German actors who played German WW2 uniforms in movies/drama

Fiction, movies, alternate history, humor, and other non-research topics related to WWII.

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panzermahn
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German actors who played German WW2 uniforms in movies/drama

Post by panzermahn »

Hi Feldgrauens,

I had a question about why some German/Austrian actors who played German WW2 military officers/soldiers kept on repeating that type of role as though it is some kind of stereotype but yet they still managed to do a quite a good job in it?

For example, in the 60s, 70s and 80s, we have Hardy Krueger, Maximillian Schell, Wolfgang Preiss, Curt Jurgens, Hans von Borsody to name a few who usually played as German soldiers or officers in WW2 war movies/dramas.

In the 80s, 90s and the 2000s, we have Jurgen Prochnow, Thomas Kretschmann, Christian Berkel, Justus von Dohanyi doing the same thing.

Take Kretschmann for example, he played a German lieutenant in the movie Stalingrad, a submarine commander in the movie U-571, a German officer again in the movie Pianist, a U-Boat first officer in the movie "In Enemy Hands", a German SS general in the movie Der Untergang and now a German general in the upcoming Valkryie.

Christian Berkel also played as a German officer in the movie Der Untergang, Paul Anderson's The Black Book and also in the upcoming Valkyrie.

Thought I would say they did a very good job in it.

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Post by Tom Houlihan »

I had a question about why some German/Austrian actors who played German WW2 military officers/soldiers kept on repeating that type of role as though it is some kind of stereotype but yet they still managed to do a quite a good job in it?
'Cuz they can do a better job of playing a German than someone like, oh, say, Tom Cruise?
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Post by panzermahn »

Well Tom, I would say you're right but to be fair with Herr Cruise, let's see how is his performance in Valkyrie before anyone were to made any judgement about him :)

Regard
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Post by Tom Houlihan »

I will give credit where credit is due. I have been impressed with his performance in the last two of his films I saw: Collateral and Last Samurai. I think he did a good job in those. He's come a long way since Risky Business!! I am looking forward to seeing Valkyrie. Now if they had just hired some of the Feldgrau Experten to help, we'd know it would be a great film!
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Post by Marc Binazzi »

Gert Fröbe also took the uniform a number of times, including that of General von Choltitz in "Is Paris burning?" (1966)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060814/
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Post by Doktor Krollspell »

Hello Fellow Movie lovers!

Don't forget Sam Peckinpah's classic "Cross of Iron" (1977) where many of the supporting cast were german actors. Yes, there was Maximilian Schell but also many others... And of course the beautiful Senta Berger from Austria! :wink:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074695/


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Marc Binazzi
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Post by Marc Binazzi »

Doktor Krollspell wrote:
Don't forget Sam Peckinpah's classic "Cross of Iron" (1977) where many of the supporting cast were german actors.
Is this the movie where David Warner's haircut makes him looks more like a hippie than a true Landser? :?
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Post by Doktor Krollspell »

That's the one, Marc!

David Warner as Hauptmann Kiesel
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Still, as an old Peckinpah fan, I think that the movie's combat scenes still holds today. From a 30 year perspective...

Great movie!


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Post by Marc Binazzi »

something else about that movie: make sure a Russian woman has taken her dentures out before she starts working on you... :oops:
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Post by Cott Tiger »

Personally I prefer German actors to play German parts in films. I also much prefer Germans speaking German in films, especially ones about WWII.

For example, Der Untergang felt so much more authentic, I believe, precisely because the majority of the actors were native Germans or Austrians and it was all spoken in German. Bruno Gantz’s mesmeric Hitler rants simply would not have had the same impact were they done in English with a crap German accent.

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Post by Uli »

In my own youth, these Germans and Austrians were to be found in virtually every film centering on the European conflict:

Karl-Michael Vogler

Anton Diffring

Friedrich von Ledebur

Werner Peters

Hans Christian Blech

Karl Otto-Alberty

Oskar Werner

O.E. Hasse
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Re: German actors who played German WW2 uniforms in movies/drama

Post by nebelwerferXXX »

Karl Otto-Alberty in The Battle of the Bulge, Raid on Rommel & Kelly's Heroes
Anton Diffring in Where Eagles Dare & Operation Daybreak
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Re: German actors who played German WW2 uniforms in movies/drama

Post by panzermahn »

Ah, not forgetting Wolf Kahler (in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Force 10 from Navarone and Band of Brothers) and Michael Byrne who played a lot of German officers role (but the latter was an Englishman 8) )
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Re: German actors who played German WW2 uniforms in movies/drama

Post by Annelie »

What about Horst Buchholz?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2818167.stm

In Life is Beautiful he played a Nazi doctor.
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Post by L. Kafka »

Curious how many German soldiers came over to the (western) Allies as (name slips me) in this movie. Good storyline that could be remake movie material, since WWII seems to be the war that keeps on giving movie material.
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