Der Scout

Short Summary (English)

In 1877, after the practically total annihilation of the prairie Indians, the Whites moved on further west, where they encountered the peaceful Nez Percéz Indians, who were scheduled to be herded into a reservation.

In order to hinder any escape attempts from the reservation and also to stifle the Indians' spirit of resistance, a cavalry regiment requisitioned the Indians' large herd of horses. Vice chief White Feather decides to get back his tribe's horses without the use of force. Pretending to belong to another tribe, White Feather allows himself to be taken prisoner by the soldiers. Fortunately, the cavalry regiment has been divided and most of the soldiers have been sent off to attack the Cayuse Indian tribe. Thus there are only seven troops left to guard the horses. The soldiers decide to take the herd to Fort Lapwai and they commission White Feather as the scout leading them to the Fort. However; shrewd Sergeant Anderson soon realizes that their scout is none other than White Feather;

the vice chief of the Nez Percéz Indians.

During the journey, the sergeant becomes a most dangerous opponent of White Feather - but he depends on the Indian scout to safely guide him and his troops to their destination. Upon reaching Fort Lapwai, the men discover that it has been laid waste by the Cayuse Indians. The Cayuse warriors attack anew and the soldiers, sorely tried, barely withstand the Indians' onslaught. And White Feather; who sought to avoid violence, must now take up arms against the soldiers in order to take back his tribe's herd of horses.

Source: Progress Film-Verleih

Film Crew

Director

• Konrad Petzold
• Dshamjangijn Buntar (Co-Regie)

Script

• Konrad Petzold

Camera

• Otto Hanisch
• Geserdshawijn Masch (2. Kamera)

Film Editing

• Brigitte Krex

Cast

• Gojko Mitić (Weiße Feder)
• Nazagdordshijn Batzezeg (Cayuse-Mädchen)
• Klaus Manchen (Sergeant Anderson)
• Milan Beli (eig. Bosiljcic) (Major Bannigan)
• Giso Weißbach (Leutnant Brooks)
• Jürgen Heinrich (Soldat Hicke)
• Uwe Jellinek (Soldat Hunter)
• Roland Seidler (Soldat McGoun)
• Hartmut Beer (Soldat Randall)
• Manfred Zetzsche (Colonell Howard)
• Werner Kanitz (Stabssergeant)
• Luwsan-Osorijn Njamsüren (Häuptling)
• Zerendulamijn Gürsed (Anführer)
• Gombijn Rawdan (Junger Krieger)
• Konrad Petzold (Sterbender Soldat)
• Helmut Schreiber (Soames Parker)
• Erdmute Schmid-Christian (Caroline)
• Heidrun Welskop (Jane)
• Budragtschagijn Tschimiddordsh (Sterbender Krieger)

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Assistant Director

• Helge Trimpert (Assistenz-Regie)
• Budragtschagijn Tschimiddordsh
• Mjagmarijn Batsümber

Scenario

• Gottfried Kolditz

Production Design

• Heinz Röske

Script Editing

• Gerd Gericke

Music

• Karl-Ernst Sasse

Sound

• Rosemarie Linde
• Christian Müller
• Zedendardshagijn Doldshinsüren
• Gerhard Ribbeck (Tonmischung)

Costume Design

• Inge Kistner

Make-Up

• Peter Vohs
• Harald Jahn
• Erdene-Otschirijn Dedshidmaa

Props

• Georg Wüstenberg

Production Management

• Rolf Martius
• Bajarsajchangijn Mendbajar

Unit Production Management

• Detlef Willecke
• Heinz-Jürgen Schmidt
• Ursula Dombrowski
• Agwanluwsangijn Enchtür

Design

• Inka Unverzagt (Choreografie)
• Kaskadeurgruppe Eugen Albert (Pferdeaktionen)

DEFA Photography

• Frank Bredow
• Klaus Goldmann
• Jürgen Kagermann
• Nawangijn Öldsijbajar

Dubbing (Dubbing Actor)

• Thomas Kästner (Weiße Feder)
• Ute Lubosch (Cayuse-Mädchen)
• Horst Kempe (Major Bannigan)
• Werner Ehrlicher (Häuptling)
• Manfred Richter (Anführer)

Short Summary (German)

(Koproduktion DDR/Mongolische Volksrepublik)

1877. Die Weißen ziehen immer weiter nach Westen über die Rocky Mountains. Der Stamm der Nez-Percé-Indianer wird von einer Kavallerietruppe in die Reservation getrieben. Um Flucht und Widerstand der Indianer unmöglich zu machen, werden ihre Pferde requiriert. Unterhäuptling Weiße Feder beschließt, die Pferde zurückzuholen. Er tarnt sich als harmloser Fischer und lässt sich von der Armee verhaften. Den Weißen ist er als Scout sehr willkommen, und man steckt ihn zu der Pferdeherde, die nach Fort Lapwai getrieben werden soll - von nur sieben Soldaten. Doch unter ihnen befindet sich ein cleverer Sergeant, der zum starken Widersacher wird. Mit List gelingt es Weißer Feder, der durch andere Kämpfe geschwächten Armee die Pferde zu entreißen.

(Quelle: Das zweite Leben der Filmstadt Babelsberg. DEFA-Spielfilme 1946-1992)

Short Summary (Other Languages)

"Der Scout" blev sidste omgang i baren både for de røde westerns fra DEFA og for studiets store stjerne Gojko Mitić. Den jugoslaviske skuespiller søgte herefter nye veje i karrieren, fordi han ønskede at bryde med typecastingen som indianer, og DEFA stoppede med at producere westernfilm. I svanesangen ses Mitić som Hvide Fjer, der lader sig indrullere i den hvide mands hær som spejder. Han har dog en skjult dagsorden, for i virkeligheden hører han til en truet indianerstamme, hvis heste er blevet beslaglagt af selvsamme hær. Hvide Fjer må nu bruge al sin list for at narre fjenden og bringe hestene tilbage til sit folk.

(Dänisch, Quelle: Dänisches Filminstitut)

Alla fine del XIX secolo, i bianchi avanzano sempre più verso ovest, oltre le Rocky Mountains. Le truppe di cavalleria spingono la tribù dei Nez Perce in una riserva. Per impedire agli indiani di fuggire, i soldati requisiscono i loro cavalli. Ma Penna Bianca decide di andarsi a riprendere gli animali. Cammuffato da innocuo pescatore, si lascia catturare dall'armata, che lo usa, assieme ad altri sette soldati, per condurre la mandria a Fort Lapwei. Un astuto sergente del gruppo si rivela un agguerrito avversario. Grazie alla sua astuzia, Penna Bianca riesce a sottrarre i cavalli all'armata indebolita da altre battaglie. (Italienisch)