Paul Hartmann

Friedrich Kayssler

Hellmuth Bergmann

Günther Hadank

Werner Hinz

Ruth Hellberg

Maria Koppenhöfer

Käthe Haack

Margret Militzer

Walter Fischer

Arthur Fritz Eugens

Karl Haubenreißer

Harald Paulsen

Jaspar von Oertzen

Otto Gebühr

Karl Schönböck

Walter Franck

Lil Dagover

Karl Meixner

Hans Junkermann

Otto Graf

Franz Schafheitlin

Bruno Hübner

Paul Hoffmann

Otto Stoeckel

Otto Below

Eduard von Winterstein

Karl Fochler

Erich Ziegel

Wilhelm P. Krüger

Walter Werner

Robert Forsch

Ingolf Kuntze

Hannsgeorg Laubenthal

Horst Lommer

Karl Morvilius

Karl-Heinz Peters

Werner Pledath

Theodor Thony

Hanns Waschatko

Karl Dannemann

Bernhard Goetzke

Fritz Hinz-Fabricius

Wolfgang Liebeneiner

Marga Riffa

F. W. Schröder-Schrom

Albert Venohr

Leopold von Ledebur

Elisabeth von Ruets

Willy Witte

Hans Hermann Schaufuß

Herbert Weißbach

Klaus Pohl

Rolf Lauckner

Bruno Mondi

Walter von Bonhorst

Norbert Schultze

Drama

Bismarck

Tobis Filmkunst

Germany

CinemaSerf

Aside from the fact that this was made at the height of the Third Reich - so it's underlying politic of the might of the German people and it's heroes it to be assumed, this is a rather dry and unremarkably sterile depiction of the eponymous statesman who worked with Wilhelm I of Prussia (Friedrich Kayßler) to create the German Imperial state. It tries to pack far too much over-simplified history into two hours and the portrayal of Bismarck himself by an underwhelming Paul Hartmann leaves us amidst a story of turbulent history told as if it were a child's "Janet and John" book. The complexities of the relationships between the Hapsburg Austro-Hungarian empire, Russians, French and British are all rather overlooked and certainly undercooked as we spend much of the film in audience chambers watching a vacillating king or in a prevaricating parliament where nothing seems to count for very much - until our hero arrives to convince and save the day. It's almost entirely confined to a sound-stage so what few opportunities offered us to experience the military tactics of Moltke against the Danes or the Austrians are largely confined to a map or to the inside of a tent. The ending justifies the dramatic means - and we know that there was a unified German Empire born in 1871. It's a watchable enough historical biopic, but no effort is made to develop the characters and the story is about as dry and processional as it can be. It's hard to imagine this as a successful piece of jingoism, to be honest. It's completely forgettable.

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