A Young Man Named Engels – A Portrait in Letters

1970 0h 20m DE

🤯

10.0

MASTERPIECE

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★10.0TMDB · 1★6.1IMDB · 29

DocumentaryAnimation

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

With the young Friedrich Engel’s letters and drawings from the years between 1838 and 1842, a unique cinematic portrait is created. The viewer thus gets to know the young Engels personally, learning about the significant moments of his development from a bourgeois-liberal upbringing to the theoretical partner of Karl Marx. Later be awarded the Gold Dove at the International Leipzig Documentary and Short Film Week.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Manfred Wagner
Narrator (voice)
Viktor Tatarsky
reads the text

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Katja Georgi
Writers: Katja Georgi, Klaus Georgi, Fyodor Khitruk
Languages: German, Russian
Countries: East Germany, Soviet Union

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

Tight 20-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: East Germany, Soviet Union.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Katja Georgi, shot by Werner Baensch. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Manfred Wagner and Viktor Tatarsky carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Katja Georgi directs. Werner Baensch behind the camera. Anita Uebe cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in East Germany, Soviet Union. Dialogue in German, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 20-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
256 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, Russian.
4International production across 2 countries: East Germany, Soviet Union.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Katja Georgi, shot by Werner Baensch. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Editor Anita Uebe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Manfred Wagner and Viktor Tatarsky carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0411543 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.