Familie Benthin

In 1949, the brothers Theo (Hans-Georg Rudolph) and Gustav Benthin (Werner Pledath) are the owners of the Merkur works, Theo in the west and Gustav in the east of Germany. They take advantage of the division of the country by making a profit from smuggling. The East German police get on their trail and arrest Gustav. His chauffeur Peter Naumann (Ottokar Runze) is able to flee to the West. He joins the Foreign Legion. Peter's sister, who had already gone to the West, returns to her mother in the East, finding neither work nor accommodation...

The film 'Familie Benthin' was made as a propaganda mission of the SED to influence the GDR population for the 1950 elections. Renowned authors such as Johannes R. Becher and Ehm Welk worked on the screenplay. Kurt Maetzig, Slatan Dudow and Richard Groschopp staged as a collective. The intention of the influence is explained by the black-and-white drawing of the characters. The turmoil of the post-war period with refugees, emergency shelters and night bars is nevertheless relatively apt. Peter is played by Ottokar Runze, who later became a director in the West.