Homecoming (1928 film)
1928 film directed by Joe May

Homecoming (German: Heimkehr) is a 1928 German silent war drama film directed by Joe May and starring Lars Hanson, Dita Parlo, and Gustav Fröhlich. A sound version was prepared with the help of Paramount Pictures. While the sound version has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. The sound version was more widely exhibited than the silent version due to the general public's apathy to silent films.
It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin and on location in Hamburg. The film's sets were designed by the art director Artur Schwarz.
Plot
Richard and Karl are German prisoners of war in Siberia. Since escape is almost impossible, they are unguarded and live an almost idyllic existence running a ferry. Richard misses his wife Anna greatly; he literally counts the days since he's seen her and tells Karl about her and their home in detail. When he decides to escape, Karl comes with him.
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