Friends

An intense and melancholic but in places chamber-play-like film about love, jealousy and loyalty, "Freunde" features an as usual excellent Attila Hörbiger and a semi-demonical Ferdinand Marian in two rather impressive roles. Excellent and moody photography by Hans Schneeberger, too. A fine surprise is actress Hanna Witt who exudes style and fine acting all around. Witt is probably not a household name in German films, as she was Czech and played mostly in her native country under the name of Hana Vítová. This is one of only two German language films she played in during the 1930/40s.

"Freunde" was filmed in Prague between November 1943 and May 1944. It was submitted for censorship approval in the autumn of 1944, but changes were demanded and the film never passed censorship. The film received its premiere in Austria only after the war in 1945; German audiences even had to wait until 1950 for the German premiere.