DEFA Westerns

Following on the success of Der Schatz I'm Silbersee and other West Germany Western movies, the East Germany DEFA studios produced ten Westerns for the domestic, Eastern bloc and international market. These utilized the struggle of the American Indians against the advancing United States as inspirational, but tragic examples of anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist struggle. In keeping with this, the films were not called Westerns, but Indianerfilme ("Indians movies").

The films were shot at various locations in Eastern Europe, with, for instance, the Caucasus doubling for the Black Hills of Dakota. A few of the films were based on literary works, but most were taken directly from history. And Gojko Mitic played the lead in all of them.

The DEFA Westerns:

  • Die Söhne der großen Bärin (The Sons of the Great She-Bear, 1965): Based on the novel by Lieselotte Welskopf-Henrich.
  • Chingachgook, die große Schlange (Chingachgook, the Great Snake, 1966): Based on The Leatherstocking Tales by James Fenimore Cooper.
  • Brennende Zelte in den Schwarzen Bergen a.k.a. Spur des Falken (Burning Tents in the Black Hills or Tracks of the Falcon, 1968)
  • Weiße Wölfe (White Wolves, 1969): Sequel to the preceding.
  • Tödlicher Irrtum (Deadly Mistake, 1969)
  • Tecumseh (1972)
  • Apachen (1973)
  • Osceola (1973)
  • Ulzana (1974)
  • Blutsbrüder (Blood Brothers, 1975): Written by and starring singer/actor Dean Reed, who had defected from the US.
Tropes used in DEFA Westerns include:
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