Kuhle Wampe oder: Wem gehört die Welt? Add a review

Kuhle Wampe (full title: Kuhle Wampe, oder: Wem gehört die Welt?, translated in English as Kuhle Wampe or Who Owns the World?, and released in the USA as Whither Germany? by Kinematrade Inc.) is a 1932 German feature film about unemployment, homelessness and left wing politics in the Weimar Republic produced by Prometheus Film. The script was conceived and written by Bertolt Brecht. He also directed the concluding scene: a political debate between strangers on a train about the world coffee market. The rest of the film was directed by Slatan Dudow. The film music was composed by Hanns Eisler.

Kuhle Wampe itself was a tent camp on the Müggelsee in Berlin. Wampe is Berlin dialect for "stomach", so the title could be rendered "Empty Stomach".

The film was banned in Germany in 1932 due to the accusations that it depicted the president, the legal system, and religion in a negative light but, following protests, the ban was lifted for a recut version. The film remained unseen for many years. However, a restored print is now available and a video was released by the British Film Institute in 1999, along with a documentary video essay on the original film by Andrew Hoellering, son of the film's producer George Hoellering.