Love and the First Railroad (1934): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1934, Love and the First Railroad is a drama film directed by Hasso Preiß, running about 81 minutes.

What it’s about. 'Love and the First Railway' is what this movie's title would mean in English. This is one of those films that depicts fictional characters participating in an historic incident. The actual first railway was built in England, of course. But according to this movie, the first railway (in Germany, at least) was built from Berlin to Potsdam, in 1838. I haven't the faintest idea if that's correct, but the people who made this movie do seem to take a great deal of interest in historical accuracy, so I'll take their word for it. Anyway, a title at the beginning establishes that this movie is set in 1838.

Who’s in it. Love and the First Railroad stars Jakob Tiedtke as F.W. Eichmann, Posthalter in Zehlendorf, Ida Wüst as Helene, seine Frau, Karin Hardt as Brigitte, beider Tochter and Fritz Kampers as Paul Kluthammer, sein Faktotum, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.0/10, Love and the First Railroad has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Love and the First Railroad page.

If you liked it. Fans of Love and the First Railroad tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.