1949 film
The Blue Swords (German: Die blauen Schwerter) is a 1949 East German historical drama film directed by Wolfgang Schleif and starring Hans Quest, Ilse Steppat and Alexander Engel.[1] It sold more than 3,299,432 tickets.[2] The film portrays the life of Johann Friedrich Böttger. The title refers to the symbol of Meissen, a pair of crossed swords. Böttger's story had previously been turned into a 1935 film The King's Prisoner, released during the Nazi era.
The sets were designed by the art directors Karl Schneider and Erich Zander. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in East Berlin.
Synopsis
Johann Böttger, an alchemist of the early eighteenth century, is held prisoner by the Elector of Saxony who wants him to discover the secret of gold production. Failing to accomplish this, which he knows to be impossible, Böttger instead works to develop porcelain.
Cast
See also
References
Bibliography
- Séan Allan & Sebastian Heiduschke. Re-Imagining DEFA: East German Cinema in its National and Transnational Contexts. Berghahn Books, 2016.
External links
