In Process Record

During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), five International Brigade soldiers of different nationalities are given a crucial assignment as their commander lies dying: they are to smuggle top-secret information across enemy lines. Shot mainly in Bulgaria and starring Academy nominee Armin Mueller-Stahl (The Flight, Shine, Jacob the Liar) and Manfred Krug (Trace of Stones), this film was the young Frank Beyer's stylistic tour de force. The plot is based on scriptwriter Walter Gorrish's own experience in the International Brigades. Ernst Busch, a famous singer and actor (Kuhle Wampe, 1932), who also joined the International Brigades, sings the Song of the Lincoln Battalion, which became the anthem for veterans of the Battle of Jarama in 1937, particularly those from the Lincoln Battalion, founded by American volunteers

Title from title frames

Features: Erwin Geschonneck, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Manfred Krug, Ulrich Thein, Ernst-Georg Schwill, Edwin Marian

Originally produced by DEFA Film Library in 1960

Mode of access: World Wide Web

In German