Kameradschaft

Kameradschaft
Swedish theatrical release poster by Eric Rohman
Directed byG. W. Pabst
Screenplay byPeter Martin Lampel
Herbert Rappaport
Ladislaus Vajda
Story byKarl Otten
Produced bySeymour Nebenzal
StarringAlexander Granach
Fritz Kampers
Daniel Mendaille
Ernst Busch
Elisabeth Wendt
Gustav Püttjer
CinematographyFritz Arno Wagner
Edited byJean Oser
Music byG. von Rigelius
Production
companies
Distributed byVereinigte Star-Film
Cineldé
Associated Cinemas
Release dates
  • 17 November 1931 (1931-11-17) (Germany)
  • 29 January 1932 (1932-01-29) (France)
  • 8 November 1932 (1932-11-08) (US)
Running time
88 minutes
CountriesWeimar Republic
France
LanguagesGerman
French

Kameradschaft (English: Comradeship, known in France as La Tragédie de la mine) is a 1931 dramatic film directed by Austrian director G. W. Pabst. The French-German co-production drama is noted for combining expressionism and realism.[1]

The film concerns a mine disaster where German miners rescue French miners from an underground fire and explosion. The story takes place in the LorraineSaar regions, along the border between France and Germany. It is based on one of the worst industrial accidents in history, the Courrières mine disaster in 1906 in Courrières, France, where rescue efforts after a coal dust explosion were hampered by the lack of trained mine rescuers. Expert teams from Paris and miners from the Westphalia region of Germany came to the assistance of the French miners. There were 1,099 fatalities, including children.[2]

Kameradschaft in German means a bond between soldiers or those who have similar opinions and are in friendship. The word is similar to comradeship, camaraderie or fellowship.[3]

  1. ^ Butler, Craig "Review" on Allmovie.com. Quote: "Pabst brings a sense of realism to the proceedings, aided enormously by Robert Baberske and Fritz Arno Wagner's cinematography, which manages to be both starkly naturalistic and emotionally subjective at the same time."
  2. ^ Steffen, James "Kameradschaft" (article) on TCM.com. Last accessed: 11 December 2007.
  3. ^ Google translate