Zarah Leander was a Swedish singer and actress whose greatest success was in Germany between 1936 and 1943, when she was contracted to work for the state-owned Universum Film AG (UFA). Although no exact record sales numbers exist, she was probably among Europe's best-selling recording artists in the years prior to 1945. Her involvement with UFA caused her films and lyrics to be identified as Nazi propaganda. Though she had taken no public political position and was dubbed an "Enemy of Germany" by Joseph Goebbels, she remained a controversial figure for the rest of her life. As a singer Leander was known for her confident style and her dark, veiled voice.
Brigitte Horney was a German theatre and film actress. Best remembered was her role as Empress Katherine the Great in the 1943 version of the UFA film version of Baron Münchhausen, directed by Josef von Báky, with Hans Albers in the title role.
Willy Birgel, born Wilhelm Maria Birgel, was a German theatre and film actor.
Eduard von Borsody was an Austrian cameraman, film editor, film director, and screenplay writer.
The term state actor has had different meanings in recent German history. In Nazi Germany, it was the highest title that could be awarded to a stage actor. Since 1945, the meaning has changed. In Baden-Württemberg, it is no longer simply a title of honor, but an official position.
Carl Raddatz was a German stage and film actor. Raddatz was a leading man of German cinema during the Nazi era appearing in a number of propaganda films and romances. Later in his career he developed a reputation for playing benevolent father figures.
City of Anatol is a 1936 German drama film directed by Viktor Tourjansky and starring Gustav Fröhlich, Brigitte Horney and Fritz Kampers. It is based on a 1932 novel City of Anatol by Bernhard Kellermann. The film is set in a small city in the Balkans, where the discovery of oil leads to a major boom. A separate French language version Wells in Flames was made, also directed by Tourjansky but featuring a different cast.
Target in the Clouds is a 1939 German drama film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Albert Matterstock, Leny Marenbach and Brigitte Horney. It was based on a novel by Hans Rabl. The film portrays the struggles of the fictional German aviation pioneer Walter von Suhr, an officer in the pre-First World War German army who saw the potential for military aircraft.
The Blue Fox is a 1938 German comedy film directed by Viktor Tourjansky and starring Zarah Leander, Willy Birgel and Paul Hörbiger. It was based on a play by the Hungarian writer Ferenc Herczeg. It includes the song Kann denn Liebe Sünde sein.
Melody of a Great City is a 1943 musical drama film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Hilde Krahl, Werner Hinz and Karl John. A young woman moves to Berlin to work as a press photographer.
Liberated Hands or Freed Hands is a 1939 German drama film directed by Hans Schweikart and starring Brigitte Horney, Olga Tschechowa and Ewald Balser. It was screened at the 8th Venice International Film Festival. Horney plays a sculptor who discovers her true vocation.
You and I is a 1938 German romance film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Brigitte Horney, Joachim Gottschalk and Paul Bildt.
Captain Wronski is a 1954 West German spy film directed by Ulrich Erfurth and starring Willy Birgel, Elisabeth Flickenschildt, and Antje Weisgerber. A Polish officer works undercover in 1930s Berlin to discover Nazi Germany's plans against his homeland.
Men Without a Fatherland is a 1937 German drama film directed by Herbert Maisch and starring Willy Fritsch, Maria von Tasnady and Willy Birgel.
Enemies is a 1940 German drama film directed by Viktor Tourjansky and starring Brigitte Horney, Willy Birgel and Reinhold Lütjohann. The film was a Nazi propaganda work, attacking Poland which Germany had invaded the year before. The film's sets were designed by Herbert Hochreiter, Alfred Metscher and Julius von Borsody.
We Danced Around the World is a 1939 German musical film directed by Karl Anton and starring Charlotte Thiele, Irene von Meyendorff, and Carola Höhn. It is a backstage musical. The film's sets were designed by Paul Markwitz and Fritz Maurischat.
Savoy Hotel 217 is a 1936 German drama film directed by Gustav Ucicky and starring Hans Albers, Brigitte Horney and Alexander Engel.
The Eternal Dream is a 1934 German historical film directed by Arnold Fanck and starring Sepp Rist and Brigitte Horney. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Robert Herlth and Werner Schlichting.
The Governor is a 1939 German drama film directed by Viktor Tourjansky and starring Brigitte Horney, Willy Birgel and Hannelore Schroth. It is based on the play Die Fahne by Emmerich Groh.
