Karin Ugowski in Osceola (1971)
East-German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, Berlin, no. 5/71 D h. Photo: DEFA. Karin Ugowski in Osceola (Konrad Petzold, 1971).
Osceola (1971) is a DEFA Ostern by director Konrad Petzold and the Red Circle group from 1971. The 'Red Western', made in cooperation with Kino-Zentrum Sofia (Bulgaria) and ICAIC Havana (Cuba), is about the struggle of the Indian chief Osceola and his tribe for their arable and grazing land in southern North America, which they have to defend against rich white Americans. On the other hand, the film also deals with the role of the black population in this conflict.
Osceola (Konrad Petzold, 1971) is situated in Florida, 1830. Of all eastern Native American tribes, only the Seminoles have resisted being moved to reservations. Having retreated to Florida, they live a simple horticultural life. But white plantation owners, angry at the increasing numbers of black slaves fleeing to Seminole protection, want to take their land. Plantation owner Raynes (Horst Schulze), in particular, has convinced the military to wipe out the Seminoles. His rival Moore (Iurie Darie), a sawmill owner from the North who has a Seminole wife, is against slavery and considers it unprofitable. Chief Osceola (Gojko Mitic) sees the coming danger. When a gunboat takes a large number of escaped slaves under fire, Osceola realises that he can no longer prevent the war and intervenes. First, he frees his wife from the hands of Raynes, killing Hammer and setting fire to the mansion, then he uses a ruse to blow up the gunboat. In the end, the escaped slaves are able to flee on boats along with the Indians. Moore, whose sawmill was destroyed by the gunboat, flees north as he no longer has a livelihood in Florida. For the Seminoles, this is the beginning of a seven-year war that will claim many more victims on both sides.
Osceola, produced by the East German film studio DEFA, was primarily filmed in Cuba and Bulgaria by an East-German crew. Director Konrad Petzold had also directed Yugoslavian star Gojko Mitic' two previous 'Osterns' (communist Westerns), Weisse Wölfe/White Wolves (1969) and Tödlicher Irrtum/Fatal Error (1970). "A straightforwardly told Indian film" was the verdict of the Encyclopaedia of International Film. At IMDb, somebody under the name of Unbroken Metal reviews: "Osceola is a bit slow sometimes, too much singing and talking in between the action sequences, but it is interesting for its historical background, rather different from the usual Prairie Indians. Somebody gets a credit for "scientific advice" in the titles to point out it was well researched..."
Source: Wikipedia (German), and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Karin Ugowski in Osceola (1971)
East-German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, Berlin, no. 5/71 D h. Photo: DEFA. Karin Ugowski in Osceola (Konrad Petzold, 1971).
Osceola (1971) is a DEFA Ostern by director Konrad Petzold and the Red Circle group from 1971. The 'Red Western', made in cooperation with Kino-Zentrum Sofia (Bulgaria) and ICAIC Havana (Cuba), is about the struggle of the Indian chief Osceola and his tribe for their arable and grazing land in southern North America, which they have to defend against rich white Americans. On the other hand, the film also deals with the role of the black population in this conflict.
Osceola (Konrad Petzold, 1971) is situated in Florida, 1830. Of all eastern Native American tribes, only the Seminoles have resisted being moved to reservations. Having retreated to Florida, they live a simple horticultural life. But white plantation owners, angry at the increasing numbers of black slaves fleeing to Seminole protection, want to take their land. Plantation owner Raynes (Horst Schulze), in particular, has convinced the military to wipe out the Seminoles. His rival Moore (Iurie Darie), a sawmill owner from the North who has a Seminole wife, is against slavery and considers it unprofitable. Chief Osceola (Gojko Mitic) sees the coming danger. When a gunboat takes a large number of escaped slaves under fire, Osceola realises that he can no longer prevent the war and intervenes. First, he frees his wife from the hands of Raynes, killing Hammer and setting fire to the mansion, then he uses a ruse to blow up the gunboat. In the end, the escaped slaves are able to flee on boats along with the Indians. Moore, whose sawmill was destroyed by the gunboat, flees north as he no longer has a livelihood in Florida. For the Seminoles, this is the beginning of a seven-year war that will claim many more victims on both sides.
Osceola, produced by the East German film studio DEFA, was primarily filmed in Cuba and Bulgaria by an East-German crew. Director Konrad Petzold had also directed Yugoslavian star Gojko Mitic' two previous 'Osterns' (communist Westerns), Weisse Wölfe/White Wolves (1969) and Tödlicher Irrtum/Fatal Error (1970). "A straightforwardly told Indian film" was the verdict of the Encyclopaedia of International Film. At IMDb, somebody under the name of Unbroken Metal reviews: "Osceola is a bit slow sometimes, too much singing and talking in between the action sequences, but it is interesting for its historical background, rather different from the usual Prairie Indians. Somebody gets a credit for "scientific advice" in the titles to point out it was well researched..."
Source: Wikipedia (German), and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.