Diederich Heßling is scared of everything and everyone. But as he grows up, he comes to realize that he has to offer his services to the powers-that-be if he wants to wield power himself. His life motto now runs: bow to those at the top and tread on those below. In this way, he always succeeds: as a student in a duel-fighting student fraternity and as a businessman in a paper factory. He cajoles the obese district administrative president Von Wulkow and wins his favor. He slanders his financial rivals and hatches a plot with the social democrats in the town council. On his honeymoon with his rich wife Guste, he finally finds a chance to do his beloved Kaiser a favor. And when a memorial to the Kaiser is unveiled in the town where Diederich lives and works, he delivers the address. He stands behind the lectern in the pouring rain, saluting his Kaiser. The crowd is dispersed. Everything is laid in ruins...

Cast & crew

Wolfgang Staudte

Director

Werner Peters

Diederich Heßling

Paul Esser

Regierungspräsident von Wulckow

Blandine Ebinger

Frau von Wulckow

R

Renate Fischer

Guste Daimchen

Carola Braunbock

Emmi Heßling

E

Emmy Burg

Magda Heßling

Sabine Thalbach

Agnes Göppel

Friedel Nowack

Mrs. Göpel

Friedrich Maurer

Göpel

Erich Nadler

Father Heßling

G

Gertrud Bergmann

Mother Heßling

Ernst Legal

Zillich

Raimund Schelcher

Dr. Wolfgang Buck

E

Eduard von Winterstein

Buck sen.

Hannsgeorg Laubenthal

Mahlmann

Friedrich Gnaß

Napoleon Fischer

W

Wolfgang Kühne

Dr. Mennicke

F

Fritz Staudte

Kühlemann

W

Wolfgang Heise

von Brietzen

A

Axel Triebel

Major Kunze