Monday, August 24, 2015

Prairie Scout in Mexico (TV)



Präriejäger in Mexiko – German title
Охотники в прериях Мексики – Russian title
Prairie Scout in Mexico – English title

A 1987 East German television production [DEFA (East Berlin, Babelsburg)]
Producer:
Director: Hans Knötzsch
Story: ‘Benito Jaurez’, ‘Trapper Geierschnabel’ by Karl May
Teleplay: Hans Knötzsch
Photography: Horst Hardt [color]
Music: Karl-Ernst Sasse
Running time: 90 minutes

Cast:
Barenauge/Bears Eye – Gojko Mitic
Black Gerard – Koljo Dontchev
Benito Juarez – Helmut Schellhardt
Claw/Vultures Beak – Djoko Rosic
Andre Straubinger – Andreas-Schmidt-Schaller
Emilia – Renata Sraltscheva
Don Pedro Arbellez – Wilfried Pucher
Commander – Horst Schulze
Residella – Ulrike Mai (Ulrike Kunze)
Pablo Cortejo – Leon Niemczyk
Josefa Cortejo – Anamaria Ghiuseleva (Anna Maria Petrova)
Passo – Jan Spitzer
Kaiser Maximilian – Erwin Berner (Erwin Strittmatter, Jr)
Pirnero – Hans Knotzsch
Lord Lindsay – Heinz Schroder (Karl Schroder)
Captain – Pedro Hebenstreit
Empress Charlotta – Sabine Unger
General Merija – Rolf Mey-Dahl
Marshall Bazaine – Werner Ehrlicher
Porter – Joachim Siebenschuh
Casal – Eckhardt Bilz
Colonel Lamarel – Giso Weissbach
Lalo – Günter Schubert
With: Michael Narloch, Roland Seidler, Anita Herbst, Brigitte Beier, Theresia Wider, Roman-Eckhard Galonska, Gerd Staiger, Peter Pauli, Vsevolod Safonov, Swetlana Swetlilschnaja, Ernst Steiner, Harald Engelmann, Jorg Kleinau, Klaus Tilsner, Dimiter Keechajov, Nikolai Klissurov, Jurgen Holzel


Mexico 1865. Kaiser Austrian Archduke Maximilian is opposed by the Mexican people who have elected Benito Juárez as President.

Fighting on his side is Black Gerard, the chief of the Mixtecas Indians Bears Eye, and the famous Trapper Claw against the French.  The French fail in their attempt to try and prevent an arms shipment to the bandits lead by Pablo Cortejo, who wants to seize power with President Juarez to be with his daughter Josefa.

In a small tavern owned by Pirnero, who constantly keeps looking for suitors for his daughter Residella, André has his headquarters, he also sympathizes with Juarez. From him André is commissioned, the spy Emilia to contact after the Gerard and almost falls into the hands of the French.

As the bandit Cortejo, waits at the Hacienda del Erina, Gerard comes to the rescue.  Fleeing Cortejo he falls into the hands of the Mixtecas Indians, but is saved by his companions Porter. A raid of the two on the tavern of Pirnero goes wrong.  Once again the Gerard is there in time. On Cortejos head a warrant is issued. When seeing this, his world collapses and he commits suicide.  Afterward President Juarez expels the French, which concludes with a "Happy Ending" for Gerard and also Pirnero, whose daughter Residella is in his arms.

A 2 part TV mini-series from East Germany made in the year 1988, at the DEFA-Studio for feature films was based on the writings of Karl May. Parts of the plot are the same as the West German Karl May movie "The Pyramid of the Sun God "(1965).  The first part, "Benito Juarez" was shown on December 25, 1988 and the second part, "Claw". Part one was shown on December 28, 1988 as a program of the GDR broadcasting network.

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