Andreas Schlueter (film)

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Movie
Original title Andreas Schlueter
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 1942
length 111 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Herbert Maisch
script Helmut Brandis
Herbert Maisch
production Viktor von Struve for Terra Filmkunst
music Wolfgang Zeller
camera Ewald Daub
cut Ursula Schmidt
occupation

Andreas Schlueter is a 1942 film by Herbert Maisch about the late Baroque builder of the same name . Heinrich George took over the title role .

action

Elector Friedrich III. wants his residence in Berlin to shine in great splendor through monumental buildings and monuments. The representative designs should also visibly underline Friedrich's claims to power. But intrigues at the electoral court make it difficult to find a suitable artist who meets Friedrich's expectations. Ultimately, the choice falls on the architect Andreas Schlüter, who is to deliver the draft of an equestrian statue of the elector. According to the proposal, the elector is enthusiastic and makes Schlüter his court architect. His most important task: He is to enlarge the Berlin Palace in the future and renovate it splendidly.

Schlüter soon set to work with his own artistic obsession. In doing so, he takes no account of petty minds and competitors like the previous court architect Eosander . When Eosander prevailed at the court with his palace design, which was based on the Parisian architectural style, Schlüter withdrew hurt. Because of his rumbling and undiplomatic manner and the lack of the ability to compromise, he has made many enemies. But at least the gigantic statue should be realized according to his ideas. When he plans to cast it in one piece, there is unrest among the population, who fear that the heat could blow away the mold and damage their houses in the process. Thereupon the monarch forbids Schlüter's approach, but he does not adhere to it. Although everything went smoothly, Friedrich disowned him.

Schlüter then left both Berlin and his wife Elisabeth, whom he held responsible for many things, and went to Dresden with his former model, Countess Vera Orlewska . One day the elector who had meanwhile risen to become King of Prussia brings him back to Berlin. Schlüter believes that not only the palace but the whole of Berlin can now be rebuilt according to his ideas. But the king only asks him to build the tallest tower in the world. Because of the swampy building site in Berlin, Schlüter initially declined, but eventually gave in to the monarch's insistence. As if obsessed, he kneels into the construction of this mint tower and is not deterred when the first signs of a possible collapse appear. He builds to the end, but during the topping-out ceremony, the tower collapses. Schlüter is imprisoned, and Countess Orlewska turns away from him. Schlueter has to realize that only his abandoned wife stands by him and stands up for him. It is she who obtains his pardon.

Production notes

The script was freely designed based on the motifs of the novel Der Münzturm (1936) by Alfons von Czibulka .

Shooting of Andreas Schlueter began on December 15, 1941 and ended in May of the following year. The shooting took place in Ufastadt and in the Althoff studio, both in Babelsberg . Further recordings were made in the Berlin City Palace , which Schlueter had once converted into a royal residence.

The world premiere of Andreas Schlueter took place on September 5, 1942 as part of the 10th International Film Art Exhibition (Biennale) in Venice . This made Andreas Schlueter one of six German films at the Biennale. The premieres followed in October in Vienna and Dresden. The Berlin premiere of Andreas Schlueter took place on November 19, 1942.

After the film was accepted by the censors, Andreas Schlueter was given the Nazi ratings of 'particularly valuable in terms of state politics and artistry' and 'worthy of young people'.

The film stands in the tradition of various other large-scale productions of the Third Reich , with which especially between 1939 and 1943 larger-than-life personalities of Central European history from politics, art and science should be paid homage. These include Robert Koch, the fighter of death , Friedrich Schiller - The Triumph of a Genius , Bismarck , The Great King , Ohm Krüger , Rembrandt and Paracelsus . The intention behind these, as a rule, very expensive and laboriously produced and top-class film biographies was a political one: the aim was to create an analogy to Adolf Hitler and his "genius" claimed by Nazi propaganda.

The scenery designs come from Robert Herlth and were implemented by Kurt Herlth and Hermann Asmus . The costumes were designed by Walter Schulze-Mittendorf . Gerhard Huttula developed the special effects. The choreography was done by Ellen Petz.

The cost of the film was 3.438 million Reichsmarks. This made Andreas Schlueter one of the most expensive films of the Third Reich. Only six months after its German premiere, in May 1943, the film had brought back almost all of its costs: 3.245 million RM. In contrast, the film did not do well abroad.

criticism

The Swiss specialist publication Der Filmberater published a detailed analysis: “Artist biographies are starting to catch on. The great Rembrandt film is still fresh in our memories, it will be an artist's life again, this time it is a great sculptor from the Baroque era, told on the canvas. [...] The popular, stout Heinrich George plays the role of the 'German Michelangelo', Andreas Schlueter, with obvious enthusiasm. He literally fills every picture in which he appears with his figure and with his voice so completely that all the other actors next to him pale. [...] The film that Herbert Maisch created is without a doubt believable and leaves a strong artistic impression. [...] One scene will make a deep impression on every viewer: the exciting moment when Schlüter dares to cast the monumental equestrian statue against the express command of his ruler and thus falls out of favor with the king. "

The lexicon of international films wrote about Andreas Schlueter : "The film (which is interesting because of George's portrayal) reveals more about the semi-official conception of art of the Third Reich than about culture and politics around 1700."

In the large Personenlexikon the film two massive Fimbiografien is about Maisch Friedrich Schiller - The triumph of genius and Andreas Schlüter following to read: "Both films promoted indirectly the Nazi idea of 'genius' and' struggling artist 'extending beyond the' Tries to disregard the old 'and the' outmoded 'and understands itself with its' higher aim', to create 'German statecraft', as an alternative to the small-state system of the duodec princes, frozen in class. "

Bogusław Drewniaks The German film 1938-1945 judged: “And yet, given the overall good cast, one could speak of a superiority of the decorative over the human. The monumental work also exuded a certain 'coldness' ”.

Andreas Schlueter saw Reclam's film guide in a series of film portraits that paid homage to the Führer principle exemplified in the Third Reich: “Portraits of great Germans skilfully weaved the myth of the Führer, who undeterred by spiteful opponents and petty doubters, and if necessary against his ingenious intuition logical arguments make the right decision: The old and the young king (Hans Steinhoff, 1934), Robert Koch (Hans Steinhoff, 1939), Bismarck and The Discharge (Wolfgang Liebeneiner, 1940 and 1942), Andreas Schlüter (Herbert Maisch, 1942) . "

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The other German films were Wiener Blut , The Great King , The Great Love , The Golden City and The Great Shadow
  2. ↑ See Ulrich J. Klaus: Deutsche Tonfilme, Volume 12, born in 1942/43. Berlin 2001, p. 18
  3. ↑ ibid. P. 19
  4. ↑ Der Filmberater, No. 13, Lucerne November 1942
  5. ↑ Klaus Brüne (Red.): Lexikon des Internationale Films Volume 1, p. 139. Reinbek near Hamburg 1987.
  6. ↑ Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 5: L - N. Rudolf Lettinger - Lloyd Nolan. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 225.
  7. ^ Bogusław Drewniak: The German Film 1938-1945. A complete overview. Düsseldorf 1987, p. 206
  8. ^ Reclam's film guide. By Dieter Krusche, collaboration with Jürgen Labenski. Stuttgart 1973, p. 145.

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