The Burning Secret


The Burning Secret is a 1933 Austrian-German drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Alfred Abel, Hilde Wagener and Hans Joachim Schaufuß. It was based on the 1913 novella of the same title by Stefan Zweig. It was released by the German branch of Universal Pictures. It was shot at the EFA Studios in Berlin and on location around Ascona in Switzerland. The film's sets were designed by the art director Robert A. Dietrich.
Because of its theme of adultery, the film was attacked by Joseph Goebbels, the Reichs [Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda|Nazi Propaganda Minister].

Cast

The Burning Secret was the last film Robert Siodmak, who was Jewish, directed before the Nazi seizure of power. The film was based on the story by Stefan Zweig that was previously adapted as a silent film. The cinematography was done by Richard Angst.

Release

The film was released in Berlin on 29 March 1933, but was shown without the credits for director, composer, lyricist, and original author. Joseph Goebbels attacked Siodmak as a "corrupter of the German family" in Völkischer Beobachter. Siodmak and his brother later left Germany for France and then the United States.

Works cited