Auf den Wassern des Lebens - Gustaf Gründgens and Marianne Hoppe

A gripping account of German history told through the lens of theatre. Carola Stern writes about those who rose to prominence and enjoyed privileges under the Nazi regime - among them Gründgens and Hoppe - and about the fate of their colleagues who fled or were murdered.

Both stars of the German stage moved between two worlds. Gründgens built his career as Göring's favourite, lending prestige to Hitler's state while still refusing to abandon colleagues in danger. Marianne Hoppe rose to become a UFA film star. On screen she embodied the image of German womanhood that Hitler demanded, while at home she sheltered her persecuted Jewish friend Carl Dreyfuss.

Carola Stern tells the highly dramatic story of two brilliant actors with expertise, artistry and remarkable vitality - a superb biography. Read aloud by Bansin-based Germanist Dr. Ute van der Maer.

(Tickets at tourist information offices and at www.kaiserbaeder-auf-usedom.de - admission: 7.00 €)