User Reviews

Luckily, for all who are curious, this film is easily reached at YouTube. I had downloaded it a while ago, and tonight, after watching two GDR TV episodes with Günter Naumann, I decided to finally watch it.

In brief, it was a very strong experience. (Not because of Naumann, nor even Armin Müller-Stahl. Manfred Krug could easily be spotted by his forehead scar, though irritated with his fake blond hair.) For me, the strongest, and immediately recognizable actor was "Kommissar" Erwin Geschonnek.

Nominally, this is a war film, and there are some small-to-mid-size artillery firings to that claim. But in my opinion it's somehow, weird as it may sound, an amalgam between Western and Bergfilm. The life-endangering struggle of the 7.. 6.. 5.. 4 men to bring a message through to headquarters, split over 5 cartridge shells. The extremely vivid characterization of thirst. The dangers of mountain slopes covered with loose pebbles.

Never mind the political message about Communists/Republicans vs. Fascists/Authoritarians. This works like white hats/black hats in westerns. (After all, the Franquists won that war, and their regime lasted for another 40 years.) I found it more an existentialist story, which is mostly concerned with survival in direst straits. Somehow comparable to Treasure of the Sierra Madre, or Les salaires de la peur. Strong visuals, strong music. I recommend this film very much.

This excellent film of Frank Beyer (also the maker of Spur der Steine) may well have been the source of inspiration for the makers of The Guns of Navarone. Fuenf Patronenhuelsen is among the films, that have established and confirmed the impressive reputation of Defa Studios. Everything in this film works out well. The illustrious casting, with Erwin Geschonneck, Manfred Krug, and Armin Mueller-Stahl. The musical theme Lied von der Jarama Front of Spain-Veteran Ernst Busch. The story. And the film shots of the inhospitable rocky landscape in Bulgaria and the German Harz (Spain itself was still occupied by Franco). It is a shame, that the GDR (East-Germany) government in a selfdestructive act later hindered the professional occupations of some of the film participants. The story is this. During the Spanish Civil War an international battalion of Bolshevists supports the lines and trenches of the peoples army in the mountains around Madrid. A lack of water and ammunition forces them to withdraw to the other side of the river Ebro. Five volunteer soldiers and a radio operator under the command of a commissioner bring up the rear in order to hold the positions for an additional hour and thus cover the retreat. They are essentially thrown on their own resources and their chances for survival will be slim. Soon they lose the radio operator. While searching for him the commissioner encounters enemy troops, and is fatally wounded in the ensuing fight. On his flight he kills a fascist officer, and finds a map of the enemy plan of attack on the dead body. He reaches the five soldiers, and on his deathbed orders them to stick together and bring the map to the army command. The map is divided into five pieces, and each one is hidden in a cartridge-case. The five men set out on their way. The sun is burning vehemently, and the lack of water develops into a terrible ordeal. In the mean time the fascist troops have occupied all water sources in the surroundings. Although the five get some assistance from local villagers, they do not succeed in securing more than a few drops of water. Thrilling is the scene where during the night they pass a bridge that is guarded by an enemy platoon. It reminiscences of similar scenes in the film Bridge On The River Kwai. The narrative combines the suspense of their mission with the deepening of the five characters. One of the men is severely injured. He volunteers to check the progress of the pursuing fascist troops, and dies in the attempt. Characteristic is the lamentation of a fascist officer: "Tell me how these reds manage to survive without water". It expresses how mountains can be moved by the will of men, when they are convinced that their cause is just. This does not mean that the journey goes by without troubles. Time and time again the men incline to stray. Then they remember the words of their commissioner, and his advice to bend with the circumstances. And although the main film theme is undoubtedly collective strength, one of the (now four) men develops into the indispensable informal leader. Eventually they reach the river Ebro, and with the help of the empty water bottles as life-jackets (the leader can't swim!) they succeed in crossing the river. Brilliant! At last they are reunited with the comrades in their battalion. This film clearly deserves much more than the present minimal attention. It must be admitted that non-Europeans and adherents of right-wing politics will have some problems with character identification. Many people see films as just a means for selfconfirmation, or even worse for selfdeceit (in the case of Rambo and James- Bond-like films). However, films are essentially a form of art, which implies the offer of an acquaintance with apparently foreign ideas. In conclusion, if you value suspense, warstories, or character studies, this may be the film for you.

"Fünf Patronenhülsen" is an East German 90-minute movie from 1960, so this one is already over 55 years old. This anniversary was last year. And like with so many of these films from the GDR from that era, it is a black-and-white movie. By today's standards, it is among the more known East German films and this is has certainly partially to do with the fact that it is directed by the late Frank Beyer, who is considered among the (if not the number 1) best filmmakers from the GDR. And the cast includes a couple big names (by relative standards) as well. These would be Manfred Krug, Erwin Geschonneck and Armin Mueller-Stahl. Especially the latter was also a pretty successful Hollywood actor. Back to this film here, it is a war film from the GDR that has nothing to do with Nazi Germany though for a change, but is about the Spanish Civil War that occurred at the same time when Nazis were in power during their first years. I personally must say this was a very bleak and dry film. Some may like this approach, but I did not and I also did not care for any of the characters in here or for what fate would have in store for them. Then again, I am generally not a fan really of GDR cinema and there are very few quality projects only to see from that country, at least from what I have seen so far. This is nowhere near a great film and I would really only recommend this one to people with huge interest in the war depicted in here. I personally am glad it was over quickly. Thumbs down.