... throw the first stone

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Movie
German title ... throw the first stone
Original title The Hoodlum Priest
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1961
length 102 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Irvin Kershner
script Joseph Landon
Don Murray (as Don Deer )
production Don Murray
Walter Wood
music Richard Markowitz
camera Haskell Wexler
cut Maurice Wright
occupation

… The throw the first stone is a 1960 film based on real events in the life of the socially committed Jesuit priest Charles Dismas Clark (1901–1963) with Don Murray in the leading role. In this drama “the artist gave an acting tour de force as the socially committed priest Reverend Charles Dismas Clark, who is dedicated to caring for young offenders. Murray was responsible for this topic, which was not suitable for the masses because of its seriousness and sadness, as co-producer and scriptwriter. ”As Murray's co-star in the role of a young murderer waiting for his execution, the cinema debutant Keir Dullea convinced . Directed by Irvin Kershner .

action

Father Charles Dismas Clark works as a Jesuit priest in St. Louis, Missouri, and is completely dedicated to caring for people who have committed criminal offenses and who are serving their sentences in prison. His aim is to enable these convicts to be reintegrated into society one day after they have served their sentence. The fact that Clark presents himself as one of them, does not moralize excessively and speaks their language helps him. The religious quickly wins the trust of these people. A special case is the very young Billy Lee Jackson, who was recently released from Missouri State Prison. Clark takes a liking to the young man who, in one way or another, reminds him a little of himself. The rebellious Jackson also appears to have been wrongly convicted on many counts. Father Charles got involved with Billy Lee with great enthusiasm and got him a job in a market.

Father Clark is not all alone in his struggle for the stumbled. He is supported by the young society lady Ellen Henley, who is committed to Billy's rehabilitation, and Louis Rosen, a successful criminal defense attorney, who deals with all legal questions and supports the Clark protégés in court if necessary. In an effort to be able to offer his wards a home for the transitional period in freedom, Father Clark also collects money and uses these funds to build the so-called Halfway House. Everything seems to be going in the right direction, as the Jesuit priest has to accept a serious setback from his favorite protégé Billy Lee. The young man is fired by his boss because he accuses him of a theft, which Billy Lee did not commit. He is so angry that he plans to take revenge on the market operator and raids the market with his friend Pio Gentile.

One of the store managers attacked Billy Lee with a crowbar during the robbery attempt, whereupon he panicked and pulled out a weapon and shot the attacker. The police chase the two robbers and put Billy Lee in an abandoned house. In order not to let it come to extremes, they call in Father Clark, who rushes over here immediately and convinces Billy Lee to surrender. There is a trial in which Billy Lee Jackson is charged with murder and sentenced to death. Clark doesn't give up on his protégé either and looks after him himself on death row. With a Bible parable, Clark assures Billy Lee of his salvation in the afterlife and an eternal life after death. Eventually, Billy Lee Jackson dies in the gas chamber . Father Clark returns to the Halfway House sadly, where he meets the drunk but repentant sinner Pio.

Production notes

... throw the first stone - film material that was particularly dear to the heart of the avowed pacifist and death penalty opponent Murray - was made in 1960 on location in St. Louis and was premiered on March 26, 1961. The German premiere took place on August 4, 1961, the first German television broadcast was on November 18, 1968 on ZDF .

Jack Poplin designed the film structures, Karl Brainard was the set designer, Alexis Davidoff designed the costumes. The real Charles Dismas Clark acted as a consultant on this film.

The former model Cindi Wood (1930–1983), who played the leading female role here, was the wife of producer Walter Wood (1921–2010) for 30 years .

useful information

The German title refers to a quote from the Bible. There it says in John 8: 7: "Whoever is among you without sin, let him throw the first stone on them."

Awards

  • The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1961 , where it received the OCIC Prize.
  • Also in 1961 … die throw the first stone was awarded the NBR Award .

Reviews

The April 3, 1961 edition of the New York Times read: “An unbeatably grim, grave, and action-packed charge against an uncompromising stance on former convicts and the death penalty. The story develops thanks to an unpretentious, documentary handling, as a hard and convincing, albeit unsettling drama. But it's drama in which some motivations appear fuzzy, where backgrounds are occasionally sketchy, and where the truth may have been skewed for the sake of drama. Despite its shortcomings, "The Hoodlum Priest" has a strong sense of commitment, dedication and history. "

The Movie & Video Guide stated "... excellent acting ..."

In Kay Weniger's Das Großes Personenlexikon des Films , the biography of director Kershner reads: In 1960 he succeeded in creating a small masterpiece with the harrowing death penalty drama “... throw the first stone”. It tells the stringently constructed and structured story of a juvenile murderer who waits for his execution on death row in a state prison and only receives genuine, heartfelt support from a clergyman. ” Keir Dullea's biography says:“ With a reputation, a notable actor disturbed To be mentally unstable or rebellious adolescents and young men, the 24-year-old was engaged in 1960 for the second lead role of the murderer Billy Lee Jackson waiting for his execution on death row in the prison drama "... throw the first stone". With this debut in the cinema, Dullea gave a considerable sample of his skills. "

Halliwell's Film Guide found, "Reasonably well done, very depressing, pessimistic chunk of social conscience ...".

In the lexicon of international films it says: “The attempts by the American Jesuit Clark, which reached as far as self-surrender, to help former prisoners. His difficult life's work in a world of cruelty is particularly evident in the case of a murderer whom he accompanies into the gas chamber. "

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The large personal dictionary of films, Volume 5, p. 595. Berlin 2001
  2. Murray refused to use the weapon during the Korean War in the early 1950s
  3. Quotation on bibleserver.com
  4. full review in The New York Times
  5. ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 593
  6. ^ The large personal lexicon of films, Volume 4, p. 366. Berlin 2001
  7. ^ The large personal dictionary of films, Volume 2, p. 470
  8. ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 1071
  9. ... throw the first stone. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed February 7, 2019 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 

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