Pettersson & Bendel

Pettersson & Bendel is a 1933 Swedish film directed by Per-Axel Branner.

Plot

Josef Bendel, a stowaway from eastern Europe, sneaks into Sweden. He meets Karl-Johan Pettersson in Stockholm and the two unemployed men team up for moneymaking schemes.

Cast

Semmy Friedmann as Josef Bendel
Adolf Jahr as Karl-Johan Pettersson

Production

The film, based on Waldemar Hammenhög's book, was directed by Per-Axel Branner and produced by Svensk Filmindustri. It was heavily anti-Semitic.

Release

The film was distributed by Warner Bros. in the United States and Europe. It premiered in the United States at the 55th Street Theatre in February 1934. Violence against Jews broke out in Germany after the film was shown in Berlin in July 1935. It was dubbed for its German re-release in November 1938.

Reception

Joseph Goebbels praised the film and designated it as politically worthwhile to the state, the first foreign film to receive it. Adolf Hitler mentioned the film in his speech announcing the Nuremberg Laws.