Die Vorbestraften (1927)

The notation “previously convicted” in the identification papers of a German ex-offender in the Weimar Republic is like a brand of shame. Once stamped in this way, someone released back into freedom finds it almost impossible to reintegrate into society. This film illustrates such a fate through the life of former prisoner Karl Hartmann. A humanly understandable lapse had landed him behind bars, and now that he is free again, he has great difficulty finding the work essential to keeping himself and his child alive. A wall of prejudice and malicious remarks constantly blocks his way, leaving him virtually compelled to return to lawlessness. Only another former convict, Rechlin, who has since become a successful industrialist, proves to be a lifeline in his hour of need, thanks to their similar pasts, and prevents Hartmann’s downfall. Yet even Rechlin, a successful man who has lived an impeccable life of virtue for decades, finds himself at the mercy of sensationalist journalism, which hounds him with inflammatory reports and drives him to take his own life.