Introduction

The Other Side (German: Die andere Seite) is a 1931 German war film directed by Heinz Paul and starring Conrad Veidt, Theodor Loos and Friedrich Ettel.

Outline

It is an adaptation of R.C. Sherriff’s 1928 First World War play Journey’s End which had been turned into a British-American film the previous year.

Paul’s film attempted to be faithful to the play, retaining the British setting rather than switching the story to feature German soldiers and going to great lengths to portray the “Britishness” of the characters.

Film Inspiration

Journey’s End is a 1928 dramatic play, the seventh of English playwright R. C. Sherriff. It was first performed at the Apollo Theatre in London by the Incorporated Stage Society on 09 December 1928, starring a young Laurence Olivier, and soon moved to other West End theatres for a two-year run. It was included in Burns Mantle’s The Best Plays of 1928-1929. The piece quickly became internationally popular, with numerous productions and tours in English and other languages. A 1930 film version was followed by other adaptations, and the play set a high standard for other works dealing with similar themes, and influenced playwrights including Noël Coward.

Set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, in 1918, towards the end of the First World War, Journey’s End gives a glimpse into the experiences of the officers of a British Army infantry company. The story plays out in the officers’ dugout over four days from 18 March 1918 to 21 March 1918, the last few days before Operation Michael.

Sherriff considered calling it Suspense or Waiting, but eventually found a title in the closing line of a chapter of an unidentified book, “It was late in the evening when we came at last to our journey’s end”.

Trivia

• The film was banned just weeks after the Nazis took power in 1933.

Journey’s End Films

You can find a full index of Journey’s End films here.

Production & Filming Details

• Director: Heinz Paul.
• Producer: Joseph Candolini.
• Writer: Hella Moja and Hans Reisinger.
• Music: Ernst Erich Buder.
• Cinematography: Viktor Gluck.
• Editor: Max Brenner.
• Production: Cando-Film.
• Distributor: Cando-Film.
• Release Date: 29 October 1931.
• Running Time: 107 minutes.
• Country: Germany.
• Language: German.

YouTube Link