Cold War steel drama where bribery meets broken hearts on a divided ridge.
The Luisin ridge is divided not only by the river, but also by the zone boundary. The old CEO Högler still lives in the west, the eastern part has been expropriated and is managed by the chief engineer Dr. Tellen. He is working on a new steel production process that Högler absolutely needs. Högler's means to achieve his goal are bribery, espionage and slander. Trade union member Maria Steinitz almost becomes a victim of slander. However, the intrigue is exposed and Hogler's criminal intentions are thwarted. At a large production meeting, the old people's controller Hufland exposes the true culprits. Maria and Fritz Rottmann, a trade unionist from Munich, who have known each other since the days of the anti-fascist resistance, embrace each other.
Direction
Gustav von Wangenheim's final film, made under Soviet zone supervision.
Production
Authentic industrial locations in early East Germany's steel heartland.
Director
Gustav von Wangenheim
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
One of the first DEFA productions explicitly framing West German industry as morally corrupt, setting the template for decades of GDR cinema.
Director Gustav von Wangenheim was a communist who fled Nazi Germany; his wife Inge plays Maria, making this a family affair of ideological commitment.
XG
