Der Untertan (film)
1951 East German film
The Kaiser's Lackey (German: der Untertan; also known in English as Man of Straw and The Loyal Subject) is a 1951 East German film directed by Wolfgang Staudte, based on Heinrich Mann's 1918 satirical novel by the same name.
Plot
Diederich Heßling is a typical Prussian subject of pre-World War I Germany: he is blindly loyal to Kaiser Wilhelm II and deeply admires him, supports extreme nationalist policies and his country's militaristic tradition and claims to be an honorable, just person. In spite of this, he evades military service and uses his connections with government officials to destroy his business rivals. Heßling's life, from his childhood, is characterized by being slavishly subservient to his superiors while tyrannizing those below him.
When Heßling unveils a monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I before his city's dignitaries, he carries a speech in which he announces that Germany cannot prosper in peace, but can only achieve glory on the battlefield. A storm breaks, scattering the attendants, but he continues his speech, waving his fist at the sky. As he bows before the statue before leaving, the background music changes to Listz's préludes, and Die Deutsche Wochenschau's opening signal is heard. The picture blurs, and the statue is seen again amid the ruins of the city, destroyed after the bombings of World War II. Heßling's last words about the need for war are heard; the narrator announces that so has he spoken then, and many others after him - until this very day.
Cast
Werner Peters as Diederich Heßling
Paul Esser as von Wulckow
Renate Fischer as Guste Daimchen
Ernst Legal as Pastor Zillich
Raimund Schelcher as Dr. Wolfgang Buck
Eduard von Winterstein as Buck senior
Friedrich Maurer as Göppel
Sabine Thalbach as Agnes Göppel
Hannsgeorg Laubenthal as Mahlmann
Paul Mederow as Dr.
“Der Untertan (film)” enters the record as 1951 East German film. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Untertan, film and East can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q316628. VIAF identifies the subject as 200819014. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1951 and 1918.
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