DEFA Indianerfilme ("DEFA Indian films") was a series of adventure and western films ("Red Westerns") produced by the GDR DEFA film studio. The name comes from the obsolete term "Indians" for Indigenous peoples of the Americas.Gerd Gemünden, Between Karl May and Karl Marx: The DEFA Indianerfilme (1965-1983), 2001, The DEFA's "Eastern Westerns" (Indianerfilme)Philip Decker, The 'other America' and its performers: pathways to socialism in the DEFA IndianerfilmeJennifer Michaels, Appropriating the "Other" for the Cold War Struggle: DEFA's Depiction of Native Americans in its IndianerfilmeDEFA-Indianerfilme. Die Ausstellung zeigt Original-Fotografien der Produktionen aus den Fotoalben der DEFA
Between 1966 and 1983 DEFA produced 14 films of this type, about the resistance of Native Americans against white invaders.Evan Torner The DEFA Indianerfilm as Artifact of Resistance A memorable actor in the series was Yugoslavian (Serbian) actor Gojko Mitić portraying fictional Native Americans ("Indians"), "Winnetou of the East", who played in 12 of these films.
The films are searchable in the PROGRESS film database.PROGRESS
Films Below are the 14 Indianerfilme and a parody.
DEFA division "Roter Kreis" 1966: The Sons of Great Bear, based on the novel The Sons of the Great Bear 1967: Chingachgook, The Great Serpent 1968: Spur des Falken, Trail of the Falcon 1969: Weiße Wölfe, White Wolves 1970: Tödlicher Irrtum, Fatal error 1971: Osceola 1972: Tecumseh 1973: Apachen, Apaches 1974: Ulzana 1975: Blood Brothers 1978: Severino
DEFA division "Johannisthal" 1979: Blauvogel, Bluebird 1983: Der Scout. The Scout 1985: Atkins
DEFA division "Berlin" 1982: :de:Der lange Ritt zur Schule, children's comedy, parodying Indianerfilme
Other "Red Western" films of DEFA 1981: :de:Sing, Cowboy, sing, a comedy Western 1988: :de:Präriejäger in Mexiko [Prairie Hunters in Mexico] two-series TV film
See also Native Americans in German popular culture
References