'Die Entlassung' ('The Dismissal') was the Third Reich's sequel to 'BIsmarck', a blatant piece of Nazi agitprop which was nonetheless a box-office success during Germany's wartime economy. Although 'Die Entlassung' is just as much a piece of propaganda as 'Bismarck', from a cinematic viewpoint it's also vastly superior to its predecessor. Wolfgang Liebeneiner, who directed both films, does a moderately better job in the sequel. More significantly, this film has a much better cast than its predecessor. The key roles of Otto von Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm the First are played here (unlike in the first film) respectively by the great Emil Jannings and the underrated Theodor Loos. There are also good performances by Werner Krauss and Bernhard Goetzke.
Emil Jannings plays von Bismarck with a bald head and a walrush moustache, which could easily have given him a laughable appearance ... especially as his moustache is slightly askew in several scenes. But Jannings's dignity and his strong presence in this role easily overcome any problems with his appearance.
Although WIlhelm the First was a major character in 'Bismarck', in the sequel Theodor Loos appears only briefly in this role. 'Die Entlassung' opens with the deaths of the Kaiser and Friedrich Wilhelm the Third, leading to the accession of Kaiser Wilhelm the Second (who plunged Europe into the Great War). Wilhelm the Second famously had a withered arm, but the obscure actor who plays Kaiser Billy in this movie makes no attempt to duplicate this handicap. The filmmakers' decision to depict Kaiser Wilhelm with two normal arms is rather like depicting Long John Silver without a pegleg.
SPOILERS COMING. Oddly for a propaganda film, 'Die Entlassung' ends with the downfall of its central figure. Members of the Kaiser's court have cooked up a scheme similar to the Dreyfus Affair, charging Bismarck with concealing important documents from the Kaiser. Bismarck is forced to resign in disgrace. I don't know enough about the true history of Otto von Bismarck to say if this is accurate or not, but I suspect that it never happened. Emil Jannings tended to play masochistic roles: proud respected figures who experience degrading downfalls. The casting of Jannings in the lead role may have been a factor in deciding the bizarre ending of this movie.
The production values and the period detail in this film are excellent, and the brilliant cameraman Fritz Arno Wagner provides some enthralling camera set-ups. I very grudgingly give credit to the anonymous person in the Third Reich's film industry who decided to let this movie tell a good story rather than exclusively serving Nazi agitprop. I'll rate 'Die Entlassung' 6 points out of 10. If it hadn't been made by Nazis, I might have rated it one point higher.
Emil Jannings plays von Bismarck with a bald head and a walrush moustache, which could easily have given him a laughable appearance ... especially as his moustache is slightly askew in several scenes. But Jannings's dignity and his strong presence in this role easily overcome any problems with his appearance.
Although WIlhelm the First was a major character in 'Bismarck', in the sequel Theodor Loos appears only briefly in this role. 'Die Entlassung' opens with the deaths of the Kaiser and Friedrich Wilhelm the Third, leading to the accession of Kaiser Wilhelm the Second (who plunged Europe into the Great War). Wilhelm the Second famously had a withered arm, but the obscure actor who plays Kaiser Billy in this movie makes no attempt to duplicate this handicap. The filmmakers' decision to depict Kaiser Wilhelm with two normal arms is rather like depicting Long John Silver without a pegleg.
SPOILERS COMING. Oddly for a propaganda film, 'Die Entlassung' ends with the downfall of its central figure. Members of the Kaiser's court have cooked up a scheme similar to the Dreyfus Affair, charging Bismarck with concealing important documents from the Kaiser. Bismarck is forced to resign in disgrace. I don't know enough about the true history of Otto von Bismarck to say if this is accurate or not, but I suspect that it never happened. Emil Jannings tended to play masochistic roles: proud respected figures who experience degrading downfalls. The casting of Jannings in the lead role may have been a factor in deciding the bizarre ending of this movie.
The production values and the period detail in this film are excellent, and the brilliant cameraman Fritz Arno Wagner provides some enthralling camera set-ups. I very grudgingly give credit to the anonymous person in the Third Reich's film industry who decided to let this movie tell a good story rather than exclusively serving Nazi agitprop. I'll rate 'Die Entlassung' 6 points out of 10. If it hadn't been made by Nazis, I might have rated it one point higher.