A man who wanted to improve his rudimentary German language skills, has told how he watched a 1945 World War II propaganda film in order to do so.
Myke Woodson, 55, was left with 'nothing to do' during a four-hour break at the school where he works, and had the sudden urge to listen to German being spoken. After some consideration, he chose 'Kolberg', the story of how a town in Pomerania heroically resisted being besieged by Napoloeon's forces in 1807.
The film features Heinrich George as Joachim Nettelbeck, the Mayor who, against all odds, manages to repel the French attack with his hastily-formed militia, and Horst Caspar in a totally commanding performance as August Neidhardt von Gneisenau.
Token love interest is provided by Kristina Söderbaum as Maria, but she is, by no means, the prettiest woman I've ever seen.
Caspar's impassioned speech at the close of the movie, with the massed ranks of the victorious townspeople chanting "Das Volk steht auf!" as a stirring backdrop, is about as dramatic as cinema got, or gets, although this had no noticeable improving effect on Woodson's German.
Within a month of the film being released, on 30 January 1945, Kolberg was again under siege, for the second time in 138 years, this time from Soviet forces.
Kolberg is now part of Poland.
Kolberg ist jetzt ein Teil von Polen.
Although, to people who don't live there, this might seem unbedeutend.
