In the Last Second (1949)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title At the last second
Original title The Fighting Kentuckian
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1949
length 95 minutes
Rod
Director George Waggner
script George Waggner
production John Wayne for
Republic Pictures
music George Antheil
camera Lee Garmes
cut Richard L. Van Enger
occupation

At the last second is a 1949 American western directed by George Waggner , who also wrote the screenplay. John Wayne acted as the main actor and producer of the film .

action

In 1819 a group of Napoleon supporters settled in Alabama , to whom the American government granted asylum after Napoleon's fall and given them four communities. The city of Demopolis is being built under the direction of ex-general Paul de Marchand , but the American river boaters resident there are hostile to the newcomers and threaten the project. To change that, the general's beautiful daughter, Fleurette, is said to marry the locally influential businessman Blake Randolph, although she does not love him. One day in Mobile, Fleurette meets the likeable soldier John Breen, who belongs to a regiment from Kentucky and who is immediately impressed by her beauty.

Ten days later, Fleurette celebrates her engagement to Randolph in Demopolis when the Kentucky regiment appears, in which John and his best friend Willie also serve. A passionate kiss ensues between Fleurette and John while the men of the regiment have a fight with the river boatmen who are under the control of the unscrupulous George Hayden. The next morning the regiment leaves Demopolis, while John stays behind so he can continue to woo Fleurette. But his best friend Willie also stays behind, since Regimental Captain Carroll had instructed him to do this out of concern for John. When John wants to visit Fleurette, the butler turns him away at the door, while Randolph is let in to work out the marriage contract with the general. John rides into town, where Willie is involved in an argument with some river boaters. George Hayden threatens the two Kentucky men that something could happen to them if they don't leave Demopolis quickly. But Hayden's mistress Ann Logan defuses the situation, claiming that John is a surveyor whom she met years earlier in Kentucky.

Ann later visits the cabin of the two Kentucky soldiers and explains her motivation for the lie: Her fiancé was a surveyor in the area and was murdered, but this was disguised as an accident. She suspects that Hayden is the murderer, which is why she is hiring out as his mistress. The next day, John and Willie are forced to take up their work as surveyors, and John is promptly shot. Because some people have a reason why nobody should investigate the land conditions more closely: John Randolph and George Hayden assigned the hated French the wrong areas so that they can later legally take the land away from the settlers. In the evening there will be a party for Fleurette and Randolph, and the wedding will take place tomorrow. John also sneaks into the party and confesses his love to Fleurette, who returns it. Both want to flee at midnight. But at midnight John meets the general, who explains to him that his daughter's marriage to an influential local like Randolph is the only chance the French have to be respected in their new homeland. The survival of the community depends on the wedding. John ponders and promises not to take Fleurette with him overnight.

The French Colonel Geraud, a confidante of the general, has meanwhile received a letter from the previous surveyor, which shows that some French may have settled in the wrong place. John, the alleged surveyor, is supposed to investigate. When Geraud explains that the surveyor's letter had only recently arrived, he knows that Ann had told him a lie about her murdered fiancé. He slips into Ann's room, where she is currently trying to win over Hayden's henchman Beau for her plans to crack Hayden's safe. John forces Beau to reveal Randolph and Hayden's devious plan to him. Hayden and his river boatmen are scheduled to drive the French off their land the next day. John informs the general of the fraud, but the general doubts John's credibility and allows John to be arrested by Hayden's men. However, because of the possibility that John might have told him the truth, the general gathers all French settlers around his house in order to arm himself against a possible attack by Hayden.

On the day of the wedding, Fleurette makes it clear to Randolph that she doesn't love him and wants to marry Breen instead. Randolph, who really loves Fleurette despite his cheating, wants to prevent Hayden's attack on the French, but is tricked and put in a cell with John. While trying to escape, Randolph is shot by Hayden and dies in John's arms. At Hayden's safe, John finds the body of Ann, whose plan to rob Hayden did not work out. John escapes Hayden and joins the general's forces. John can shoot the culprit Hayden, but the river boaters are in the majority - but then the Kentucky regiment appears, called for help by Willie, and leads the French to victory against the attackers. John and Fleurette can finally get married.

background

The Fighting Kentuckian is remembered as one of only three films in which Oliver Hardy appeared alone during his collaboration with Stan Laurel - which lasted from 1926 until Hardy's death. Hardy's other two films without Laurel are Zenobia, the fairground elephant (1939) and Laugh and weep with me (1950). John Wayne wanted his good friend Hardy to play the role of Comic Relief Willie, but he hesitated at first: It might have given the fatal impression that Laurel and Hardy would henceforth go their separate ways. Stan Laurel, who was seriously ill at the time, had to encourage Hardy to accept the role in The Fighting Kentuckian . The collaboration between friends Wayne and Hardy worked so well that Wayne suggested that he subsequently make more films together. When the shooting of The Fighting Kentuckian was finished, Laurel had recovered from his illness so much that Hardy turned down Wayne's offer with thanks.

John Wayne also served as the producer of the Republic Pictures western. John Wayne was persuaded by Herbert J. Yates , the boss of Republic, to cast his lover Vera Ralston in the female lead role. Wayne later regretted this decision and blamed Ralston, who suffered from film critics, for the poor reviews that The Fighting Kentuckian got at its premiere. The historical fact-based western was shot near Agoura Hills , California . The working title of the film was A Strange Caravan .

synchronization

The synchronized version was created for the German cinema premiere in 1950 at Elite Film Synchron GmbH, Berlin. The dialogue book was written by Fritz A. Koeniger , the dialogue was directed by Bruno Hartwich .

role actor German Dubbing voice
John Breen John Wayne Wolfgang Lukschy
Fleurette de Marchand Vera Ralston Bettina Schön
Willie Paine Oliver Hardy Arno Paulsen
Blake Randolph John Howard Ernst Wilhelm Borchert
Ann Logan Marie Windsor Gisela Trowe
General Paul de Marchand Hugo Haas Alfred Balthoff
Madame de Marchand Odette Myrtil Edith Schollwer

Reviews

The New York Times , in its September 19, 1949 issue, described Last Second as "confusing entertainment," which was formulaic and historically unreliable. Oliver Hardy is "pleasant" as Wayne's sidekick, the villain actors play "adequately" and John Wayne is, as always, "handsome, laconic and a formidable guy with fists, firearms and women". The lexicon of international film verdict: "Harmless-humoriger Western with a special attraction: Oliver Hardy in a character role as philosophizing friend of John Wayne." The US film critic Dennis Schwartz called at the last second as the average quality, but in between the good cooperation Wayne and Hardy as a duo as well as the excellent camera work by Lee Garmes would be upgraded (grade: B-).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Fighting Kentuckian at Kevin's Movie Corner
  2. ^ The Fighting Kentuckian at the Internet Movie Database
  3. ^ The Fighting Kentuckian at TCM Notes
  4. ↑ In the last second with the German synchronous files
  5. ^ Review in the New York Times of November 19, 1949
  6. ↑ In the last second (1949). In: Filmdienst . Catholic Film Commission for Germany, accessed on January 14, 2019 .
  7. ↑ In the last second with Dennis Schwartz