To this day, the late actor Pierre Brice is the most recognizable face of “Winnetou”. His widow Hella Brice cannot understand that the character played by her husband is now in danger of falling into disrepute. The actual message from author Karl May is pushed into the background.
Hella Brice, widow of legendary Winnetou actor Pierre Brice, has countered allegations of racism against writer Karl May. “I can’t understand this accusation at all,” said the 73-year-old. “If Karl May had been racist, he would hardly have let Winnetou and Old Shatterhand become blood brothers and fight side by side for good.”
Hella Brice thus took a position on the current debate about “cultural appropriation” and racism, which arose after the withdrawal of two accompanying books for a new Winnetou film for children. Born in Upper Palatinate, she was married to the French actor for more than 30 years. Brice became a cinema legend in the 1960s with the film adaptations of the Karl May books as “Winnetou”. He died in Paris on June 6, 2015 at the age of 86. He is buried in Gräfelfing near Munich, where Hella Brice lives today.
“I think it’s a great pity that this discussion is pushing Karl May’s message and Winnetou’s values into the background,” Helle Brice said. Neither the actors of the new film “The Young Chief Winnetou” and those of the previous films nor the stages that Karl May performed today had anything negative in mind, quite the opposite.
“My husband was named Rainbow Man by the Winnebagos at the Karl May Games in Bad Segeberg in 1991,” said Hella Brice. The Winnebagos would have accepted the actor as an honorary member of their tribe. The widow emphasized that they would certainly not have done that if they had felt attacked or hurt by Karl May’s portrayal and language.
“Exactly the opposite was always what Pierre wanted,” assured Hella Brice. “He wanted to bring people closer to the culture of the Indians, the connection to nature, the desire for peace, freedom, tolerance and respect, because these were also his own values, which he fought for all his life.”
The discussion about “Winnetou” flared up after the Ravensburger publishing house withdrew two books on the film “The Young Chief Winnetou” from sale. In the meantime, it has also become known that ARD no longer shows the famous “Winnetou” films from the 1960s. However, this is probably primarily related to licensing issues.