In just twenty minutes this film depicts the events of 1946 which are said to have led to “the merging of the SPD and KPD to form the SED party” (voiceover). The forced amalgamation of the parties, coordinated by the government in Moscow and accompanied by numerous sanctions, is presented as the result of a majority decision reached democratically in the individual states before the spotlight moves to Berlin and the actual act of unification. In the states of Thuringia, Saxony and Mecklenberg-Western Pomerania, which still existed at that time, members from both parties in favour of the merger join forces and later consolidate ranks in the ruins of the former Third Reich capital. It is remarkable how vividly the film evokes the traditional spirit of the SPD: the cinematic journey begins in Gotha, where the party was founded in 1875. Various orchestral renditions of the old working class song, “Brothers, towards sun, towards freedom” accompany the film. Footage taken from the film of the two parties marching as separate blocs and merging to form a single current has been frequently used as documentary material, although it is evident that this recording has been staged.

This film, DEFA’s first documentary, premiered on 1 May 1946 and had a clear propagandistic aim. The film’s style follows in the tradition of the classic German documentary which the National Socialists had already exploited to great effect. Its appeal lies above all in its authentic depiction of the mood of awakening after the disaster of National Socialism and war, discounting the individual editions of the “Augenzeuge” newsreel. UNITY SPD-KPD was not only DEFA’s first documentary film, it was also the first film by Kurt Maetzig, a director who would go on to profoundly shape the face of East German cinema with such contrasting pieces as ERNST THÄLMANN – LEADER OF HIS CLASS (1955), or I AM THE RABBIT, made in 1965 but banned until 1989.

Production Period

1946

Production Year

1946

color

b/w

Aspect Ratio

1:1.33

Duration

Short Film (to 30 Min.)

Type

Documentary

Topic

GDR, Socialism / Communism

Available Media

DVD

Original Version

German (de)

DVD

Subtitles

English (en), French (fr), Spanish (es), Portuguese (Brazil) (pt), Italian (it), Russian (ru), Chinese (zh), Japanese (ja), Arabic (ar), German (de), Turkish (tr)

Note on the Format

Parallelwelt:Film - Ein Einblick in die DEFA