Angel (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Angel |
| Original title | fishing rod |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1937 |
| length | 91 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Ernst Lubitsch |
| script | Samson Raphaelson |
| production | Ernst Lubitsch for Paramount Pictures |
| music |
Boris Morros Friedrich Hollaender Leo Robin |
| camera | Charles Lang |
| cut | William Shea |
| occupation | |
| |
Engel is an American romance film directed by Ernst Lubitsch in 1937.
action
Maria Barker, wife of the British diplomat Sir Frederick Barker, flies unrecognized from London to Paris one Wednesday , where she goes to a hotel under the name Mrs. Brown. She visits the salon of the Russian Grand Duchess Anna, who found asylum in France after the revolution . Anna is known for her knowledge of the capital's frivolous nightlife, and so the bon vivant Anthony Halton also visits her salon on recommendation. He confuses Maria with the Grand Duchess and falls in love with her at first sight. Neither of them introduce themselves, and when Maria clears up the mix-up and nevertheless agrees to a rendezvous with Anthony, she refuses to hear his name or to reveal hers. He therefore calls them angels. The evening is romantic, both kiss and go for a walk in the park. She asks him to give her seven days to think about it. If she doesn't show up in Anna's salon again in a week, let him forget about her. Anthony admits he can never forget her. When he buys a bouquet of flowers for her, she disappears without a trace.
Frederick Barker returns to London from a diplomatic mission to the League of Nations in Geneva . Maria is asleep in his bed, pleased to see him again, and tolerant when a telegram with bad political news prevents Frederick from concentrating more on her and her married life in general. The next morning their butler tells them that he has become engaged and that he could only get his fiancée to marry by pointing out the perfect married life of Maria and Frederick. The Barkers look for possible arguments, but don't find any: Frederick knows that he is neglecting Maria and would not argue either if Maria had packed her bags because she loves someone else. Then it would be too late for any discussion anyway. However, both are looking forward to their planned vacation together and Maria wishes that both of them travel to Vienna, where they once spent their honeymoon.
Maria and Frederick go to the horse race where Maria sees Anthony in the crowd. She lets herself be rushed home. A little later, Frederick meets Anthony at dinner. It turns out that the two met in Paris during the war. Frederick invites Anthony to his home and learns from him the story of the mysterious angel of Paris. Anthony fell in love with the unknown woman and has been looking for her ever since she disappeared. Frederick tells the story to Maria; shortly before they meet at the Barkers' house, Anthony also recognizes who the landlady is from a photo. The first meeting is calm. When both are alone for a moment, Maria pretends to be someone else. She no longer wants to jeopardize her marriage and urges Anthony to leave. Asked by her, he gives Frederick a false description of his angel, who was allegedly black-haired and brown-eyed. Before leaving, Anthony signals to Maria that he will be waiting for her in Anna's salon next Wednesday.
Frederick reschedules his week. If he actually wanted to go on vacation to Vienna with Maria, he is now again focusing on his work. He wants to fly to Geneva again on Wednesday, although it would not be necessary. A stopover in Paris is planned. While organizing a private plane, he learns that his wife used the same plane last Wednesday. He becomes suspicious, especially since Maria wants to fly to Paris with him to buy clothes. In the end, the two meet in the Grand Duchess Anna's salon, while Anthony waits for Maria in a separate room. Mary initially pretends to have been interested in the angel who is supposed to look like her. Frederick, in turn, was curious about the angel with dark hair. Both know the truth, but Maria thinks that with a rich man, house and social standing, she actually leads a perfect life - should she lead a double life , Frederick must ask himself why. She gives Frederick the choice: If he enters the room next door, where angels are supposed to be, their marriage is over. If he does not enter it and if there is any doubt as to whether another angel exists, he is at least no longer as sure Mary as before, which could also help her marriage. Frederick enters the next room, which is empty. Anthony also left it on time and goes to Maria. She confesses to him that she has just lost her husband. Frederick, however, returns to her purified. He had thought about her marriage and would wait for her at the train station - and take the train to Vienna. He leaves Anna's salon and before he has even reached the door, Maria walks out of the door at his side.
production
Engel is based on the play Angyal by Melchior Lengyel . Work on the script took around eight months.
“Lubitsch is not one of those directors who want to get their hands on a finished manuscript, he works with the authors from the start. He ponders every word, every sentence, chants it like a poem before having it written down. It is considered a great result if, under his direction, a few pages of the manuscript are ready in a ten-hour work after two weeks. The famous Lubitsch comedies are the result of the most strenuous work. "
Melvyn Douglas reported on difficulties between Dietrich and Lubitsch during the shoot. Dietrich had problems portraying her character of the “perfect lady” throughout the film. “Marlene was perfectly aware that she was being sold on the screen as a sex symbol and that she had to play frivolous women again and again. But Lubitsch wanted her to keep up the role of the perfect lady [...] He kept reminding her that she should play a lady and not a half-silk. Maybe she automatically fell back into the role she was familiar with. "
The film premiered on November 3, 1937 at the Paramount Theater in New York. The German premiere took place on January 26, 1973.
The title Angel , featured several times in the film, was written by Friedrich Hollaender and Leo Robin.
criticism
The Lexicon of International Films called Engel an "imaginative triangular comedy, staged weightlessly, light and enigmatic, brilliant in the dialogues, perfect in the acting." After the German premiere on February 3, 1970 in the ARD program , the Protestant film observer judged : " A triangular relationship, staged by Ernst Lubitsch as a comedy in accordance with the society in which it takes place, with genteel restraint. The film can be entertaining in a nice way, but it is a little too haunted by the touch of a bygone era for its humor to be particularly effective today. ”The film evaluation agency awarded Engel the title“ particularly valuable ”.
Web links
- Angels in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Engel at marlenedietrich-filme.de
Individual evidence
- ^ Melchior Lengyel in: Mein Film , September 3, 1937.
- ↑ Melvyn Douglas. Quoted from: Renate Seydel: Marlene Dietrich. A chronicle of her life in pictures and documents . Henschelverlag, Berlin 1989, p. 195.
- ↑ Klaus Brüne (Ed.): Lexicon of International Films . Volume 2. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1990, p. 864.
- ↑ Evangelical Press Association, Munich, Review No. 48/1970