The Blue Swords
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70% Critic Match

The Blue Swords

7.0 / 10 1949 1h 39mNR German
DramaHistory

Storyline

The story of Johann Friedrich Böttger, an apothecary’s apprentice and alchemist’s assistant. Fleeing from the Prussian King, he goes to Saxony, where King Frederick August the Strong takes him to a fortress and demands that he create gold. Böttger is equipped with everything he would need for the task, but he has known for a while that actual gold production is a myth and instead experiments with porcelain—white porcelain, as the Chinese are said to possess. In 1709, he finally succeeds in surprising the King with the "white gold," the first white porcelain made in Europe, he hopes for freedom.

Cast & Crew

Hans Quest

Hans Quest

Johann Böttger

Lead
Ilse Steppat

Ilse Steppat

Frau von Tschirnhausen

Herbert Hübner

Herbert Hübner

Nehmitz

Albert Bessler

Albert Bessler

Finanzminister

Alexander Engel

Alexander Engel

Herr von Tschirnhausen

Willy A. Kleinau

Willy A. Kleinau

August der Starke

MP

Marianne Prenzel

Katharina

PW

Paul Wagner

König Friedrich I.

What People Are Saying

4.0
A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Wolfgang Schleif's vision lands with breathtaking precision.
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
4.0
Every frame feels alive. The Blue Swords is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker