Mein Freund, der Dieb

1951 1h 29m DE

🤯

10.0

MASTERPIECE

★10.0TMDB · 1

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Germany in the post-war period. Due to the circumstances of the time and his lack of prospects, the young Bimbo has become a hoodlum who keeps his head above water with petty crime. One night he robs the writer Percy, but is picked up by the police shortly afterwards in a drunken state. As he has Percy's wallet with him, the police think he is the robber and take him to his address. Percy can hardly believe his eyes when he sees the robber again. But instead of handing him over to the police, he takes Bimbo under his wing and tries to make a better person out of him - not an easy task.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Hans Söhnker
Percy
Vera Molnar
Nina
Hardy Krüger
Bimbo
Marianne Koch
Resl
Käthe Haack
Angela
Theodor Danegger
Franz
Olga Tschechowa
Percys Schwester

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Helmut Weiss
Writers: Helmut Weiss
Languages: German
Countries: 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

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

75 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Helmut Weiss, shot by Erich Claunigk. 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 Werner Bochmann. 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 Anneliese Schönnenbeck shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Hans Söhnker and Vera Molnar and Hardy Krüger carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0043797 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Helmut Weiss directs. Erich Claunigk behind the camera. Werner Bochmann scores. Anneliese Schönnenbeck cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Germany. Dialogue in German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
275 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Helmut Weiss, shot by Erich Claunigk. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Werner Bochmann. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Anneliese Schönnenbeck shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Hans Söhnker and Vera Molnar and Hardy Krüger carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0043797 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.