Ernst Thälmann – Son of the Working Class
Ernst Thälmann - Sohn seiner Klasse
This film is the first of a two-part historical and biographical portrait of the communist politician and anti-fascist Ernst Thälmann. In early November 1918, Ernst Thälmann is an unwilling soldier serving on the western front. As the revolutionary movement at home is threatened by the betrayal of the Social Democrats and fissures in the working class, Thälmann calls on his fellow soldiers to put down their weapons and unite with the workers in the communist struggle at home. Thälmann’s qualms about which side he is fighting on continue, but when the local police attempt to prevent a shipment of provisions and supplies from reaching the people in Petrograd, he intervenes and the ship is unloaded. With this moment of clarity, Thälmann continues to follow his political convictions and joins the workers at the Hamburg uprising in October 1923.
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Cast
Gerhard Bienert
as Otto Kramer
Erich Brauer
as Freese
Rudolf Klix
as Willbrandt
Hans Klering
as Asmussen
Hans-Edgar Stecher
as Peter Brinkmann
Erika Dunkelmann
as Martha Vierbreiter
Steffie Spira
as Clara Zetkin
Karl Kendzia
as Adolf Wahlkeit
Peter Schorn
as Lenin
Charlotte Küter
as Frau mit Revolver
Harry Studt
as Oberst im Geheimdienst
Günther Simon
as Ernst Thälmann
Wilfried Ortmann
as Hannes Harms
Willi Schwabe
as Berber
Walter Lendrich
as Häftling
Hans Fiebrandt
as Frontsoldat
Carl Lange
as Zweiter Arbeiter
Johannes Arpe
as Höhn
Raimund Schelcher
as Krischan Daik
Karla Runkehl
as Änne Harms
Werner Pledath
as Hauck
Karl Brenk
as Hinnerk
Martin Flörchinger
as Karl Liebknecht
Hans-Peter Minetti
as Fiete Jansen
Nico Turoff
as Brandler
Friedrich Gnaß
as Hauswirt
Erich Franz
as Arthur Vierbreiter
Werner Peters
as Hauptmann Quadde
Lotte Loebinger
as Emma Kramer