Der Große König/The Great King (Film 1942 - ENG SUB)

The Great King (German: Der große König) 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. Audio in German with English subtitles (click on CC for subtitles).

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.

The film received the rare "Film of the Nation" distinction. It was part of a popular cycle of "Prussian films". Director Veit Harlan won the Mussolini Cup for Best Foreign Film at the 1942 Venice Film Festival. This is the 16th and last time when Otto Gebühr is portraying King Frederic II. of Prussia.

The eagle on the Prussian flag at the beginning of the movie was used in Prussia after WWI, about 200 years after Frederic the Great. The closing credits show the lyrics to the poem "You black eagle" while a song with these words are sang.

The opening credits says "The work on this movie started in the early summer of the year 1940. In its important scenes it stays faithful to the historical facts and depicts mostly the tasks of the 7-year-war in which the superior character of the king had to be challenged. Especially here he grew to a height which is unique in whole history. The main quotes of the king are from his own mouth."

The filming of the movie started in 1940, still during the Hitler-Stalin pact. After Germany attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941 the portrayal of the Russian army was reworked and the scene had to be reworked to make them more negative. Especially the character of Sachar Tchernyshov was changed to more negative cliches, being portrayed as a greedy but simple-minded Russian while the actual Tchernyshov was the leader of a corp with 15000 men, which Czar Peter III of Russia gave to the Prussian King.

Otto Gebühr as Frederick II.
Kristina Söderbaum as Luise Treskow
Gustav Fröhlich as Treskow
Hans Nielsen as Niehoff
Paul Wegener as General Czernitscheff
Paul Henckels as Grenadier Spiller
Elisabeth Flickenschildt as Spiller's Wife
Kurt Meisel as Alfons
Hilde Körber as Elisabeth Christine
Claus Clausen as Prince Henry the Older
Klaus Detlef Sierck as Prince Henry the Younger
Herbert Hübner as Count Finkenstein
Franz Schafheitlin as Commandant Bernburg
Otto F. Henning as General von Finken
Reginald Pasch as General Manteufel
Otto Graf as General Seydlitz
Heinrich Schroth as General Balthasar Rudolf von Schenckendorf
Leopold von Ledebur as General von Retzow