Gustaf Gründgens and Marianne Hoppe – two of the most famous German actors of the past century. Gustaf Gründgens celebrates his first successes on stage of the Hamburger Kammerspiele and in the early thirties still sympathizes with the German Communist Party (KPD). When the Nazis take over command however, he arranges himself with the political system. He becomes Göring´s protégé and adds to Nazi-Germany´s reputation. Marianne Hoppe chooses a movie-career – she becomes the star of the UFA and represents the ideal German woman. However, they do not neglect endangered colleagues.
Carola Stern reports on those who become privileged in NS-Germany as well as on the destiny of their escaped or killed colleagues. Gustaf Gründgens and Marianne Hoppe are not only colleagues in business but in addition decide to marry in 1936. They get divorced ten years later. However, they remain connected through loyality, considerateness and closeness even after their divorce. Both manage to continue their careers after the war: Gründgens becomes a conservative general director who produces classics without experiments and Marianne Hoppe catches up with modern theater, working alongside famous authors and directors like Thomas Bernhard and Heiner Müller.
Carola Stern describes the two fascinating artist´s lives as well as the turbulent decades that influenced them. She outlines their beginning careers in the roaring twenties, tough times of compromises in the thirties and fourties and their second careers in post-war Germany until their deaths.
