Blue Boys (1957)

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Movie
Original title Blue boys
Country of production Federal Republic of Germany
original language German
Publishing year 1957
length 97 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Wolfgang Schleif
script Gustav Kampendonk
production Kurt Ulrich for Berolina-Film GmbH, Berlin
music Werner Scharfenberger
camera Klaus von Rautenfeld
cut Klaus M. Eckstein
occupation

Blauer Jungs is a West German feature film by Wolfgang Schleif , produced in 1957 , which is set on an auxiliary cruiser of the Kriegsmarine in the South Seas in April 1945 and depicts an unusual, if not bizarre, genre mix of war films , comedy films , romance films and music films . The main roles are occupied by Karlheinz Böhm , Claus Biederstaedt and Walter Giller .

action

Second World War , April 1945: The auxiliary cruiser Rheinstein of the Kriegsmarine cruises in the South Pacific near the Fiji islands . Addressing the audience, the naval reporter “Rolli” Baltus, actually an art student, tells about the successful capture of the cruiser so far, in the course of which a number of allied merchant ships were sunk, but whose crews were taken in. Even now there are trapped passengers and crew from different countries on board. No country has been called for three months, the Rheinstein has been in use for 18 months . You are 18,000 km away from Germany.

Suddenly the American freighter Auckland is sighted. A prize squad goes on board and meets Captain Tompson, who was already a prisoner of war on board the Rheinstein but was released on board a New Zealand ship. He takes his new capture with humor; the war was over in three weeks anyway. When he comes aboard the Rheinstein , he is greeted happily by the board dog Topsie, who recognizes him.

Since the Rheinstein still is defective and no more drinking water can be produced, a small island should be explored. Therefore a landing squad is suspended, which consists of "Rollie", the officers Romberg and Hanstein and the mate "Pepp" Mumbauer, a true Bavarian . To combat the Americans, "Pepp" receives a MG 42 . "Rolli" is there to, as he ironically notes, document the troops' heroic deeds for the youngsters. Hardly having landed, a US warship appears on the scene, so that the Rheinfels has to leave the island immediately and the landing command is on its own for the time being.

On the island, the German mariners meet natives ruled by a chief and the Swiss painter Carlos Brugger, who has lived there for decades. Brugger is amazed at the appearance of the Germans and asks whether they are still in the war that began five years ago or whether it is a new one. His local stepdaughter Rarahu speaks fluent German. Oberleutnant Romberg and Kapitänleutnant Hanstein immediately fall in love with Rarahu, which leads to certain tensions between the two friends, especially since Hanstein Romberg had already "unhooked" a friend in Kiel . But also the chief son Timbal is in love with Rarahu and jealous because of the advances of the two German officers. But finally Rarahu decides to marry Hanstein and wants to travel to Germany with him. Timbal's attempt to eliminate the two Germans by attracting a shark fails.

Finally, the Rheinfels returns to the island to resume the landing party when suddenly an American naval formation approaches. For human reasons, Corvette Captain Harkort refuses to fight , as he does not want to endanger the lives of the prisoners of war on board, many of whom are women and children. When contacting the Americans, it turns out that Germany has capitulated and the war in Europe is over. As a result, the Reich war flag is also brought down on the Rheinstein . An American boat drives to the island and informs the landing party about the new situation.

Brugger decided to return to Europe. Rarahu, however, has discovered by chance that Hanstein is engaged to a woman named Dagmar and decides to stay on the island. At the last moment, Brugger jumps from the American boat into the sea to return to the island that will not let go of him. While the Rheinstein steers into the sunset, Rarahu looks after the ship, standing under a coconut tree.

Production notes

The filming in Eastmancolor and Agfacolor took place in Tahiti in French Polynesia and in Berlin-Tempelhof . The song The White Moon of Maratonga, interpreted by Lolita , became popular . The German premiere of the film took place on September 5, 1957 in the Stuttgart cinema Universum . The film was also released in Austria under the title Sailor Love Ahoi !! , Denmark (Somaend pa eventyr) , Finland (Aurinkosaaren vangit) , France ( Rarahu, fleur des îles , alternatively Rendezvous à Tahiti ), Greece (To rodon tis Havais) , Italy (Gli amanti del Pacifico) and Mexico (Amor en Tahiti) for the performance. The film title is derived from a popular term for marines . Hans Stüwe gave his farewell performance from film here.

Film music

The following songs were used in the film:

  • Blue boys (choir)
  • I come back to you (Walter Giller)
  • The white moon of Maratonga (Lolita)

The film was accompanied musically by the RIAS dance orchestra , the "Moonlights" and the Lucas Trio .

Historical background

The operations of the Far East Association of the Navy apparently served as the historical background for the film plot .

criticism

"... Despite the Berlin film people's trip to the South Seas, the island romance seems to have been captured not in Tahiti, but in Tempelhof."

- The mirror

We would have wished all blue boys (especially those innumerable people who remained glorious on the blue sea) such a relaxing widescreen excursion to a South Sea island ... Here, the temporary suspension of a landing party of the German auxiliary cruiser "Rheinstein" is a retrospective occasion, the booted out to experience a full evening South Sea romance. There are languorous love affairs with constant singsong under palm trees to five German “South Sea hits” by Fini Busch : A Swiss Robinson with a suffering beard haunts the bush and indulges in gloomy sayings about the prosaic end of the last paradises. A jealous chief and greedy sharks threaten the candy-colored idyll until the gray end of the war draws a curtain over this fake film romance. Karl-Heinz Böhm, Claus Biederstädt, Walter Giller and other proven actors try in vain to breathe believable life into this all too easily cut adventure.

Hamburger Abendblatt from October 16, 1957

Lore

In October 2017, Edel SE published a DVD edition.

See also

Web links