September Love

September Love (German: Septemberliebe) is an East German film directed by Kurt Maetzig. It was released in 1961.

Plot

Leading chemist Hans Schramm is betrothed to Hanna, but falls in love with her younger sister Franka. The two attempt to repress their feelings, but eventually begin an affair. When Hans is extorted by a group of West German agents, who demand to know about his secret work, he is griped by panic and decides the only way out is to flee to the West. Franka discovers his plans and informs the Stasi. Hans perceives it as betrayal at first, but after all ends well, he realizes she only wanted the best for him.

Cast

Production

While the Khruschev Thaw allowed a considerable degree of liberalization in all Eastern Block countries, including in East Germany, the commitment of DEFA to follow the Socialist Unity Party of Germany's line was reaffirmed in the 1958 Bitterfeld Conference; although many pictures with less ideological restrictions were made at the time, the studio devoted much resources to produce films about the East-West German tensions. September Love was one of eight major works of this genre made between 1959 to 1964.