Landmark first film made in East Germany after World War II by the celebrated DEFA film studios.

Die Mörder sind unter uns (1946) directed by Wolfgang Staudte

"Die Morder sind unter uns" is a film about guilt,helplessness and incapacity.Its story is told through two main protagonists: Dr.Mertens (Ernst Wilhelm Borchert) and Suzanne Wallner (Hildegard Knef).Mertens is a doctor by profession yet he is an angry man as he hates the fact the war has killed countless innocent people. He is horrified to personally experience that in all wars pawns are always sacrificed to save the king. It is equally hard for the photographer Suzanne Wallner to forget her past. She gets tremendous shock as upon her arrival she finds that her city has turned into a pitiful heap of rubble. Both of them are lonely souls.In this film there is a villain too. He appears in the form of an evil Nazi man Bruckner.Die Morder sind unter uns was the first film made by DEFA (Deutsche Film Aktiengesellschaft). It might appear rather unusual but this film has film noir kind of looks. Expectations were very high with this film. Staudte was triumphant to have created a ground-breaking film. In the original version of the script Bruckner is shot by Mertens.This end was changed on the wishes of the Soviet Cultural officer Dymshitz as he reckoned that a notion of self justice should not be propagated.Staudte was fortunate enough to have Soviet side willing to produce the film as it was rejected by English and American military authorities.Die Morder sind unter uns occupies a unique place in world cinema history as it established the antifascist genre in DEFA film.

Tragic tale of ordinary German people set during Hitler's times.

Rotation (1949) directed by Wolfgang Staudte

Wolfgang Staudte fervently condemned the disinterested bourgeois who is not at all committed and hesitantly validates his standpoint. Rotation shows the dangers such an unbiased civilian is to compelled to confront.The film concentrates much on the past as key events are shown in a flashback.It showed how high unemployment in Germany resulted in Hitler's rise to power.Staudte has astutely shown a distressed Germany in which young Germans were trained by Nazis and everyone was taught to obey Hitler.Behnke recalls effectively all the difficult times he had to endure.He is happy to have a kid but can hardly imagine that his own child would betray him.Behnke was yearning for a serene Germany where his family would flourish.His generosity of spirit is revealed as he accepts his son without any feeling of hatred.After the war,Behnke family witnesses a sign of reconciliation as the father pardons his guilt-ridden son.

A truthful portrayal of abhorrent nazi times.

Das Beil von Wandsbek, Das (1951) directed by Falk Harnack

Das Beil von Wandsbek is a truthful portrayal of abhorrent nazi times. Falk Harnack's primary goal was to reveal the fact that scores of abominable murders were committed by ordinary people like Teetjen acting on other people's orders.His film shows how owing to penury an ordinary citizen is forced to slaughter fellow human beings.Teetjen makes the biggest mistake of his life when he joins the Nazi party.His plight is further exacerbated when he is made a scapegoat by his ex comrade Footh.Nazi thugs hoodwink him till the very end by promising him financial support.It is a bitter truth that all sincere works of art are never free of controversies.Das Beil von Wandsbek was no exception to this rule.After its premiere it was withdrawn from German cinemas as the cultural authorities misinterpreted its artistic merit.They believed that it neglected the role of working classes and roused sympathy for the butcher.It was re-released in 1962 under a new revised version devoid of pivotal suicide scene.It was only in 1981 that the original print was made available for general public viewing.

A meaningful DEFA production

Unser täglich Brot (1949) directed by Slatan Dudov

Unser taglich brot can be defined as the most meaningful DEFA production which successfully portrayed new socio-economic order and the ever changing Post war reality.It is set in post World War II Berlin in an era which heralded a time of hectic activity. Dudov analyses the questions and problems affecting the people at that time.He obviously wanted to familiarize members of the bourgeoisie with the concept of socialism.The Weber residence appeared more like a refugee camp as certain people didn't have a place to stay. Berlin was the hub of commotion as everybody had to work.This goal was all too evident in the schematic interpretation of the script.Unser taglich brot appears credible as it agreeably mirrored working class aspirations.It can be labelled as the first true socialist film made by DEFA studios.