Belvedere, the misunderstood genius
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Belvedere, the misunderstood genius |
| Original title | Sitting Pretty |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1948 |
| length | 84 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Walter Lang |
| script | F. Hugh Herbert |
| production | Samuel G. Engel |
| music | Alfred Newman |
| camera | Norbert Brodine |
| cut | Harmon Jones |
| occupation | |
| |
Belvedere, the misunderstood genius is a 1947 American comedy film by Walter Lang with Robert Young , Maureen O'Hara and Clifton Webb in the parade role of the eponymous "babysitter (s) and hobby author (s), taken with his own genius" Mr. Belvedere.
action
The lawyer Harry King and his wife Tacey are parents of three boys, some of whom are adolescents, all of whom are quite bullies. Under these circumstances it turns out to be quite difficult to find a nanny for the three who can prevail. After some applicants threw in the towel early on because they quickly felt overwhelmed, the Kings put a job advertisement in the newspaper. Without thinking twice, Tacey accepts the offer of a certain Lynn Belvedere, who is so taken with himself that he rules out failure from the start. This is exactly the man that Mrs. and Mr. King are looking for, and so Mr. Belvedere, an older man of stern habit, elegant appearance and equipped with numerous, quite different skills, is hired for a probationary period - and that, although when he introduces him, he bluntly states that he really can't stand children at all. Mr. Belvedere has some quirks; especially his arrogance and his penetrating know-it-all, which he openly flaunts to the landlord, soon get on Harry's nerves. But: he has the children firmly under control, and after a long time the three hitherto indomitable rascals are starting to feel again!
Harry has to travel on business, and so that rumors do not arise in the middle class suburban idyll of Hummingbird Hill, Mr. Belvedere is left behind with the two older boys, while Tacey King and the baby spend the nights temporarily with a couple of lawyers who are friends, the Philbys. When one of the boys at home falls ill, Tacey immediately rushes back to her home. The "illness" turns out to be just a harmless upset stomach, but Tacey's return to her home at night, together with the lights on, is enough to arouse suspicion in the curious neighbor Clarence Appleton. The next day, rumors began to circulate, which eventually reached Harry's superior Horatio J. Hammond. Returning from the successful business trip, Harry Hammond's bad news reaches him, which has since been so exaggerated that Harry's boss even claims that Tacey's nightly tête-à-tête is damaging the law firm's reputation. Harry doesn't believe this nonsense, but demands, in order to put an end to the unfortunate rumors, that Mr. Belvedere should look for another job. But he did the math without the landlord. Because Harry's children have grown fond of the strict father substitute, and Tacey also doesn't know what to do without Belvedere's help. And so the majority of the family prevails against Harry, and the male nanny is allowed to stay.
One evening Tacey King and her friend Edna Philby run into Mr. Belvedere, who is on his day off, in a chic restaurant. The elderly gentleman invites Tacey to a completely harmless dance, which his neighbor Appleton is watching at the moment when the two are swarming cheek to cheek over the parquet. The rumor mill immediately begins to simmer violently. Gradually, Harry now also seems to doubt his wife's loyalty, and a serious marital row ensues. Then Tacey first moves in with her parents. Only now does the realization emerge that Belvedere is much more than a harmless, elderly gentleman who was looking for a job. Rather, he used his work for a classic American suburban family to acquire background knowledge for a smooth, satirical novel about the behavior and morals of American suburban families. By the time the book comes out, the story quickly becomes a bestseller, leaving few questions about the identity of the real characters. All of Hummingbird Hill now feels exposed and denounced because all of America is starting to smile about their philistinism.
Under these circumstances, Tacey returns to home and hearth and is reconciled with her husband. His boss Hammond feels immensely duped and unceremoniously fires Harry from the office. But he does not put up with this and is now legally represented by his lawyer colleague Bill Philby, whereupon Hammond also throws him out. Hammond also wants to sue Mr. Belvedere, identified by him as the "root of all evil", which suits the elderly gentleman very well, since such publicity fuels book sales even more. Belvedere, the misunderstood genius, then hires Harry and Bill as his lawyers and infects them that his main informant was that curious neighbor Appleton, whose rumor spread caused all the misery and amounted to a great cornucopia of information for Belvedere. Appleton then sneaked out, pursued by Hammond and other angry small-town citizens. But Mr. Belvedere wants to keep his job because he is planning two more books on the same subject.
Production notes
Belvedere, the misunderstood genius , also known as Belvedere cleans up , was premiered on March 10, 1948 and was also released in German cinemas in August 1949.
Lyle R. Wheeler and Leland Fuller were responsible for the film construction, Thomas K. Little was the set designer. Kay Nelson designed the costumes.
The film was so successful that it followed it with Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949) and Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951), two (much less successful and significantly less fun) sequels in which Webb shot his star role again recorded.
Reviews
Bosley Crowther wrote in a March 10, 1948 review in the New York Times : "Mr. Herbert's scripts are not exactly out to brain-control," they are "light in substance but with a solid sense of humor," "especially by Mr. Webb ”.
"Clifton Webb is perfect as a self-centered genius ... Very entertaining."
"Very funny, if a bit inconsistent everyday comedy with Clifton Webb in the wonderfully played title role."
"Quite unexpectedly, a very funny comedy that Clifton Webb established as one of Hollywood's great characters."
Web links
- Belvedere, the unrecognized genius in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kay Less : The large personal dictionary of films , Volume 8, p. 286. Berlin 2001
- ^ "Sitting Pretty" in The New York Times, March 11, 1948
- ↑ Belvedere, the misunderstood genius. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed December 1, 2018 .