Duped Till Doomsday

The story

East Germany's contribution to the 1957 Cannes Film Festival was the wartime melodrama Betrogen bis zum Juengsten Tag. Had the film been released in the U.S., the title would probably have translated to Duped Till the Last. The film condemns the Nazi mindset by concentrating on a particularly odious cover-up. When his son is involved in the accidental killing of a girl, a Gestapo general pulls strings to save the boy from prosecution. The general manages to pin the blame for the killing on a group of Russians, whereupon he gives the men under his command carte blanche to round up and execute as many innocent Russians as they wish. This act of brutality is contrasted with the pangs of guilt suffered by the son and his co-conspirators.

Cast

R Rudolf UlrichCorporal Wagner Karl W Wolfgang KielingPrivate Lick E Erich BrauerHauptfeldwebel H Hans-Joachim MartensUpper gunner Paulun Thomas W Walther Suessenguthcaptain von der Saale R Renate KüsterAngelika, his daughter P Peter KiwittGeneral of the Waffen-SS Lick H Hermann DieckhoffDivision commander K Kurt Ulrichlieutenant H Hannes FischerKitchen sergeant H Helga RaumerInnkeeper daughter P Paul PfingstSS man

See more cast

C Carlo KlugeSS man W Werner SenftlebenSergeant in the shooting range H Hermann Mayer-FalkowMajor in the shooting range H Horst KubeSoldier in the telephone exchange W Wolfgang LippertVoss G Gerhard LauGas, sergeant L Lu Marekrussian peasant woman S Siegfried Weil W Walter Wickenhauser