To the bitter end
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | To the bitter end |
| Country of production | Federal Republic of Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1975 |
| length | 105 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Gerd Oswald |
| script |
Manfred Purzer based on the novel of the same name (1962) by Johannes Mario Simmel |
| production | Luggi Waldleitner |
| music | Klaus Doldinger |
| camera | Charly Steinberger |
| cut | Lotte Klimitschek |
| occupation | |
| |
A German film adaptation of a novel by Johannes Mario Simmel from 1975 is up to the bitter end . Directed by Gerd Oswald , an international cast is playing, led by Maurice Ronet , Suzy Kendall and Susanne Uhlen .
action
The 45-year-old Paul Jordan was once a sought-after actor, if not to say a real film star, who was also very successful in Hollywood . But that was already a decade and a half ago, and the audience, who at the time adored him as an attractive lover in screen romances and musicals, seems to have forgotten him. Paul now lives on the money of his wealthy 37-year-old wife Joan and is not necessarily happy about it because he feels more and more like a gigolo and toy boy who is no longer good for anything in his total dependency. As a result, he indulges in depression and excessive alcohol consumption. An affair with Joan's barely adult 17-year-old daughter Shirley, who is not even half his age, brings distraction at best, but no real inner satisfaction. At best, it could give him a new role offer that promises hope of returning to the camera. But the film business has changed, and Jordan's successes are barely remembered. Wife Joan also tries to keep up his dependence on her and to talk him out of acting.
One day, however, the opportunity for a comeback seems to be looming, but for that Jordan would have to cut back on his dream of playing the leading role in a large-scale production again. Shirley encourages Paul in his plan, and so he seizes the opportunity to return to a small film production company. Filming in Vienna under the direction of Arthur Maria Fogosch soon begins, but many factors make Jordan appear erratic and not very professional, especially since he does not seem confident in the text and shooting partner Sidney Wallace, whom he knows from his time in Hollywood, proves to be snooty. During the break in filming, Paul promptly picks up the bottle in his trailer. The general stress of not living up to expectations, the disproportionate consumption of alcohol and the certainty that his lover and stepdaughter Shirley was impregnated, drive him more and more to the brink of a nervous breakdown. After he was once again afflicted by severe hallucinations and came to, Dr. Petrovna at his bed, who was called by the night porter. Jordan tells her that the insurance doctor wants to examine him tomorrow. Hardly she tells him that he won't be able to survive this examination anyway, that he urgently needs to go to a sanatorium, in his current condition he won't last six weeks, she knows about alcoholics, her husband, a writer, was one too.
In order not to screw up his comeback, Paul turns to the unscrupulous doctor Dr. Schauberg, who supplies him with drugs that have a stimulating effect. At times the pills do their job, but the side effects are tough, and one day for Paul the line between reality and imagination begins to blur. Schauberg told him that he was looking for a remedy that would make people happy without ruining their health. He sees this as his life's work and that also causes his unusually high prices.
When Joan and Shirley appear on location together, the drama comes to a head. His attempts to contact Shirley fail. On top of that, Tom, her newest boyfriend, Joan tells him, is with her. His wife also tells him about Shirley's pregnancy and that she wants her daughter to have the child abortion, but Shirley still refuses. When Shirley goes to a doctor's office, Paul can finally speak to her. She tells him that she is sure that her mother knows about her relationship with him. Tom came along as a guardian, he was just pretending to be in love with her. You have to play the game. All of a sudden she asks Paul if he could kill her mother. Paul then says how she could come up with such a thought.
When Shirley's body is found in the sewer shortly afterwards, Paul makes a confused statement to the police and says they want to drive him insane. Dr. Petrovna hands him a farewell letter in which Shirley tells him to swallow sleeping pills and swim in the Danube until she can no longer. The filmmaking continues anyway. When Joan appears after a wacky scene, Paul tells her that she has her own daughter on her conscience. He now also knows that Joan finances the film, which would not have been made without her money. Later that day, when Paul sees Shirley's coffin being loaded onto the plane, he says to the doctor accompanying him, Dr. Petrovna, there were moments when he still believed Shirley was still alive.
production
Production notes, background
To the bitter end , a joint production by Roxy Film and the GGB-Gesellschaft für Geschäftsführung und Beteiligungs mbH & Co. 1. Filmproduktions-KG (Munich) in cooperation with Wien-Film GmbH (Vienna) under the overall management of Luggi Waldleitner. The film was shot in mid-1975 in Vienna ( Schönbrunn Palace , Belvedere Palace ). Simmel's original has been clearly detoxified and shortened by numerous passages for the film. Ernst Wurzer designed the film structures, Ina Stein the costumes. Director Oswald, whose third film this was in Germany, ended his film career with this production. In an interview, Oswald said that he was a great admirer of Johannes Mario Simmel and that he liked the best of all his novels to the point of bitter end . When asked about the international chances of the film, he replied: "I believe there will be a great international response for this film, because the story is international and the actors are internationally renowned."
Cameraman Charly Steinberger and the then 20-year-old Susanne Uhlen, who were supposed to shoot Das Netz together that same year , got married a little later.
publication
The first rental took place through Constantin Film GmbH (Munich). The film, which was subjected to an FSK test on October 22, 1975 under the test number 47756, was approved for those aged 16 and over with the addition of “holiday-free”. On October 23, 1975 the film premiered in the Federal Republic of Germany. It was first broadcast on television on January 24, 1985 on ZDF . The English title is: To the Bitter End .
The film was released on March 14, 2014 by Alive AG as part of their "Jewels of Film History" series on DVD.
Difference (s) to the novel
In contrast to the novel, the film largely dispenses with the political history of the protagonist, who, by the way, is called Peter Jordan in the novel, while in the film version he was given the first name Paul.
reception
Reviews
Kino.de spoke of a "relatively simple alcoholic drama, which is the last cinema director by Gerd Oswald [...]" and pointed out that "main actor Maurice Ronet was already in Louis Male's ' Das Irrlicht ' (1963) impressively embodied an alcoholic who no longer saw any meaning in life.
“'To the bitter end' by Gerd Oswald, who is just as clearly defeated on points against Johannes Mario Simmel (template), Luggi Waldleitner (production), Manfred Purzer (screenplay) and Charly Steinberger (camera) on points than Alfred Vohrer several times before him. One had hoped for more from the director of competent westerns (' Duel in the saddle ', ' The avenger is waiting ') , who is valued by American critics, than a conspicuously clumsy and clumsy melodrama, whose actors all seem as if they were under the influence strong sleeping pills. Oswald skilfully moves 'Ballantine' whiskey bottles into the picture, but unfortunately never lives up to his reputation as a solid craftsman. "
"Colportage story of an ex-film star who has fallen into alcohol and tries to break out of his golden cage after 15 years of marriage to a millionaire. Crime and thriller elements obscure the ending and divert interest from the character drama. Routine production for Simmel fans "
Award
- Susanne Uhlen received the Bambi in 1976 for her acting performance .
Web links
- To the bitter end in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Until the bitter run out at filmportal.de
- To the bitter end of the movie poster
Individual evidence
- ↑ Neuer Film-Kurier No. 158: Bis zur bitteren Neige , October series 1975, p. 9, Verlag Neues Filmprogramm, Vienna.
- ↑ Until the bitter run out DVD "Jewels of Film History"
- ↑ To the bitter end: Based on a template by Johannes Mario Simmel, an ex-Hollywood star is looking for a chance for a new beginning in Vienna adS kino.de. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ↑ To the bitter end in the Lexicon of International Films
