Made soon before the outbreak of the Second World War, the film - as its name suggests - depicts the lives of three German army sergeants. While the plot concentrates on the soldier characters' complicated love affairs rather than their battlefield exploits, it does extol camaraderie among soldiers - a staple theme of Nazi propaganda. The film concludes with the protagonists overcoming amorous jealousies which threatened to divide them, and eagerly embarking on a dangerous military task. This theme is well reflected in the film's poster, in whose foreground the three in uniform face their commanding officer while on the background appears the actress Gerda for whose love they had competed with each other.
After the defeat of Nazi Germany, Drei Unteroffiziere was included in the list of forbidden films, and nowadays its screening is only allowed for "special educational purposes".
Oscar Nathan Straus was a Viennese composer of operettas, film scores, and songs. He also wrote about 500 cabaret songs, chamber music, and orchestral and choral works. His original name was actually Strauss, but for professional purposes he deliberately omitted the final 's'. He wished not to be associated with the musical Strauss family of Vienna. However, he did follow the advice of Johann Strauss II in 1898 about abandoning the prospective lure of writing waltzes for the more lucrative business of writing for the theatre.
Unteroffizier is a junior Non-commissioned officer rank used by the Bundeswehr. It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army.
Heinrich Wilhelm "Heinz" Rühmann was a German film actor who appeared in over 100 films between 1926 and 1993. He is one of the most famous and popular German actors of the 20th century, and is considered a German film legend. Rühmann is best known for playing the part of a comic ordinary citizen in film comedies such as Three from the Filling Station and The Punch Bowl. During his later years, he was also a respected character actor in films such as The Captain from Köpenick and It Happened in Broad Daylight. His only English-speaking movie was Ship of Fools in 1964.
The Spanish Cross was an award of Nazi Germany given to German troops who participated in the Spanish Civil War, fighting for nationalist general, later Spanish caudillo, Francisco Franco.
Gustav Fröhlich was a German actor and film director. He landed secondary roles in a number of films and plays before landing his breakthrough role of Freder Fredersen in Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis. He remained a popular film star in Germany until the 1950s.
Ralf Wolter is a German stage and screen actor. Wolter appeared in nearly 220 films and television series in his over 60 years as a character actor.
Arthur Kampf was a German painter. He was associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting.
Wehrwirtschaftsführer (WeWiFü) were, during the time of Nazi Germany (1933–1945), executives of companies or big factories called rüstungswichtiger Betrieb. Wehrwirtschaftsführer were appointed, starting 1935, by the Wehrwirtschafts und Rüstungsamt being a part of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, that was pushing the build-up of arms for the Wehrmacht. The purpose of the appointment was to bind them to the Wehrmacht and to give them a quasi-military status.
Ferdinand Friedrich Hermann Nielebock, known as Herms Niel, was a German composer of military songs and marches.
Fritz Genschow was a German actor, film director and screenwriter.
The Pride of Company Three is a 1932 German comedy film directed by Fred Sauer and starring Heinz Rühmann, Anton Walbrook and Eugen Burg. It premiered on 4 January 1932.
Men Without a Fatherland is a 1937 German drama film directed by Herbert Maisch and starring Willy Fritsch, Maria von Tasnady and Willy Birgel.
Goodbye, Franziska is a 1941 German romance film directed by Helmut Käutner and starring Marianne Hoppe, Hans Söhnker and Fritz Odemar. It portrays the relationship between a globetrotting reporter and his devoted wife. The film was remade in 1957.
By a Silken Thread is a 1938 German drama film directed by Robert A. Stemmle and starring Willy Fritsch, Carl Kuhlmann and Käthe von Nagy. The film was intended to be an exposure of "crooked Jewish capitalists" in line with Nazi racial policy of the era. The film's art direction was by Otto Hunte.
The Four Musketeers is a 1934 German drama film directed by Heinz Paul and starring Fritz Kampers, Paul Westermeier and Erhard Siedel. Four comrades of the First World War meet up many years later and discover they have very different views on the political future of Germany.
Secret Code LB 17 is a 1938 German thriller film directed by Victor Tourjansky and starring Willy Birgel, Hilde Weissner and Bernhard Minetti.
The Irresistible Man is a 1937 German romantic comedy film directed by Géza von Bolváry and starring Anny Ondra, Hans Söhnker, and Trude Hesterberg.
The military ranks of the German Empire were the ranks used by the military of the German Empire. It inherited the various traditions and military ranks of its constituent states.
Counterfeiters is a 1940 German crime film directed by Hermann Pfeiffer and starring Kirsten Heiberg, Rudolf Fernau and Karin Himboldt.
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