DIE BRÜCKE

Refugees, expelled from the former eastern territories of Germany after the end of the Second World War, on their way to the city that is to become their new home. It's a long train of people, reminiscent of a river overflowing its banks. Then come the comments of the townspeople: “What kind of people are they?” And: “Nobody wants you here!”. An irrational fear of the “stranger” is rampant, as well as the worry of having to give up some of one's own wealth. Popular opinion triumphs over humanity. A wooden bridge connecting the barracks and the city is deliberately destroyed. Then however a devastating fire breaks out and all possible help is needed. Artur Pohl's melodrama is the only German film that, in the period immediately after the Second World War, condensed the issue of the displaced into a feature film plot. A parable about the facets of the human existence ranging from egoism and practical help in life, to despair and self-assuredness. In Brandenburg alone 200,000 refugees had to be accommodated; the newcomers made up 20 percent of the population. RS