The Sinner (1951 film)

The Sinner (Die Sünderin) is a 1951 West German romantic drama film directed by Willi Forst and starring Hildegard Knef, Gustav Fröhlich and Änne Bruck. It was shot at the Bendestorf Studios and on location in Naples, Rome and Positano. The film's sets were designed by the art director Franz Schroedter.

Plot
It is a love story between the prostitute Marina and the unsuccessful artist Alexander, who suffers from a cancer which makes him blind and ill. They are happy for a short period in Italy. Despite Marina's loving care, Alexanders health gets worse and they together commit suicide in the end.

Scandal
It was one of the first German films to break several taboos: nudity, suicide and euthanasia. In the Germany of the 1950s, this caused a lot of negative reactions both by politicians and the Roman Catholic Church. The opposition reached the degree of banning the film and scandalizing it, which paradoxically made it one of the landmarks in the German film history. Despite or because of the scandal, Die Sünderin proved to be the breakthrough role of Hildegard Knef.

Cast

 * Hildegard Knef as Marina
 * Gustav Fröhlich as Alexander
 * Änne Bruck as Marina's mother
 * Wera Frydtberg as a colleague
 * Robert Meyn as Marina's stepfather
 * Jochen-Wolfgang Meyn as Marina's stepbrother
 * Andreas Wolf as a doctor