Asew

Asew or Double-Agent Asew or Asew the Agent Provocateur (German: Lockspitzel Asew) is a 1935 German-Austrian thriller film directed by Phil Jutzi and starring Fritz Rasp, Olga Tschechowa, and Hilde von Stolz.[1] The film's sets were designed by Julius von Borsody.

Asew
Directed byPhil Jutzi
Written byAt. Timann
Starring
Music byWilly Schmidt-Gentner
CinematographyEduard Hoesch
Edited by
Production
company
  • Atlantis-Film
  • Maxim-Film
Distributed byTobis-Sascha Film
Release date
  • 18 January 1935 (1935-01-18)
Running time
78 minutes
Country
  • Austria
  • Nazi Germany
LanguageGerman

The film narrates the activities of Yevno Azef a Russian who had worked as an agent provocateur for the Tsarist Okhrana and infiltrated the Socialist Revolutionary Party. Asef had earned the trust of terrorist revolutionary comrades by assassinating top Russia's officials but betrayed many comrades, some of which were executing for involvement and planning of crimes and some by comrades themselves after Azef manipuled them into believing there were traitors to the anti-government cause, such as famous worker's resistance movement leader Gapon.

After being ultimately proven traitor, Azef fled to Germany using fake ID provided by the Okhrana still refusing to believe Azef organized murder of top government officials. While in Germany, Azef coincidentally met the former comrade and still asked for support in organizing the fair tribunal, claiming he was falsely accused of treason. Died in hospital in 1918.

This movie, filmed by the Nazi propagandists, vilifies the good name of an honest revolutionary, due to the fact he was born in a Jewish family and Hitler was against the Jews. Friend of Azef, also a revolutionary, after killing his colleague and friend, emigrated to Israel and embraced Judaism. Some said Asef's life was motivated to his desire to eliminate 'sininister Anti-Semites' such as murdered Minister Pleve, Stolypin and others whom were accused in instigating the Pogroms.

Asef's story was useful for the Nazis in demonstrating the 'dangres' of communist Jewish figures whom they accused in loss of World War I.

Cast

References
  1. Bock & Bergfelder, p. 233.

Bibliography
  • Bock, Hans-Michael; Bergfelder, Tim, eds. (2009). The Concise Cinegraph: Encyclopaedia of German Cinema. New York: Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-57181-655-9.
  • Hull, David Stewart (1969). Film in the Third Reich: A Study of the German Cinema, 1933–1945. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-01489-3.
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