Kuhle Wampe ( the full title is Kuhle Wampe oder Wem gehört die Welt) is a German feature film, released in 1932, about unemployment and left wing politics in the Weimar Republic. The title refers to a tent camp in the countryside near to Berlin. The script was conceived and written by Bertolt Brecht. He also directed the concluding scene: a political debate between strangers on a tram about the world coffee market. The rest of the film was directed by Slatan Dudow. The impact of this black and white film is enhanced by the cinematography of Gunther Krampf and a musical score by Hanns Eisler.
The film was banned in 1932 under the accusation that it depicted the president, the legal system, and religion in a poor way, but due to protests the ban was lifted on a recut version. The film remained unseen for many years after the Second World War. However, a restored print is now available and a video was released by the British Film Institute in 1999, along with a documentary video essay on the original film by Andrew Hoellering, son of the film's producer Georg Hoellering.
