Der Richter von Zalamea

1956 1h 46m DE

🤯

9.0

MASTERPIECE

★9.0TMDB · 1

HistoryDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Historical drama set during the reign of Philip II of Spain. The royal troops have taken up quarters in the village of Zalamea. Captain Don Alvaro is staying with the farmer Pedro Crespo. His daughter Isabel behaves very coldly and dismissively toward the captain, which irritates him. Finally, he takes her by force and humiliates her father. The captain is put on trial in the village. Pedro is appointed judge and, despite all the threats from General de Lope, sentences the captain to death. De Lope then wants to deny him his judicial authority. Surprisingly, King Philip II appears in the village and confirms the harsh sentence, but wants to pardon the offender. However, the sentence has already been carried out.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Albert Garbe
Don Lope
Rolf Ludwig
Rebolledo
Ursula Braun
Chispa
Raimund Schelcher
Sergeant
Wolf von Beneckendorff
Hidalgo
Hans-Joachim Büttner
Gudrun Schmidt
Rüdiger Renn

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Martin Hellberg
Writers: Martin Hellberg, Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Languages: German
Countries: Germany, East Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Germany, East Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

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Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Martin Hellberg, shot by Götz Neumann. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Wilhelm Neef. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lieselotte Johl shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Albert Garbe and Rolf Ludwig and Ursula Braun carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0230696 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Martin Hellberg directs. Götz Neumann behind the camera. Wilhelm Neef scores. Lieselotte Johl cuts. Produced in Germany, East Germany. Dialogue in German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

170 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 2 countries: Germany, East Germany.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Martin Hellberg, shot by Götz Neumann. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Wilhelm Neef. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Lieselotte Johl shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Albert Garbe and Rolf Ludwig and Ursula Braun carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0230696 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.