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Die Ratten
1955 Drama
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Credits
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Director: Robert Siodmak
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Script: Gerhart Hauptmann, Jochen Huth
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Photo: Göran Strindberg
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Music: Werner Eisbrenner
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Cast: Maria Schell (Pauline Karka),
Curd Jürgens (Bruno Mechelke),
Heidemarie Hatheyer (Anna John),
Gustav Knuth (Karl John),
Ilse Steppat (Frau Knobbe),
Fritz Remond (Harro Hassenreuter),
Barbara Rost (Selma Knobbe)
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Country: West Germany
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Language: German
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Runtime: 97 min; B&W
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Aka: The Rats; Les Rats
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Summary
Soon after World War II, a penniless young refugee, Pauline Karka, wanders Berlin
looking for the boyfriend who has abandoned her. Pregnant and alone, she has no
option but to accept the offer of another woman, Anna, to buy her child. After the
birth, Pauline has a change of heart and feels compelled to reclaim her newborn child.
Anna and her brother Bruno try unsuccessfully to buy her off. When this fails, Anna
decides that drastic measures are called for...
Review
Die Ratten is the first film that director Robert
Siodmak made in his native Germany after his successful period in Hollywood. The
film was based on a play of the same name by the Nobel Prize winning author Gerhard Hauptmann,
who was renowned for his hard-hitting social dramas. Instead of a naturalistic approach,
Siodmak chose to employ the stylised film noir look which he perfected during his time
in Hollywood. Whilst this does diminish the realism of the drama somewhat and introduces
an element of theatricality, it does accentuate the darker aspects of the story, and Siodmak
manages to capture the pathos and brutality of his subject without slipping into tedious
melodrama. Compelling performances from Maria Schell and Curd Jürgens
bolster the impact of this film, one of Siodmak’s best and winner of the Golden Bear at
the 1955 Berlin Film Festival.
© James Travers 2007
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