This film covers details of the launching of the cruiser, Prinz Eugen which is thought to be the ship that fired the shot that sunk the HMS Hood and then survived the war only to be sunk in the first H-bomb tests by the Americans. There is a ceremonial portion of the launching with Hitler and entourage near the middle but much of the film is given over to the technical aspects before and during the launching. Dozens of workmen labor with sledge hammers swinging in harmony to dislodge a complex framework of massive timbers the ship's hull rests on; huge poles are knocked out by individual worker's while others paint the unpainted spaces that were hidden by the lumber and yet others oil the wooden slides. Another segment shows the drydock being filled with water and a sandbag being puctured to start the actual launch. The ship, sans guns and decked out with ribbons and flags, slips into the harbour. The Prinz Eugen is then shown from different angles in the water.
This is a poor generalization of the proceedings and I have not gone into the ceremonial aspects as I believe this portion is better known. I was able to find the same scenes of Hitler and dignitaries arriving in a launch followed by Hitler presiding over the ceremony, reviewing the sailors and addressing the crowd in a film that can be seen in the Spielberg Collection at the Museum of the Holocaust. What is not seen in the Spielberg film or anywhere else I have looked, is the technical portion featuring the men and equipment that launched the ship.
The film is on, what I believe to be, the original 7" aluminum Agfa reel, a period Reichsstelle fur den Unterrichtsfilm (rfdu) can and has the original 32 page, 4" x 5.75" illustrated booklet entitled Stapellauf des kreuzers "Prinz Eugen." The booklet is designated "F21/1939." The book notes that the film is 14 minutes long while my version is only 11 minutes long. It starts without leader or title but ends with the rfdu logo and a short red leader. The film is in good condition, without odor, is still supple and when projected looks far better than my poor photos that are featured in this auction.
I have not attempted to grade films before but I did get an old Kodak Pageant 16mm Sound Projector with this lot and I was able to run each film from beginning to end. During running most broke several times along old splices and/or creases. The quality of the picture was good and the film was very interesting (I have watched it twice). The film has little, if any odor and is still, mostly, very supple. I hope this is a sufficent condition report but if it is not, please email me with specific questions geared to a layman as it is sold as-is, as-found and as an artifact only.
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