DEFA Indianerfilm

Last updated July 20, 2025

DEFA Indianerfilme ("DEFA Indian films") was a series of adventure and western films ("Red Westerns") produced by the GDR DEFA film studio. The name comes from the obsolete term "Indians" for Indigenous peoples of the Americas.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Between 1966 and 1983 DEFA produced 14 films of this type, about the resistance of Native Americans against white invaders.^[6] A memorable actor in the series was Yugoslavian (Serbian) actor Gojko Mitić portraying fictional Native Americans ("Indians"), "Winnetou of the East", who played in 12 of these films.^[5]

The films are searchable in the PROGRESS film database.^[7]

Films

Below are the 14 Indianerfilme and a parody.

DEFA division "Roter Kreis"

1966: The Sons of Great Bear, based on the novel The Sons of the Great Bear
1967: Chingachgook, The Great Serpent
1968: Spur des Falken, Trail of the Falcon
1969: Weiße Wölfe, White Wolves
1970: Tödlicher Irrtum, Fatal error
1971: Osceola
1972: Tecumseh
1973: Apachen, Apaches
1974: Ulzana
1975: Blood Brothers
1978: Severino

DEFA division "Johannisthal"

1979: Blauvogel, Bluebird
1983: Der Scout. The Scout
1985: Atkins

DEFA division "Berlin"

1982: de:Der lange Ritt zur Schule, children's comedy, parodying Indianerfilme

Other "Red Western" films of DEFA

1981: de:Sing, Cowboy, sing, a comedy Western
1988: de:Präriejäger in Mexiko [Prairie Hunters in Mexico] two-series TV film

References

↑ Gerd Gemünden, Between Karl May and Karl Marx: The DEFA Indianerfilme (1965-1983), 2001, JSTOR 3137409
↑ The DEFA's "Eastern Westerns" (Indianerfilme)
↑ Philip Decker, The 'other America' and its performers: pathways to socialism in the DEFA Indianerfilme
↑ Jennifer Michaels, Appropriating the "Other" for the Cold War Struggle: DEFA's Depiction of Native Americans in its Indianerfilme
1 2 DEFA-Indianerfilme. Die Ausstellung zeigt Original-Fotografien der Produktionen aus den Fotoalben der DEFA
↑ Evan Torner The DEFA Indianerfilm as Artifact of Resistance
↑ PROGRESS

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[1] Gerd Gemünden, Between Karl May and Karl Marx: The DEFA Indianerfilme (1965-1983), 2001, JSTOR 3137409

[2] The DEFA's "Eastern Westerns" (Indianerfilme)

[3] Philip Decker, The 'other America' and its performers: pathways to socialism in the DEFA Indianerfilme

[4] Jennifer Michaels, Appropriating the "Other" for the Cold War Struggle: DEFA's Depiction of Native Americans in its Indianerfilme

[acugo-5] 1 2 DEFA-Indianerfilme. Die Ausstellung zeigt Original-Fotografien der Produktionen aus den Fotoalben der DEFA

[6] Evan Torner The DEFA Indianerfilm as Artifact of Resistance

[7] PROGRESS

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