I WAS A CRIMINAL   (aka "Captain of Koepenick" and "Passport to Heaven")   Director: Richard Oswald Year: 1941 Runtime: 73 min. Country: USA Language: English Color: B&W Format: 16mm

Based on a successful stage play which was itself based on true events that happened in Kaiser Wilhelm's Germany in 1906. An unemployed shoemaker is released from prison and finds himself in a Catch-22 predicament: in order to find work abroad he needs a passport, but to obtain a passport he must have a job! The cobbler's solution is as ingenious as it is audacious. He dons a Prussian officer's uniform, marches a platoon of soldiers into the town of Kopenick, arrests the mayor, and absconds with the town's treasury. The story is reported in newspapers worldwide and the plucky shoemaker becomes a folk hero at home even as he's being sentenced to another stint in the slammer. The film makes light of a penchant in the German people to ingratiate themselves to anyone carrying signs of official authority which was a real cause for concern to the rest of the world at the time of the the film's making. This 1941 American remake was originally filmed ten years earlier in Germany by the same director, Richard Oswald. It received little distribution and disappeared without a trace until rediscovered in the collection of Oswald's widow. So, come join us as we enjoy viewing this forgotten cinematic gem. Also showing, the Betty Boop cartoon "There's Something About a Soldier."     showtime Tuesday, June 14 at 7 pm location THE GREEN ROOM 144 West Street (across from the Comstock Hotel) admission $6 general / $4 GBFS members

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