Allies. All of the girls are quite lovely, but Penelope practically glows.Kolberg is a 1945 Nazi German historical film directed by Veit Harlan. ![]() One can get a glimpse of the star quality of Miss Cruz here, before Hollywood got her in its clutches. ![]() And in the end, everyone seems content as Manolo is left alone again in the village. The arrival of the girls' mother (an opera singer) with her manager sets the final series of events in motion. Several laugh out loud moments throughout. Which young beauty will Fernando choose? Each of the women take their turn, and the lack of sibling jealousy is remarkable. Think of all the old farmer's daughter jokes and you begin to see the possibilities here. And Clara (Miriam Diaz Aroca) is the eldest, a widow whose husband drowned in the river the previous summer. Violeta (Ariadna Gil) is the mannish second eldest who was raised as a boy until puberty. Rocio (Maribel Verdú) is being wooed by a young man from the village. A young Penelope Cruz plays Luz, the youngest daughter. The arrival of Manolo's four lovely daughters sets the story in motion. Fernando (Jorge Sanz), an army deserter just prior to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, finds himself the beneficiary of the hospitality of Manolo (Fernando Fernan Gomez). ![]()
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