Discover
The Song of the Rivers (German: Das Lied der Ströme) is a 1954 documentary film production by the East Germany's Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft (DEFA). Dutch filmmaker Joris Ivens was the leading director. The sprawling film celebrates international workers movements along six major rivers: the Volga, Mississippi, Ganges, Nile, Amazon and the Yangtze. Shot in many countries by different film crews, and later edited by Ivens, Song of the Rivers begins with a lyrical montage of landscapes and laborers and proceeds to glorify labor and modern industrial machinery. The musical score is by Dmitri Shostakovich, with lyrics written by Berthold Brecht, and songs performed by German communism's star Ernst Busch and famous American actor, singer and activist Paul Robeson who also narrates. Song of the Rivers is an ode to international solidarity.
Original Release
09/17/1954
US Release
06/06/2012
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Alex McCrindle | Narrator / Narrator (English version) |
Ernst Busch | Self (2020) |
Paul Robeson | Voice of Singer |
Sergio Vasconcelos | Brazilian Narrator / Narrator (brazilian segment) |
John Foster Dulles | Self (in Washington) |
Zedong Mao | Self (with labourers) |
Walter Ulbricht | Self (at rally opposing West German rearmament) |
Directors
Joop Huisken, Robert Menegoz, Joris Ivens, Ruy Santos
Writers
Joris Ivens, Ruy Santos, Vladimir Pozner
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Alex McCrindle | Narrator / Narrator (English version) |
Ernst Busch | Self (2020) |
Paul Robeson | Voice of Singer |
Sergio Vasconcelos | Brazilian Narrator / Narrator (brazilian segment) |
John Foster Dulles | Self (in Washington) |
Zedong Mao | Self (with labourers) |
Walter Ulbricht | Self (at rally opposing West German rearmament) |