Maria Besendahl

Acting

Maria Besendahl

Born — Died

1901-11-12 — 1983-01-02

Place of birth

Schwerin, Germany

Known for

Acting

Credits

39 titles

Known for

The Sailor's Song poster
6.2

A film about the historical uprising of the seamen in Kiel: During the Russian October Revolution of 1917, German and Russian soldiers start to solidarize with each other. By disarming the officers, machinist Henne Lonke and stoker Jens Kasten prevent the attack on a Russian freighter. When German admiralty gives out orders for operation "Nibelungen", which would lead the German fleet into a suicidal attack against England and quell the revolutionary spirit, seamen and soldiers from different political backgrounds unite in protest.

The Sailor's Song

1958

Port of Freedom poster
7.3

Singing sailor Hannes, who now entertains the crowd at St. Pauli's Hippodrome after years at sea, promises his dying brother that he will take care of his ex-girlfriend Gisa. Taking Gisa to Hamburg to live with him, Hannes quickly falls in love with her, but soon has to face Gisa's affection for another man, Willem.

Port of Freedom

1944

The Singing Ringing Tree poster
6.2

A brave prince must seek the fabled singing, ringing tree in order to win the heart of a beautiful princess.

The Singing Ringing Tree

1957

The Tinder Box poster
6.6

A young soldier discovers three chests of copper, silver and gold and an old tinder-box in the hollow of an old oak tree. He is now rich. But he squanders the money until it is all gone. All he has left is the old tinder-box. He uses it to light a small pipe and three large dogs come to his rescue. Based on the fairy-tale by Hans Christian Anderson.

The Tinder Box

1959

Kein Hüsung poster
8.0

Mecklenburg, 19th century. For generations, the Brand family of farmers has worked a piece of land as tenants of the baron, who owns almost all of the village's land. The baron himself comes from a family of farmers who became rich through corruption and were ennobled. He is the absolute potentate, no one dares to contradict him, he takes what he wants and stops at nothing in his excesses. At the same time, he is the center of petty bourgeois, bigoted social life. Johann, the stable boy, wants to marry Mariken Brand and asks the baron for a piece of land so that he can build a life of his own. But the lord is harsh, not only refusing him the land, but also increasing the rent. Johann rebels, trying to rouse the farmers in the village from their lethargy—in vain. Only when Mariken dies does the mood change. A peasant uprising breaks out, and Johann kills the baron.

Kein Hüsung

1954

Reise ins Ehebett poster
5.0

The captain of a ship of the merchant navy is always on the move because of his job – and has a different girlfriend in every harbour. But his friends think that he should change his way of life. Thus, they take the lovely reporter Eva on board for a trip to Leningrad. But at first, Eva′s presence causes a lot of upheaval on board.

Reise ins Ehebett

1966

Film credits

1970s · 2 titles

1960s · 12 titles

Reise ins Ehebett poster
5.0

The captain of a ship of the merchant navy is always on the move because of his job – and has a different girlfriend in every harbour. But his friends think that he should change his way of life. Thus, they take the lovely reporter Eva on board for a trip to Leningrad. But at first, Eva′s presence causes a lot of upheaval on board.

Reise ins Ehebett

1966

...And Your Love Too poster
6.0

On August 13th, 1961 - the night that the Berlin Wall goes up - three people must make a decision that will change their lives forever.

...And Your Love Too

1962

The Rabbit Is Me poster
6.7

Maria, a young student sees her brother Dieter going to prison for sedition against the state. She starts an affair with Paul, a judge who turns out to be the one who sentenced her brother, which eventually leads to a confrontation.

The Rabbit Is Me

1965

Carbide and Sorrel poster
6.9

After the second World War, Dresden has a lot of reconstructing to do. To get the cigarette factory he once worked for running again, Kalle has to travel to Wittenberg - the only place where carbide can be found. Once there, Kalle find himself in the unfortunate situation of having to hitchhike his way back to Dresden, transporting seven heavy barrels of carbide. However, his inventiveness and optimistic attitude help transform the grueling task into an adventurous, entertaining, and funny journey.

Carbide and Sorrel

1963

Die Hochzeit von Länneken poster
9.0

The little island of Laenneken is a place where time seems to stands still. Traditional customs and age-old power relations are still in place and are unaffected by modern-day influences. Not even the foundation of a fishery cooperative has diminished the power of the two richest fishermen, Pröpping and Grabe. Both men have been bitter rivals for ages. Nevertheless, Grabe’s son Henning and Pröpping’s daughter Bärbel prepare to break with the traditions that restrict their lives, as they are had over heels in love with each other and want to marry.

Die Hochzeit von Länneken

1964

Terrible Woman poster
4.0

A doctor of social sciences - a specialist in failing marriages - becomes jealous. He imagines his skater wife in various situations, but always on skates.

Terrible Woman

1965

Kein Ärger mit Cleopatra poster
8.0

The black cooperative Cornwall boar achieves single-handedly, so to speak, what the LPG functionaries in Bolbitz fail to do. He takes away the individual farmers' fear of the LPG by secretly covering their sows at night. The black piglets frighten the farmers at first, because black litters mean bad luck and presuppose a sin. Collectivization is seen as a sin by the superstitious, especially Grandma Kahlow. But when even the priest's sow is not spared and they find out who the "culprit" is, the superstition dissolves into laughter and the fear of the LPG is banished.

Kein Ärger mit Cleopatra

1960

Die aus der 12b poster
10.0

German teacher Miss Platzke starts working in a graduating class. Since she is young and inexperienced, the students soon consider her incapable of doing her job. Their disrespectful and harsh behavior makes Miss Platzke even more insecure, and she reacts with rigidity: On the last day before winter break she orders them to write an unannounced essay, thereby provoking a spontaneous strike.

Die aus der 12b

1962

September Love poster
4.0

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 gripped by panic and decides the only way out is to flee to the West …

September Love

1961

Der neue Fimmel poster
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

Der neue Fimmel

1960

The Second Track poster
6.7

In this German drama, Brock, a railroad inspector, witnesses a robbery at a train depot. He recognizes the thief, but turning the man in would mean acknowledging he knows him, thus revealing his own complicity with the Nazi war machine. When Brock’s daughter and her boyfriend begin to question him about the incident, will the secret he’s kept for nearly 20 years finally be exposed?

The Second Track

1962

No artwork available
8.0

GDR border guard Gunter Rist is a young man from humble homes. During a swimming competition he meets Penny, a professor’s daughter from a good family, and they fall in love. However, their different social backgrounds get in the way of their happiness: Penny’s friends make it obvious that they are not willing to accept Gunter in their group. Although Penny takes Gunter’s side, she doubts if love can overcome all obstacles. In this state, she falls for the advances of her ex-boyfriend Bob and joins him on vacation. In the meantime, Gunter has an accident and is hospitalized. In the hospital, he meets the nurse Li who seems to be perfect for him.

Julia lebt

1963

1950s · 22 titles

The Sailor's Song poster
6.2

A film about the historical uprising of the seamen in Kiel: During the Russian October Revolution of 1917, German and Russian soldiers start to solidarize with each other. By disarming the officers, machinist Henne Lonke and stoker Jens Kasten prevent the attack on a Russian freighter. When German admiralty gives out orders for operation "Nibelungen", which would lead the German fleet into a suicidal attack against England and quell the revolutionary spirit, seamen and soldiers from different political backgrounds unite in protest.

The Sailor's Song

1958

The Singing Ringing Tree poster
6.2

A brave prince must seek the fabled singing, ringing tree in order to win the heart of a beautiful princess.

The Singing Ringing Tree

1957

The Tinder Box poster
6.6

A young soldier discovers three chests of copper, silver and gold and an old tinder-box in the hollow of an old oak tree. He is now rich. But he squanders the money until it is all gone. All he has left is the old tinder-box. He uses it to light a small pipe and three large dogs come to his rescue. Based on the fairy-tale by Hans Christian Anderson.

The Tinder Box

1959

Kein Hüsung poster
8.0

Mecklenburg, 19th century. For generations, the Brand family of farmers has worked a piece of land as tenants of the baron, who owns almost all of the village's land. The baron himself comes from a family of farmers who became rich through corruption and were ennobled. He is the absolute potentate, no one dares to contradict him, he takes what he wants and stops at nothing in his excesses. At the same time, he is the center of petty bourgeois, bigoted social life. Johann, the stable boy, wants to marry Mariken Brand and asks the baron for a piece of land so that he can build a life of his own. But the lord is harsh, not only refusing him the land, but also increasing the rent. Johann rebels, trying to rouse the farmers in the village from their lethargy—in vain. Only when Mariken dies does the mood change. A peasant uprising breaks out, and Johann kills the baron.

Kein Hüsung

1954

Wer seine Frau lieb hat poster
8.5

The Berlin Volkseigene Betrieb (VEB) Komet is planning a company outing. Willi Redlich, member of the party committee, votes like the others: The relatives stay at home. But he doesn't dare tell his wife Susanne. So she does the work of renting the "Waldschlösschen" restaurant for him - without his knowledge. When Willi wants to book the seats, everything is fully booked and he switches to the "Sonnenburg" opposite. Meanwhile, word has gotten around among the women that they are excluded. They plan a counter-event. On the day of the excursion, both groups are sitting in their inns and the women make sure that they can still celebrate together.

Wer seine Frau lieb hat

1955

Don't Forget My Little Traudel poster
6.7

17-year-old Traudel flees the orphanage she has to live in, in order to venture to Berlin.

Don't Forget My Little Traudel

1957

Story of a Young Couple poster
8.0

A young married couple - both of them actors - work in the divided city of Berlin. Agnes, the young woman, is on location in East Berlin, and Jochen, her husband, works at the Westend Theater in West Berlin. This young marriage is in danger of breaking up as they vehemently defend their diametrically opposed views. The way they see politics, art and the world differs extremely.

Story of a Young Couple

1952

Only One Woman poster
9.0

The film tells the life story of Louise Otto Peters, who in the middle of the XIX century in Germany for the first time raised a voice of protest against the unfair treatment of women and their labor. She created the first "women's newspaper" in Germany. The daughter of a famous lawyer, Louise could have easily arranged her life by marrying the wealthy Baron Rodern. But she chose a different purpose in life - to fight for equal rights for women. Through her articles and public speeches, she won the authority and respect of ordinary people.

Only One Woman

1958

Gejagt bis zum Morgen poster
8.0

Drama about an impoverished family, a widowed mother and her two sons, trying to get by.

Gejagt bis zum Morgen

1957

Die letzte Heuer poster
8.0

The ship stoker Heini Holler leaves Greece for health reasons and reports to the consulate of fascist Germany. The consul sends him back to Hamburg. He had previously reported him to the Gestapo there as politically suspicious. On his arrival, Holler is immediately arrested. His comrades kidnap the consul and demand an exchange for Heini, which is to take place in Marseille. The Gestapo agree to this as a pretense and secure the support of the French police to arrest the kidnappers. However, the solidarity of the sailors in Marseille is stronger and Heini is able to cure his lung disease in the Soviet Union.

Die letzte Heuer

1951

Claudia poster
7.0

Claudia is a self-confident girl who spends time in a Young Pioneer camp and wants to prove that she can keep up with the boys in a scouting wide game.

Claudia

1959

Bahrenburg Stories poster
7.0

A story about a group of children in German town of Bahrenburg who are trying to build themselves a swimming pool.

Bahrenburg Stories

1957

Corinna Schmidt poster
7.0

Berlin in 1878: Corinna Schmidt, who was brought up in a petit-bourgeois, academic family, is romantically interested in Leopold Treibel, the son of the lordly councillor of commerce Jenny Treibel – although Corinna is also deeply in love with her cousin Marcel. Leopold is also falling for cute Corinna, and Jenny Treibel tries to prevent their friendship by all means, but changes her opinion when their secret engagement becomes public. To avoid a scandal, she urges them to marry quickly. But Corinna soon withdraws from this complicated situation and again turns to her cousin, who is banished from the country for his social democratic beliefs.

Corinna Schmidt

1951

Stronger Than the Night poster
8.0

The story of a resistance fighter in the Nazi era: Communist Hans Löning was arrested in 1933, imprisoned in a concentration camp and tortured. The Gestapo plans to smash the resistance group around Löning. Despite the imminent threat to his life, Löning, together with his wife, organized the passive resistance of the Hamburg workers against the Hitler regime. In 1944, Löning was again taken and killed.

Stronger Than the Night

1954

The Beacon poster
6.0

On a barren and stormy island, fishing families eke out a meager existence on what they can catch during summer, and what washes ashore during winter. But little has been washing ashore of late, and their situation worsens. Elders recall how twenty years ago, when the lighthouse keeper’s beacon went dark, a cargo ship broke apart on the cliffs. It proved a bountiful accident for the fishermen. Today people on the island view the conscientious lighthouse keepers with evil hungry eyes...

The Beacon

1954

Sommerliebe poster
8.0

Young, pretty Milli is passionate about winter sports, and of all things, she wins a vacation trip to the Baltic Sea at her company - in summer, of course. After her first dip in the sea and meeting a nice young man, her initial displeasure fades. But not for long, because Robby turns out to be a filou, shuns regular work and is also a womanizer. After some confusion, Milli's vacation ends well after all. She goes home with Robby, who wants to take a job as a car mechanic in her home town of Suhl.

Sommerliebe

1955

Zwischenfall in Benderath poster
10.0

In the small town of Benderath, Jewish high school student Jakob is the victim of hostility because of his religion. He forms the student group "Trojans", which supports Jakob and does not tolerate the hate speech.

Zwischenfall in Benderath

1956

Castles and Cottages poster
8.0

Lifelong hard work for the count makes the servant Anton a cripple. Everybody calls him Crooked Anton. When, after the end of the war, the land of the count gets divided amongst the farmers, Anton receives a piece and hopes to be able to work freely. But an old debt and intrigue keep Anton and his family from finding peace. The farmers of the village begin to discover their own power when Annegret, Anton's daughter, leaves. Is a new beginning possible for Anton? This film paints an impressive panorama of the development of a minor village in Mecklenburg from the end of the war to the uprising of 17 June 1953.

Castles and Cottages

1957

Anna Susanna poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Anna Susanna

1953

Junges Gemüse poster
10.0

At a GDR farm, VEAB chief Amann bans cabbage in favor of cauliflower, enraging LPG accountant Gritt. Mistaking visiting writer Hans Brauer for a high-level inspector, Amann backpedals, clearing the harvest issue, while Brauer and Gritt spark an unexpected romance.

Junges Gemüse

1956

The Troublemakers‎ poster
8.0

Schorsch and Franz are two rascals who are full of mischief and constantly tease both their teachers and their fellow pupils. Vera, the new classmate, decides to put her foot down and bring an end to the poor situation. With skill, patience and the help of the other pioneers she finds out about the troublemaker’s love for miniature trains and tries to direct their redundant energy onto the right track. However, Vera and her pioneers have to overcome some resistance before Schorsch and Franz finally change their behavior and become better classmates.

The Troublemakers‎

1953

The Mysterious Wreck poster
8.0

Several children find out what's the matter with a wreck offshore, which puts them into jeopardy.

The Mysterious Wreck

1954

1940s · 3 titles