Play: Der Hauptmann von Köpenick. Ein deutsches Märchen in 3 Akten.

• Author - Carl Zuckmayer
• Premiere - Berlin, 1931

Film: Der Hauptmann von Köpenick.

• Star - Heinz Rühmann (the most famous German comedic actor of the postwar era)
• Produced - Hamburg, 1956

Zuckmayer based his play on an actual incident that took place on October 6, 1906. An ex-convict named Wilhelm Vogt obtained a captain's uniform and took control of the city hall of Köpenick, a town outside Berlin.

While you are watching the film, try to pick out some of the different speech patterns:

• lower class dialect from Berlin (between Willem and his friends in the underworld);
• a Jewish speech pattern (at the tailor shop);
• educated, standard German (between the members of the middle classes);
• a Bavarian (applying for a job at the factory);
• and a Bohemian (Bohemia is a part of the present-day Czech Republic, but at the time was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and had a large German-speaking population; the old clothes dealer is from Bohemia).

1. Describe Willem's problem(s)!

   • What is the author's attitude toward Willem, the ex-con, and his predicament?

2. What is Willem's attitude toward his predicament, i.e. how does he react and what does he try to do? Does anything he does help?

3. What is the function of the scene in the cafe?

4. Describe the prison and what happens there.
   • Why is the scene on Sedan Day in the prison funny?
   • How do the prisoners react to what they are being taught?

5. Willem's sister and brother-in-law.
   • What class are they?
   • What are Friedrich's relationship with the state and his attitude toward Prussia?

6. What happens to Willem next?

7. What disappointment does Friedrich have?
   • Why has it happened?
   • What is his reaction?

8. The scene between Willem and Friedrich after he has gotten the notice that he must leave is very important for Zuckmayer's message.
   • What ideas does Willem express?
   • What ideas does Friedrich express? Why do you believe he thinks this way?
   • As Willem leaves, Friedrich says to his wife: "Der Mensch ist gefährlich." (The translation on the subtitle is not correct.) Why does he think this?
   • What is Zuckmayer's message behind this scene? (Think about the time in which he wrote it!)

9. Describe the effect of the uniform, both on Willem and on the people around him!

10. Why has Willem stolen the uniform?
    • What is his plan?
    • Why do people obey him?
    • Who are the only people who question him? How do others treat the doubters?
    • Does Willem's plan work? Why not?

11. How do people react when they find out about the Captain of Köpenick?
    • How does the Kaiser react? What does he say?

General thoughts:

Zuckmayer wrote his play in 1931. He is considered a representative of Neue Sachlichkeit and a supporter of democracy and the Weimar Republic. You have recently learned what was happening in Germany around 1931. Based on your knowledge of history and Neue Sachlichkeit, consider the following:

1. What was Zuckmayer's overall message in his play?

2. How did he try to get his message across?

3. Do you think this method of communicating his message to his audience was effective in those days?

4. Is this method effective today? Does the play still have meaning today?