DEFA Indianerfilm explained

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.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

Between 1962 and 1983 DEFA produced 14 films of this type, about the resistance of Native Americans against white invaders.^[6] A memorable actor in the series was Yugoslavian (Serbian) actor Gojko Mitic portraying fictional Native Americans ("Indians"), "Winnetou of the East", who played in 12 of these films.^[5]

The films are searchable in the PROGRESS film database.^[7]

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:, children's comedy, parodying Indianerfilme

Other "Red Western" films of DEFA

• 1981:, a comedy Western
• 1988: [Prairie Hunters in Mexico] two-series TV film

See also

• Native Americans in German popular culture

Notes and References

1. Gerd Gemünden, Between Karl May and Karl Marx: The DEFA Indianerfilme (1965-1983), 2001,
2. https://www.filmportal.de/en/topic/the-defas-eastern-westerns-indianerfilme The DEFA’s “Eastern Westerns” (Indianerfilme)
3. Philip Decker, The ‘other America’ and its performers: pathways to socialism in the DEFA Indianerfilme
4. Jennifer Michaels, Appropriating the “Other” for the Cold War Struggle: DEFA’s Depiction of Native Americans in its Indianerfilme
5. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/-AXxVBhH2vfFIA DEFA-Indianerfilme. Die Ausstellung zeigt Original-Fotografien der Produktionen aus den Fotoalben der DEFA
6. Evan Torner The DEFA Indianerfilm as Artifact of Resistance
7. https://www.pro.progress.film PROGRESS