High Quality IHF Remastered Version. "Gifted film-making of the highest order, and an accomplished work of cinematic art." One of the best propaganda films of the thirties... A film that should be studied by anyone interested in mass propaganda... To whom do the streets belong? Communists or National Socialists? It is 1929, and the fate of Germany lies in the streets of Berlin. Amidst violent demonstrations orchestrated by both extremist groups emerges a young SA hero named Hans Westmar in this heavily fictionalized biography of Horst Wessel, author of the Nazi anthem, "Die Fahne hooch"; ''Raise the Banners High" or "The Horst Wessel Song". Hans Westmar, a student who dedicates his life to National Socialism in order to win over Berlin's teeming proletariat to the patriotic Nazi cause, transforms his SA troop into the most successful unit in Berlin. Wessel had written the lyrics to the first verse of the march that became, after his death, the most beloved Nazi Party anthem. Since Horst Wessel's real-life violence was not suited for commercial consumption -- although he was not the street-brawling pimp that Communist propaganda made him -- Hanns Heinz Ewers wrote a sanitized biography and screenplay for the picture. Giuseppe Becce wrote the music score with the assistance of Hitler's friend, Ernst ("Putzi') Hanfstaengl. Franz Wenzler directed the film with great assurance and panache -- especially its crowd scenes -- and Franz Weihmayr's brilliant, roving cinematography, most effective in the elaborately staged street riots, marked the picture as a visually inspired work. The film was produced under the title Horst Wessel, but when it was previewed Dr. Goebbels took umbrage, insisting that the SA belonged on the streets, not on motion-picture screens. He banned the picture, and it was heavily re-edited. Its hero's name was changed to Hans Westmar, and the scene in which he writes his march was deleted. The film was released under the title Hans Westmar. The "Horst-Wessel-Lied" is sung at the end of the picture, during a massive, torchlit parade, with Westmar's ghostly image superimposed over the stirring SA footage. This is gifted film-making of the highest order. Hans Westmar as well as Hans Steinhoff's Hitlerjunge Quex (also 1933) are accomplished works of cinematic art despite their propagandistic intent. Directed by Franz Wenzler. With Emil Lohkamp, Paul Wegener Wegener Germany, 1933, B&W, 84 Minutes. German dialogue with accurately translated English subtitles (dialog and songs) by IHF translation team. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES: Historical Background Slide Show: "Third Reich Cinema: The Fate of Germany and Franz Wenzler's "Hans Westmar" By Film Historian R. Dixon Smith. Original Promotional Materials: Illustrierter Film-Kurier with English Translation Flyer (with English Translation) & Posters Bonus Film: Uno Dei Tanti: Un Dramma Tedesco Dell Ano 1929 (One of Many:A German Drama of the Year 1929) An abridged Italian dubbed version, originally released in Mussolini's Italy. 60 Minutes with English Subtitles, remastered. Audio Dubbing Film Clip Examples Deleted Scenes Scene Selections Optimal DVD-9 Dual Layer Edition
T**T
Horst Wessel(ish)
Loosely based on the life and death of NSDAP martyr Horst Weasel. For those interested in Weimar Germany in general and the NSDAP in particular, this DVD is a must. While hardly impartial, it offers excellent period footage of SA marches, rallies and is a great study regarding SA uniforms and standards. The story is pretty soft but the street scenes, shops, houses, cars, civilian clothing etc are reason enough to make this dvd are great buy.
B**S
Historically interesting - with many very good crowd scenes.
By no means the brilliant piece of film-making that some would have you believe, Hans Westmar is nevertheless an interesting film for a number of reasons:1) The many crowd and fight scenes are very realistic. Hundreds (thousands?) of extras engage in street fights, parades, rallies, etc. These are often so realistic that they appear to be documentaries.2) This is an eye-opening look at how the Nazis were viewed (and viewed themselves) in 1933. Way before the horrors of the holocaust and WWII, the Nazis often saw themselves as the only bulwark against communism. Indeed, we forget how close Germany was to being turned communist by the enormous red influence running wild in government and the streets. Also, in 1933, many joined the Nazis out of nationalistic loyalty and anxiety about some very real problems. How many would have done so if they knew where the party would eventually go can only be speculated. But in 1929-33, it is doubtful that many could guess with any precision. I find that many young people think that WWII was fought to stop the holocaust (it wasn't), and that they have no idea why the Nazis became so popular or what Germany was doing from 1929 - WWII. They seem to think that the Nazis just appeared overnight in 1940 and that the Germans had no motive for supporting them in such large numbers except for anti-semitism. Economic, nationalistic, political concerns appear to have been forgotten or erased. This film shows how real the communist threat was in those early days.So, by no means a great film, this is very interesting, gripping at times, and gives us a look at this period from a viewpoint we seldom see.
T**S
The Nazis warned us, but few listened...
An interesting story set during the rise of the Nazis against the Communists.
A**R
Exactly as described
The older I get the more interested I become in finding out how things got their start. Where did things come from and how did they get there? This is a piece of probably mostly forgotten history that should be remembered because the Nazi party started small but ended up affecting millions. This film is early Nazi history. IHF has done a fine job of restoring this film to give us a glimpse into the past. Will it be repeated? Recommended.
E**A
Interesting perspective
This film is an interesting perspective of the political conditions in Germany after the first world war. It reminds me that history cannot be looked at in a vacuum . Granted it is a Nazi propanda film, but as someone stated in a previous review most films during this period could be viewed as such. That of course includes Hollywood films. Having said that the film was heavily edited and scenes jump a lot. I believe we can thank the propanda minister for that.
M**N
Must see film!
An entertaining film as well as being of great historical interest. It shows that the commies were just the same back then.
J**O
accurate acount of this man
i like wwtwo history
R**S
Hans Westmar posted to England.
Received this very quickly and found this DVD to be of the highest quality. Superb deluxe edition with English subtitles make this Third Reich film one of the best. I have previously seen Hans Westmar only in poor quality without subtitles but this one tops them all. Greetings from England.
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