Barry comes into contact with two members of the Potzdorf family: a Prussian captain and his uncle, who is associated with the police apparatus. Their roles are different.
Captain Potzdorf Uncovers the False Identity
During his attempt to escape the British army, Barry assumes an identity that is not his own. Captain Potzdorf, played by Hardy Krüger, sees through the deception and puts him in a new position of dependence. Their conversation shows an authority that combines observation, suspicion, and the power to impose consequences. The appearance of the uniform is not enough when another character knows the procedures behind it better.
The desertion episode examines the use of the uniform and provisional identity. Here, the focus is on Barry's encounter with a specific authority figure: Potzdorf does not need to know Barry's entire background to uncover inconsistencies and compel him to accept service in the Prussian army. The character represents an institution that can turn an individual decision into a prolonged obligation.
Hardy Krüger plays the captain with restraint, attentive to the answers and the other person's position. The effect comes from the interplay of voice, pauses, and control of the conversation. Attributing specific preparation methods to him would require identifiable accounts; the performance itself can be analyzed without inventing rehearsal details.
Service, Rescue, and a New Relationship of Trust
Barry serves in the Prussian army and eventually saves Potzdorf during a fire. That act changes their relationship: the captain acknowledges a debt, and the protagonist gets a chance to leave his strictly military position. The rescue scene has its own analysis; in a profile of the Potzdorfs, what matters is the shift in trust it brings about.
Discipline remains the framework for their relationship. Barry's merit does not erase the fact that his service began with his capture and an imposed alternative. The film shows how the same institution can punish, reward, and reassign people. The combat and military discipline provides the audiovisual context, but the Potzdorf story focuses on the shift from service to surveillance.
This change in position does not make Barry completely free, either. The protection he receives depends on his superiors' trust and his usefulness for new tasks. This dependence sets up his encounter with the Chevalier.
Potzdorf's Uncle and the Surveillance Assignment
After the war, Potzdorf and his uncle, identified in the story as having police responsibilities, help assign Barry a job. The assignment is to watch the Chevalier de Balibari, who is suspected of activities of interest to the state. It is important not to confuse the captain played by Krüger with the relative who holds a different institutional role. Their family relationship and division of responsibilities explain why both are connected to the same operation.
The encounter with the Chevalier changes the meaning of the assignment when Barry recognizes him as a fellow Irishman. The surveillance does not produce the expected obedience, because the protagonist forms a different bond of loyalty. The institution retains the power to act, but it cannot control every personal relationship that develops within its mission.
The Potzdorfs reveal a network of power formed by the army, rewards, and the police. The film distinguishes them through their actions: one uncovers the deception and establishes a service relationship; the other helps use Barry as an observer. Maintaining this distinction avoids reducing the story to the actions of a single all-powerful officer.
Captain Potzdorf also demonstrates that authority can be exercised through an apparently reasoned conversation. Once he uncovers Barry's deception, he does not need to resort to a dramatic pursuit: he can offer an alternative whose inequality is obvious. The young man must accept terms he would not have chosen freely. The scene shows how an institution can turn information about a person into the power to make decisions about that person's future.
The later reward for the rescue adds another dimension. Potzdorf recognizes Barry's valuable action, but that recognition does not erase the hierarchy. Gratitude can open up a job opportunity while keeping the recipient within a network of obligations. This ambivalence explains the transition from the army to surveillance work for the state.
Potzdorf's uncle has a different role and should be identified as such. His involvement in the police apparatus is connected to the assignment involving the Chevalier, while the captain had earlier established a direct military relationship with Barry. Confusing them as a single character would erase the distinction between capturing a deserter, rewarding service, and organizing surveillance.
Hardy Krüger's performance can be studied through the attention he gives to the protagonist's answers. The officer's confidence does not depend on grand gestures; it is expressed through his control of the conversation and his ability to decide what the consequences will be. The film presents this authority as a specific relationship, not as a general explanation of all Prussian institutions.
The shift from military discipline to civilian surveillance also changes the way Barry obeys. He is no longer simply receiving visible orders in front of a group; he begins working under a service identity that conceals a different role. The Potzdorfs make this transition possible by combining personal trust with institutional goals.
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