Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen (1960): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1960, Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen is a drama and war film directed by Frank Wisbar, running about 99 minutes.

What it’s about. The film depicts the first month of 1945 when the Russian Red Army broke into the eastern part of Germany and forced millions of civilians to flee in the coldest of winter. While the Russians invaded Ostpreussen hundred of thousands of civilians were evacuated by ships. Gotenhafen was the last open port and ships left the town almost by the minute, overloaded by refugees. One of the last ships to leave Gotenhafen was the 'Wilhelm Gustloff', a former 'Kraft durch Freude' pleasure cruiser designed for 1000 passengers. Until today it is unknown how many people were on board but it is said to be around 10.000. The ship sunk without a trace and only a handful of people survived this hellish nightmare.

Who’s in it. Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen stars Sonja Ziemann as Maria Reiser, Gunnar Möller as Kurt Reiser, Erik Schumann as Hans Schott and Brigitte Horney as Generalin von Reuss, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.5/10, Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen page.

If you liked it. Fans of Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.