Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) was produced by the Cultural Department of the Universum Film AG (UFA). This was also announced on the series of Ross Verlag cards, issued to promote the film. The German production featured a cast with diverse stars like Polish-born Mary Parker, Hungarian matinee idol Oscar Marion, Ferdinand von Alten and Margarete Schön, known as Kriemhild from Fritz Lang's Die Nibelungen (1924).
Oscar Marion. German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 989/3, 1925-1926. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 989/4, 1925-1926. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925), with Mary Parker as Luise, daughter of the estate manager Karl Marten.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 989/3. This postcard is dated: Stuttgart, 19 June 1925. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Wilhelm Diegelman as Uncle Uhl.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 989/6. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Hans Hermann.
Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) was based on the novel Der Kampf um die Scholle : eine Geschichte aus Masuren by author Fritz Skowronnek. The subtitle refers to Mazury, then a part of Prussia, now a region in Poland, where the story is situated.
In Kampf um die Scholle, Freiherr (manor owner) von Wulfshagen (Gustav Oberg) has built- with much effort, passion and hard work - his manor into a magnificent estate. After the death of his father, son Axel (Ferdinand von Alten) takes over the management of the estate, but under his leadership, the property deteriorates rapidly.
Axel is not interested in agriculture, he is a lighthearted sportsman who does not care about the well-intentioned advice of the old inspector Karl (Otto Kronburger), but accumulates more and more debts.
Not even his younger brother Franz (Oscar Marion), who has studied agriculture and diligently builds his own estate, manages to speak to his conscience. Through his stubbornness, Axel spoils his relationships with all those who mean well with him.
As the sneaky property dealer Grosskopp (Victor Schwanneke) learns of Axel's money shortages, he scents an easy prey. He presents himself as an understanding friend and grants Axel repeatedly loans, albeit with the aim of bringing the valuable goods sooner or later into his possession.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 700/1. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Gustav Oberg as Freiherr von Wulfshagen.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 700/5. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with in the middle Ferdinand von Alten as Axel von Wulffshagen at the races, squandering his father's money.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 700/6. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Otto Kronburger as Karl Merten, Mary Parker as his daughter Luise, and Hans Hermann (Schaufuss) as Gutseleve Fritz Quirlitz.
Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (1925) was produced by the 'Kulturabteilung' (cultural department) of the UFA, and was a typical Heimatfilm. The Kulturabteilung was known as the documentary unit of UFA, but also produced the Kulturfilm Wege zu Kraft und Schönheit/Ways to Strength and Beauty (Wilhelm Prager, Nicholas Kaufmann, 1925).
Erich Waschneck made his directorial debut with this film. Waschneck had started his film career as a still photographer and later as camera assistant to the famous cinematographer Fritz Arno Wagner. Since 1921, he had been a cinematographer for such films as Ein Glas Wasser/One Glass of Water (Ludwig Berger, 1923).
Kampf um die Scholle was scripted by Willy Rath and director Erich Waschneck, and they based it on a novel by Fritz Skowronnek. (IMDb and Wikipedia both mistakenly mention Fritz Reuter as the author. Skowronnek also wrote under the pseudonyms Fritz Bernhard and Hans Windeck). The set design was done by Botho Höfer, Bernhard Schwidewski, and Hans Minzloff.
Cinematographer was Friedl Behn-Grund, who was only 18 at the time. He had started his film career as a child actor in 1919. In 1923, he started to work as an assistant cameraman to Erich Wasneck and learned all aspects of the craft swiftly. Kampf um die Scholle was his debut as a cinematographer.
Hans-Michael Bock writes in The Concise Cinegraph about him: "Renowned for his atmospheric lighting, sublime facial close-ups and ability to adapt to the requirements of individual directors, Behn-Grund remained a sought-after cinematographer from the 1920s through the 1970s."
The exteriors of Kampf um die Scholle were shot between 1924 and January 1925 at Lensahn (Holstein). The film premiered on 27 January 1925, at the Ufa-Palast am Zoo in Berlin.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 700/8. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Ferdinand von Alten and Margarete Schön.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 700/9. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Oscar Marion as Franz, the younger brother of estate owner Axel, who has an affair with Luise (Mary Parker), daughter of the estate manager Karl Marten (left; Otto Kronburger). The man behind Parker is Wilhelm Diegelmann, who plays Uncle Uhl.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 700/10. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Margarete Schön as Frieda, wife of Axel.
Sources: Hans-Michael Bock (The Concise Cinegraph), Filmportal.de (German), Wikipedia and IMDb.
Oscar Marion. German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 989/3, 1925-1926. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 989/4, 1925-1926. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925), with Mary Parker as Luise, daughter of the estate manager Karl Marten.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 989/3. This postcard is dated: Stuttgart, 19 June 1925. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Wilhelm Diegelman as Uncle Uhl.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 989/6. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Hans Hermann.
Much effort, passion and hard work
Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) was based on the novel Der Kampf um die Scholle : eine Geschichte aus Masuren by author Fritz Skowronnek. The subtitle refers to Mazury, then a part of Prussia, now a region in Poland, where the story is situated.
In Kampf um die Scholle, Freiherr (manor owner) von Wulfshagen (Gustav Oberg) has built- with much effort, passion and hard work - his manor into a magnificent estate. After the death of his father, son Axel (Ferdinand von Alten) takes over the management of the estate, but under his leadership, the property deteriorates rapidly.
Axel is not interested in agriculture, he is a lighthearted sportsman who does not care about the well-intentioned advice of the old inspector Karl (Otto Kronburger), but accumulates more and more debts.
Not even his younger brother Franz (Oscar Marion), who has studied agriculture and diligently builds his own estate, manages to speak to his conscience. Through his stubbornness, Axel spoils his relationships with all those who mean well with him.
As the sneaky property dealer Grosskopp (Victor Schwanneke) learns of Axel's money shortages, he scents an easy prey. He presents himself as an understanding friend and grants Axel repeatedly loans, albeit with the aim of bringing the valuable goods sooner or later into his possession.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 700/1. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Gustav Oberg as Freiherr von Wulfshagen.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 700/5. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with in the middle Ferdinand von Alten as Axel von Wulffshagen at the races, squandering his father's money.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 700/6. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Otto Kronburger as Karl Merten, Mary Parker as his daughter Luise, and Hans Hermann (Schaufuss) as Gutseleve Fritz Quirlitz.
Atmospheric lighting and sublime facial close-ups
Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (1925) was produced by the 'Kulturabteilung' (cultural department) of the UFA, and was a typical Heimatfilm. The Kulturabteilung was known as the documentary unit of UFA, but also produced the Kulturfilm Wege zu Kraft und Schönheit/Ways to Strength and Beauty (Wilhelm Prager, Nicholas Kaufmann, 1925).
Erich Waschneck made his directorial debut with this film. Waschneck had started his film career as a still photographer and later as camera assistant to the famous cinematographer Fritz Arno Wagner. Since 1921, he had been a cinematographer for such films as Ein Glas Wasser/One Glass of Water (Ludwig Berger, 1923).
Kampf um die Scholle was scripted by Willy Rath and director Erich Waschneck, and they based it on a novel by Fritz Skowronnek. (IMDb and Wikipedia both mistakenly mention Fritz Reuter as the author. Skowronnek also wrote under the pseudonyms Fritz Bernhard and Hans Windeck). The set design was done by Botho Höfer, Bernhard Schwidewski, and Hans Minzloff.
Cinematographer was Friedl Behn-Grund, who was only 18 at the time. He had started his film career as a child actor in 1919. In 1923, he started to work as an assistant cameraman to Erich Wasneck and learned all aspects of the craft swiftly. Kampf um die Scholle was his debut as a cinematographer.
Hans-Michael Bock writes in The Concise Cinegraph about him: "Renowned for his atmospheric lighting, sublime facial close-ups and ability to adapt to the requirements of individual directors, Behn-Grund remained a sought-after cinematographer from the 1920s through the 1970s."
The exteriors of Kampf um die Scholle were shot between 1924 and January 1925 at Lensahn (Holstein). The film premiered on 27 January 1925, at the Ufa-Palast am Zoo in Berlin.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 700/8. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Ferdinand von Alten and Margarete Schön.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 700/9. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Oscar Marion as Franz, the younger brother of estate owner Axel, who has an affair with Luise (Mary Parker), daughter of the estate manager Karl Marten (left; Otto Kronburger). The man behind Parker is Wilhelm Diegelmann, who plays Uncle Uhl.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 700/10. Photo: Ufa. Publicity still for Kampf um die Scholle/Struggle for the Soil (Erich Waschneck, 1925) with Margarete Schön as Frieda, wife of Axel.
Sources: Hans-Michael Bock (The Concise Cinegraph), Filmportal.de (German), Wikipedia and IMDb.
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