"Blutsbrüder" is one of the so called "Indianerfilme" which were produced in East Germany.These were westerns which differed from the American ones since they focused on the fate,the adventures and the sufferings of the Native Americans.The white men,on the contrary were mainly presented as mean,cruel and greedy.In other words,the American and the socialist westerns showed two different versions of the colonization of the USA.I don't know which were more accurate in terms of historicity,but the East German westerns were smashing hits in all countries behind the Iron Curtain.In all of the films the main part was played by the Serbian actor Gojko Mitic who became a real celebrity in the socialist countries.From 1966 to 1983 East Germany produced 12 "Indianerfilme".Some of them were really good,others were mediocre.I think that "Blutsbrüder" belongs to the good ones.
The main parts in the film are played by Gojko Mitic and Dean Reed - an American singer,actor and pacifist who made a successful career in the socialist bloc after he had starred in several Italian westerns.He plays the soldier Harmonika who takes part in a bloody massacre in an Indian village.The violence against the helpless women and children repulses him and he deserts from the army.After that he is captured by the Indians but gradually becomes a friend with the tribe and the brave warrior Harter Felsen,played by Gojko Mitic.They both fight against the iniquities of the white men...Yes,the plot reminds of Kevin Costner's "Dances with wolves" and that's really curious.
However,the plot is interesting and the characters are complex:each of the both men changes throughout the film and considers his ideals and convictions concerning such issues as peace,revenge and forgiveness.A nice romantic story is added to the nice scenario.The sceneries, which are actually shot in Romania,are impressive.The music score composed by Karl-Ernst Sasse is outstanding and Dean Reed writes and sings one of his well-known songs "Love your brother" for this film.He and Gojko Mitic make one of the best performances in their career.Without a doubt,"Blutsbrüder" is highly recommendable for all fans of adventure and western films and it is one of the best from the "Indianerfilme" sequence.
