The Lieutenant Of Kopenick - A German Film By Helmut Kautner

The Hyderabad Film Club, in association with Goethe Zenthrum Hyderabad, is presenting a festival of German Films directed by Helmut Kautner, at the Sarathi Studio and the Goethe premises, from 18th to 24th September. As part of the festival, "The Lieutenant Of Kopenick" is being screened today at Goethe-Zenthrum, the German Association.

A film on Berlin, at the end of the 19th century, this is Kautner’s version of Zuckmayer’s story involving the prison inmate Wilhelm Voigt, allegedly on the lookout for a job. Heinz Ruhmann, who plays Voigt, gives a sterling performance that served to renew his popularity. The focus of the film on Prussian militarism and the Kaiser regime, portrayed through humorous gestures and sit-com technique.

With The Lieutenant Of Kopenick, Zuckmayer, Kautner and Ruhmann produced one of the most successful German films of the 50s, that is watched with enjoyment even today.

Director Helmut Kaeutner was born in 1908 in Duesseldorf and died in 1980 in Italy. He studied German, Art History, Philosophy, Psychology and Theater Studies. He began his film career as a scriptwriter. His directorial debut was with the film Kitty and the World Conference (Kitty Und Die Weltkonferenz, 1939), but the film was withdrawn by the Nazi government due to its pro-English tendencies.

Later on, he went on to make great films like Kleider Machen Leute (1940), Auf Wiedersehen Franziska! (1941), Anuschka (1942), Grosse Freiheit Nr. 7 (1944), In Jenen Tagen (1947), Des Teufels General (1955), Zu Jung (1958) and Die Feuerzangenbowle (1970), among others.

His film Dis Letzte Bruecke won a German Film Award in 1954, and Der Hauptmann Von Koepenik won two German Film Awards in 1957.

Please contact Bh S S Prakash Reddy, Secretary of the Hyderabad Film Club, at 93910-20243, or Goethe-Zenthrum at 5552-6443/2324-1791 for further details.