*DIE GOLDENE STADT (1942) German Kristina Söderbaum Dreams of Being in Prague

Description

Vintage original 14 x 22 in. Belgian poster
from the 1940's German drama,
DIE GOLDENE STADT
(The Golden City
), released in Germany in 1942 and
directed by Veit Harlan
. Anna Jobst (Kristina Söderbaum) is the daughter of a rich, conservative farmer (Eugen Klöpfer). Living on the bank of the Moldau, she wishes nothing more than follow the river to Prague, the "Golden City". The cast includes Annie Rosar, Dagny Servaes, Paul Klinger, Emmerich Hanus, Kurt Meisel, and Rudolf Prack.
The artwork features a close portrait of the film's beautiful star,
Kristina Söderbaum
, as she dreams of being in Prague, "The Golden City." Printed for the film's theatrical release in Belgium (titled as
De Golden Stad
), the poster features the artist's initials to her right and features a beautiful gold ink in the film's title. It is unrestored in fine- condition with one horizontal fold across the center; two very light 7 in. vertical creases in the bottom half; and small creases, two tiny tears, and signs of wear on the outer edges. The are no pinholes, stains, writing, or other flaws and the rich color tints are fresh and vibrant without any signs of fading.
An extra 180,000 marks were added to the initial budget in order to film the new (unhappy) ending imposed by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, who thought Anna could not survive after "sullying the blood of her ancestors". Goebblels also ordered actor Joachim Gottschalk replaced by Paul Klinger.
Released in France as,
La ville dorée
, Veit Harlan's melodrama attracted 350,000 patrons in 20 weeks in a single theater (Le Normandie), a tremendous success.
The film was banned in postwar Germany by the Allied Military Government censors and the uncensored version is still banned in Germany.