Hans-Jürgen Syberberg began tracing the cultural concepts which created the Third Reich with Ludwig: Requiem for a Virgin King (1972), continued in 1974 with Karl May and culminated with the 7-hour epic, Our Hitler (1977). Ken Wlaschin (London Film Festival) writes: “The three-hour Karl May examines one of the strangest figures in 20th-century German history, a creator of best-selling cowboy stories (many of them still being filmed) and other books with triumphant Superman-type heroes. It is no surprise that Hitler was a great admirer of the writer and even ordered his generals to read May novels after the disastrous Russian campaign in order to restore their morale. The film describes the deep disillusionment of the writer and follows him from his earliest days as a juvenile delinquent until he becomes the hero of millions and even the subject of popular songs. One of the more extraordinary things about Syberberg's film is that the cast is primarily composed of leading figures from the Third Reich cinema, among them Helmut Kautner (as Karl May), Kristina Soderbaum, Mady Rahl and Lil Dagover.”