Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- martial
- solemn
- heightened
- historical film study
- classic cinema viewing
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film dramatizes the defense of Kolberg through a nationalist lens and was produced as a German propaganda film during 1945.
Kolberg's population refuses capitulation and collectively organizes the city's defense against the French army.
The isolated city is subjected to massive bombardments, making urban destruction and defensive warfare central to the film's presentation.
The resistance of Kolberg's citizens and the involvement of Prussian commanders frame defense of the city as a collective moral obligation.
Films like Kolberg, and why
The Patriot
historical war drama centered on national resistance, military defeat, and patriotic sacrifice
Waterloo
large-scale historical war spectacle with communal defense against an invading army
Triumph of the Will
state-supported historical epic combining battlefield action with overt political messaging
Movie Details
- Director
- Veit Harlan
- Release Date
- 1945-01-30
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (12)
Cast
- Heinrich George
- Kristina Söderbaum
- Horst Caspar
- Gustav Diessl
- Paul Wegener
- Claus Clausen
- Irene von Meyendorff
- Paul Bildt
- Kurt Meisel
- Franz Schafheitlin
Common questions
- What is Kolberg about?
- A lavish wartime historical epic turns Kolberg’s resistance to Napoleon into a fervent portrait of civic defiance and national sacrifice.
- What is Kolberg like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Kolberg as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Kolberg violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Kolberg as graphic.
- Which films are like Kolberg?
- Films with a similar feel include The Patriot, Waterloo, and Triumph of the Will.
- How long is Kolberg?
- Kolberg runs 110 minutes.
