Five Cartridges (1960): Cast & Plot
Five Cartridges is a 1960 war drama directed by Frank Beyer, starring Armin Mueller-Stahl as Pierre, der Franzose, Fritz Diez and Erwin Geschonneck. It runs 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 30m (90 min)
- Director
- Frank Beyer
- Original language
-
German - Studio
- DEFA
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Five Cartridges About?
The premise of Five Cartridges without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Set in 1936 amid the Spanish Civil War, a wounded German commander of an international brigade entrusts his five comrades with a crucial message split among five ammunition cartridges. The full message will be delivered only if each shell reaches the battalion. However, French soldier Pierre, unable to endure the Sierra’s heat, leaves the hide‑out to fetch water and is struck by an enemy bullet.
Five Cartridges Themes & Keywords
· 47 tags- spanish civil war
- 1930s
- mountain
- sierra
- radio
- message
- dehydration
- death
- cartridge
- mountain river
- projectile
- well
+35 more Show fewer
- water
- village
- valley
- thirst
- solidarity
- shell
- sacrifice
- patriotism
- mountain region
- machine gun
- knife
- knife throwing
- killing
- hope
- hallucination
- gun
- grenade
- graffiti
- gatling gun
- friendship
- fire brigade
- fascism
- farmer
- dream
- creek
- companionship
- communism
- cave
- capitalism
- bullet
- bridge
- bravery
- ammunition
- defa
- spain
Five Cartridges Cast & Characters
Armin Mueller-Stahl leads the cast as Pierre, der Franzose, with Fritz Diez as Major Balanos and Erwin Geschonneck as Kommissar Witting. Directed by Frank Beyer; 31 actors are credited in all.
- Director Frank Beyer
- Armin Mueller-Stahl as Pierre, der Franzose
- Fritz Diez as Major Balanos
- Erwin Geschonneck as Kommissar Witting
- Ernst-Georg Schwill as Willi der Deutsche
Also Starring in Five Cartridges
· 27 more- Manfred Krug Oleg der Pole
- Edwin Marian Jose der Spanier
- Günter Naumann Dimitri der Bulgare
- Ulrich Thein Wasja der Russe
- Johannes Maus Karl
- Jochen Diestelmann Jerri
- Adolf Peter Hoffmann
- Fred Ludwig
- Arno Wyzniewski
- Fred Düren
- Hans Finohr Pedro
- Harald Moszdorf
- Ezard Haußmann
- Fritz Ernst Fechner Jirka
- Hans Sievers
- Walter Schramm Juan
Show all 31 cast members Show fewer cast members
Five Cartridges Plot Summary
What happens in Five Cartridges from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Set during the Spanish Civil War, a small unit from the International Brigades is suddenly cut off in the frontline, abandoned with no water and no ammunition. Major Bolaños Fritz Diez orders his commissar, Heinrich Witting Erwin Geschonneck, to pick five volunteers who will stay in the trenches and hold the line while the rest of the battalion makes a retreat across the Ebro River. The chosen volunteers are Pierre Armin Mueller-Stahl, the Frenchman; Willi Ernst-Georg Schwill, the German; Oleg Manfred Krug, the Pole; José Edwin Marian, the Spaniard; and Dimitri Günter Naumann, the Bulgarian. Also remaining behind is Wasja Ulrich Thein, the Soviet radio operator who handles communications.
Full summary
The whole story of Five Cartridges, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Five Cartridges?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
During which conflict does the story of Five Cartridges take place?
Five Cartridges Also Known As
Also known as “Пять патронных гильз”.
- Also known as
-
- Пять патронных гильз
Seen Five Cartridges?
Movies Like Five Cartridges
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Five for Hell, The Carabineers and Carriage to Vienna.
Five Cartridges FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast, post-credit scenes and language of Five Cartridges, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Five Cartridges?
Five Cartridges runs 1 hour 30 minutes (90 minutes).
When was Five Cartridges released?
Five Cartridges was released on November 3, 1960.
Who directed Five Cartridges?
Five Cartridges was directed by Frank Beyer.
More films by Frank Beyer Who is in the cast of Five Cartridges?
Five Cartridges stars Armin Mueller-Stahl as Pierre, der Franzose, Fritz Diez as Major Balanos and Erwin Geschonneck as Kommissar Witting, among 31 credited actors.
Does Five Cartridges have a post-credit scene?
No. Five Cartridges has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Five Cartridges in?
The original language of Five Cartridges is German.
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