Name: Wozzeck
Released: 1962
Duration: 1 min 21 s
Cast: Kurt Meisel, Helga Zulch, Arno Paulsen, Richard Haussler, Paul Henkels

Cast & Crew

Film Details

Release Date

Jan 1962

Premiere Information

New York opening: 2 Mar 1962

Production Company

DEFA

Distribution Company

Brandon Films

Country

Germany (East)

Screenplay Information

Based on the play Wozzeck by Georg Büchner (Munich, 8 Nov 1913).

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 21m

Synopsis

A group of medical students, a doctor, and poet Georg Büchner stand around Wozzeck's body after he has been hanged. Büchner defends the young man and tells his story: In Prussia during the 1930's, Wozzeck is called to serve in the army. Uneducated and impoverished, the inarticulate youth quietly suffers abuse and humiliation at the hands of his arrogant captain. Wozzeck's only moments of pleasure are those spent with Marie, a young woman who has borne him a son. To provide them with a little extra money, he agrees to subject himself to a series of nutrition experiments. In time, the senseless tests, coupled with his brutal treatment as a soldier, result in Wozzeck's mental and physical deterioration. His spirit is completely broken when his sergeant-major publicly flaunts the news that he is having an affair with Marie. With all the townspeople jeering, Wozzeck's frustration explodes, and he murders his beloved Marie.