The Great King

The Great King (1942)

Der große König

King Frederick II (aka "Frederick the Great") of Prussia is engaged in a major battle against the Austrian army at Kunersdorf, and things aren't going well. The Austrians are inflicting major casualties, and his army is beginning to crumble. Defeat seems inevitable when a combination of events gives him hope that he may pull victory from the jaws of defeat after all.

Date of release
1942-03-02
TMDB
7.0 / 10 (8)
Runtime
1h 58m
Genres
History, Drama, War
Director
Veit Harlan

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Awards: 1 · Nominations: 0. Including: Film of the Nation

The Great King is a 1942 German drama film directed by Veit Harlan and starring Otto Gebühr. It depicts the life of Frederick the Great, who ruled Prussia from 1740 to 1786. It received the rare "Film of the Nation" distinction. It was part of a popular cycle of "Prussian films".

Production

Frederick the Great was previously adapted into film for propaganda usage in The Hymn of Leuthen by future Reich Chamber of Film president Carl Froelich, The Old and the Young King, and Fridericus. The Great King was commissioned by Joseph Goebbels, who later ordered multiple scenes to be rewritten. It served to advance and support the idea of total war. It was one of the most expensive films produced in the Nazi era.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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