The Four Companions (film)

CinematographyReimar KuntzeEdited byGustav LohseMusic byHanson Milde-MeissnerDistributed byUFA96 minutesCountryGermanyLanguageGerman

The Four Companions (German: Die vier Gesellen) is a 1938 German drama film directed by Carl Froelich and starring Ingrid Bergman, Sabine Peters and Carsta Löck. Jochen Huth adapted the script from his own play. It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in Berlin with sets designed by the art director Franz Schroedter. The film was intended as a star vehicle to launch Bergman's career in Germany following her success in several Swedish films.^[1]

After graduation, four female art students attempt to set up their own advertising agency. At first, they fail to achieve their goal in a male dominated field. But, after trying once more, they succeed. However, they find this unfulfilling and opt out after deciding that they would rather be homemakers and wives.

• Ingrid Bergman as Marianne Kruge
• Sabine Peters as Käthe Winter
• Carsta Löck as Lotte Waag
• Ursula Herking as Franziska
• Hans Söhnker as Stefan Kohlund
• Leo Slezak as Professor Lange
• Erich Ponto as Regierungsrat Alfred Hintze
• Heinz Welzel as Feinmechaniker Martin Bachmann
• Rudolf Klicks as Direktor der graphischen Berufsschule
• Karl Haubenreißer as Direktor der Seidenstrumpffabrik
• Lotte Braun as Sekretärin des Fabrikdirektors
• Wilhelm P. Krüger as Maurermeister am Neubau
• Willi Rose as Straßenbahnschaffner
• Max Rosenhauer as Hauswart
• Ernst G. Schiffner as Geschäftsmann, der keinen Auftrag erteilt
• Hans Juergen Weidlich as Berliner Jüngling an der Litfaßsäule
• Kurt Mikulski as Ausstellungsdiener
• Fritz Lafontaine as 1. Grafikschüler
• Gustaf Dennert as 2. Grafikschüler
• Zarah Leander as Singer
• Traute Bengen
• Hugo Froelich

• Ascheid, Antje (2010) [2003]. Hitler's Heroines: Stardom and Womanhood in Nazi Cinema. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 978-1-59213-843-2.
• Chandler, Charlotte (2007). Ingrid: Ingrid Bergman, A Personal Biography. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-3914-8.
• Lunde, Arne (2010). Nordic Exposures: Scandinavian Identities in Classical Hollywood Cinema. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-99045-3.

• The Four Companions at IMDb