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    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Shows by Decade»1970s Television
    1970s Television Drama Shows M 2 Mins Read

    Man of Straw

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    1 9 7 2 (UK)
    6 x 45 minute episodes

    Derek Jacobi starred as Diederich Hessling in this BBC2 adaptation of Heinrich Mann’s so-called prophetic novel of Germany in the first decade of the 20th century, Der Untertan.

    The story followed Hessling’s career from his student days when he arrived from a provincial town to study in Berlin, narrowly obtaining a doctorate of chemistry before becoming a paper manufacturer, family patriarch, and eventually the most influential man in his small hometown.

    Hessling’s inflexible ideals were often contradicted by his actions: he preached bravery but was a coward; he was the strongest proponent of the military but sought to be excused from his obligatory military service; his greatest political opponents were the proletarian Social Democrats, yet he used his influence to help send his hometown’s SPD candidate to the Reichstag parliament, in order to defeat his liberal competitors in business; he started vicious rumours against the latter and then dissociated himself from them; he preached and enforced Christian virtues upon others but lied, cheated, and regularly committed infidelity.

    The role required Jacobi to act in two clearly contrasting styles and to switch from one to the other at the drop of the script.

    Diederich Hessling
    Derek Jacobi
    Dr Heuteufel
    John Phillips
    Sotbier
    Denis Carey
    Guste Daimchen
    Judy Cornwell
    Emmi Hessling
    Elizabeth Bell
    Frau Hessling
    Sheila Brennan
    Napoleon Fischer
    Dave Hill
    Katchen Zillich
    Judy Loe
    Magda Hessling
    Karin MacCarthy
    Wolfgang Buck
    Ian Ogilvy
    Von Wulchow
    John Savident
    Agnes Goppel
    Juliet Aykroyd
    Dr Judassohn
    Sam Dastor
    Virsing
    Mike Fields
    Herr Goppel
    Derek Francis
    Judge Sarding
    Harry Hutchinson
    Burgermeister Scheffelweis
    David King
    Herr Cohn
    Stanley Lebor
    Fox Major
    Stuart McGugan
    Judith Lauer
    Eve Pearce
    Herr Lauer
    Cyril Shaps
    Wiebel
    Sean Roantree
    Hernung
    Brian Stirner
    Marklmann
    John White
    Pastor Zillich
    Manning Wilson

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