Flower of Hawaii (1953)

Movie
Original title	Flower of Hawaii
Country of production	Federal Republic of Germany
original language	German
Publishing year	1953
length	94 minutes
Age rating	FSK 12
Rod
Director	Géza from Cziffra
script	Géza from Cziffra
production	Otto Meissner Géza from Cziffra
music	Paul Abraham Michael Jary
camera	Willy Winterstein
cut	Hermann Leitner
occupation
Maria Litto : Lia Müller William Stelling : William Stelling Ursula Justin : Pepsy Rudolf Platte : BB Braun, called "Bébé" Paul Westermeier : Director Winterwind Marina Ried : Marlene Elling Ilja Glusgal : Bob Lonny Kellner : Gloria Madelon Truß : Madame Biller Alice Treff : Mrs. Rathje Inge Drexel : Mizzi Schikaneder Joseph Offenbach : Salvatore Kurt A. Jung : stage architect Edith Schollwer : singer Erna Sellmer : Ms. Müller Werner Dahms : Niki Joachim Teege : Otto-Heinz Horst von Otto : stage manager Hans Schwarz Jr .: Heini Max Walter Sieg : stage porter Benno Sterzenbach : journalist Carl Voscherau : Uncle Jensen Gerhard Heinrich : Tobias Müller Xenia Gray : singer Bruce Low : singer The Lentini Brothers: acrobats Günter Schnittjer : singer Kilima Hawaiians : vocal group Margarete Slezak : singer Lani Moe : dancers Dorina Naniola Moe : singer and dancer Tau Moe : singer Rose Moe : singer and dancer Margret Neuhaus : Edith Knefke

Flower of Hawaii is a German fiction film directed by Géza von Cziffra in 1952 in black and white. The main roles had been cast with Maria Litto and William Stelling . The script comes from the director. It is based only on a few motifs from the operetta of the same name by Emmerich Földes , Alfred Grünwald , Fritz Löhner-Beda and Paul Abraham . In the Federal Republic of Germany, the film was first shown on December 18, 1953.

action

Several female singers have applied for the title role in the new production of the “Flower of Hawaii” in the Hamburg operetta theater, but none of them correspond to the ideas of director Bébé. Then he got the idea to look for the leading actress where the work is located. Together with tenor William Stelling, who also has a say in relation to his partner, he is preparing a trip to Tahiti (!). For the applicant Lia Müller, the dream of an early stage career seems to be. But she is not yet defeated. After hearing about Bébé's travel plan, she and her friend Pepsy also set off for Tahiti immediately, so that the girls can reach their destination before the men. There Lia wants to slip into the role of a genuine South Sea islander and thus win the director's favor. But because the two friends are short of money, they make up in a sailor bar in St. Pauli on a search for a sailor who is willing them as stowaway inside to bring on board a ship. At first everything goes very smoothly, but they are discovered on the high seas - by the band leader Bob. It is not difficult for him to smuggle the two into the dance group that is also on board. Because Bob has an uncle in Tahiti who runs a travel agency, he gives Lia and Pepsy a letter of recommendation.

Uncle Jensen gives Pepsy a neat uniform and appoints her tour guide for the men who have just arrived from Hamburg. This leads them to a bamboo hut for a dance performance. Now Lia has her big appearance as "Marana". Pepsy interprets the conversation because "Marana" supposedly only speaks the Maori language (!). It goes without saying that she succeeds in convincing the director and his companion of her art, so that she can follow the two of them - accompanied by Pepsy - into the “wide, foreign land”.

The alleged discovery of the South Seas princess goes through all the gazettes and thus makes the premiere a great success. In the long run, however, the true identity of the “Flower of Hawaii” cannot be concealed. When the bomb bursts, the theater director already believes that he is seeing the greatest fiasco coming. The scandal, however, made the performances even more successful. In the end, there are also two private couples: Lia and Stelling as well as Pepsy and Bébé.

music

The most popular songs from the operetta can be heard:

• You dreamlike pearl of the South Seas ( English Waltz ),
• Flower of Hawaii, I love you for life ( Slowfox ),
• My golden baby in the sunny south ( foxtrot ) and
• A paradise on the beach (slow fox).

They do not sound in the original instrumentation by Paul Abraham, but in an arrangement by Michael Jary , who also contributed additional music.

additions

The same material was filmed under the same title in 1933 by director Richard Oswald . The film was produced in the Hamburg-Wandsbek studio. The outdoor shots were made in Cannes and Nice. The buildings were created by the film architects and production designers Herbert Kirchhoff and Albrecht Becker . Paul Seltenhammer contributed the costumes. The choreography was done by Rosyana et Larau.

criticism

The lexicon of international films succinctly notes that the strip is a "new version of Paul Abraham's operetta in a puny revue style with comic clothes."

source

Program for the film: The New Film Program , published by H. Klemmer & Co., Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, without a number

Web links

• Flower of Hawaii in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Flower of Hawaii at filmportal.de

Individual evidence

1. ^ Lexicon of international films, rororo-Taschenbuch No. 6322 (1988), p. 377