In the first half of the 19th century there was a revolt in the central state of Hesse, led by Georg Büchner (Gregor Hansen), the well-known German writer, and a fellow rebel, Pastor Weidig (Franz Wittich). Büchner wrote a kind of declaration of peasant rights against the tyranny of the landholders of the time, and once that declaration ("Der Hessische Landbote") was made public, Büchner escaped to Strasbourg, and then to Zurich where he was killed in 1937, at the age of 23. Pastor Weidig was captured, sent to prison, tortured, and killed in prison. The revolution the two men had hoped for died on the vine due to an informer -- a planned uprising was brutally squelched -- and the peasants had to bide their time for another 12 years before the 1848 Revolution would bring them some of the rights demanded in Büchner's pamphlet.
Where to watch
Not streaming anywhere
Not on any streaming service in United States, and not available to rent.
Your rating
Your review
Cast
15 people
Gregor Hansen
Georg Büchner
Also in
Class Enemy
The Girlfriend
Wolfram Weniger
Hofrat Schiffer
Also in
Der Millionen-Coup
With Murder in Mind
Helmut Herbst
Kasimir Edschmid
Marquard Bohm
Preuninger, Wärter
Known for
Kings of the Road
Beware of a Holy Whore
Christoph Holch
Bazon Brock
Hofrat von Stein
Helmut Wietz
Franz Wittich
Pfarrer Weidig
Peter O Chotjewitz
Gravellinus
Jörg Falkenstein
Zeuner
Eike Gallwitz
Kuhl
Helmut Herbst Director
First release February 1, 1982 · Produced in Germany · Original title Eine deutsche Revolution
Production
Germany
Produced in
Languages
Original title
Eine deutsche Revolution
Original language
German
Release dates
Germany · February 1, 1982
Premiere
No release date listed for United States.
Germany
February 1, 1984 · TV
Portugal
September 13, 1983 · Figueira da Foz Film Festival
More from Helmut Herbst
Other films they directed, best known first.
If you liked A German Revolution
Picks that share its genres, themes, cast and crew.
Some details come from TheTVDB.