Christopher Columbus or The Discovery of America

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Movie
Original title Christopher Columbus or The Discovery of America
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 1969
length 88 minutes
Age rating FSK Unknown
Rod
Director Helmut Käutner
script Helmut Käutner
production Wolfgang Völker
music Bernhard Eichhorn
camera Wilfried Huber
cut Karin Kittel
occupation

Christoph Columbus or The Discovery of America is a West German television production from 1969 by Helmut Käutner based on the stage work of the same name by Walter Hasenclever and Kurt Tucholsky alias Peter Panter from 1932. The play was premiered on September 24, 1932 in the Leipziger Schauspielhaus , the manuscript was made but only published in 1985. The broadcast was produced by Hessischer Rundfunk , the choreography was done by Gene Reed . The first broadcast took place on September 7, 1969 on ARD .

action

The framework story takes place in the cinematic present in 1969, the flashbacks between approx. 1491 and 1505.

1969. Pepi, descendant of Pepi, one of Christopher Columbus' fellow travelers on the voyage of discovery to America , runs the pub Zum golden Anker in Seville in the 25th generation . Pepi also runs the bar as a museum and shows guests who have just arrived from the USA who now want to discover Europe, the regulars' table set up in 1495 by Columbus and his men.

Around 1490 in Santa Fe Castle. The Spanish Chancellor Luis de Santángel argues with Treasurer Quintanilla about Spain's ailing financial situation, which urgently needs to be improved, when Columbus appears, who is viewed as a pesky supplicant. After all, the Genoese may represent his views in a college in which Queen Isabella also participates. When Columbus claims that there is a sea ​​route to India on a western instead of an eastern one around Africa, Father Gonzala accuses him of blasphemy because the earth is known to be a disk and not a sphere. Columbus contradicts and receives support from a liberal-minded priest. Eventually the queen decides to give Columbus a chance and equip an expedition.

In order for the Spanish state to retain financial control over the company, Columbus is assigned the slick financial inspector Vendrino. For reasons of economy, instead of hiring sailors , Vendrino has brought prisoners as a crew. When Columbus is outraged that he should conquer a country with rags , robbers and murderers , Vendrino reassures him by saying that this should have happened before. The fleet leaves Palos de la Frontera .

After a seven-week journey west, the team wants to turn back. Some of the peas in the provisions are rock-hard, as they are really stones, because Vendrino saved up on real peas. When a mutiny breaks out on the Santa Maria , Columbus asks Vendrino to decide whether to continue or to turn back. Vendrino explains that as an official he is in favor of continuing the journey, but as a democrat he is in favor of turning back and answers with a clear “yes and no”. The decision is taken from Columbus because Pepi, ancestor of the 25th Pepi, is sighting land from the locus. Vendrino congratulates Columbus on the discovery that the colonial age has dawned.

1969. Pepi the 25th explains to his American guests that the day the country was discovered would have changed the world like the moon landing today .

August 1492. On land, a chief , a medicine man and two other natives are playing cards and smoking cigars . When a native reports to the chief that a warship has been sighted with armed men on it, he does not believe him; after all, warships and weapons were abolished a long time ago because they would only wreak havoc. The medicine man suspects that they could be savages, maybe even cannibals . Another card player reports that his great-grandfather told him about a part of the world where people are slaughtering each other, the area should be called Europe or something.

Columbus introduces himself to the natives and explains to them that they have now been discovered. The Spaniards came with friendly intent and only wanted to take possession of the land of which he was now viceroy . When the natives ask how big Spain is, the seafarers explain that Spain is the largest country on earth and that is why it needs colonies . Since the natives do not know the term colony, it is explained to them: Colonies are countries that are being civilized by Spain in order to bring the inhabitants the blessings of Spanish culture, while at the same time the indigenous barbaric customs and traditions are being abolished and the people there are now live just like the Spaniards. Then the lands belonged to the Spanish.

The chief explains that there is nothing in this country that could be of interest to Spain, but there the seafarers discover the gold jewelry of the natives. However, they do not want to exchange their gold because they do not need anything else; whereupon Vendrino explains to them that a modern state has to trade in goods, even if the potential buyers do not need the goods on offer. If they refuse, war will be waged against them. After the victory, money is then lent to the defeated so that they can buy goods. When the Spaniards want to confiscate weapons, the chief declares that there are no longer any; peace reigned since the abolition of weapons, banks and warships.

When the chief Columbus offers his daughter Anacoana to spend the night with her, the admiral wants to refuse, but Vendrino explains to him that sacrifices must be made for the fatherland . In addition, an occupation regime must be established immediately. When Columbus replies that he knows what violence is and that he therefore wants peace, Vendrino argues against it: he knows what peace is and wants business. Native girls led by Anacoana dance for the Spanish; Anacoana seduces Columbus and explains the term taboo to him .

1969. Pepi explains to his American guests at the Goldener Anchor that after the discovery of America, the Europeans also discovered the American woman, from which Europe has not recovered to this day. In addition, as always in occupied countries, difficulties soon arose.

Around 1493. Vendrino explains the conditions in the colonies in Spain. Bad manners such as free elections had been cleared up, and now all officials were simply appointed. The natives used to hunt game, now the Spaniards would hunt the natives, this was due to the breed problems that would not have existed before. The discovery of the potato, which can be used to make potato pancakes, is positive. At a test dinner, some participants criticized the new dish, which tasted like tree bark and which should be better fed to the heretics , but King Ferdinand is enthusiastic about the potato pancakes, whereupon all participants immediately praised their exceptionally good taste. Queen Isabella suggests refining the meal by adding salt and applesauce.

Vendrino also makes it clear to the court that Columbus must be replaced. This is an idealist , not a realpolitician and doesn't have all the cups in the cupboard. When the Queen asked about the Indians , Vendrino replied that many had emigrated to the eternal hunting grounds, that tough measures had to be taken because the Indians neither wanted to deliver gold nor pay taxes. They also refused to become Christians .

When the news arrived from Portugal that Vasco da Gama had found the sea route to India via the eastern route, Columbus was described by all sides as a fraud. He is deposed, Anacoana is to be sent to a monastery .

1969, in the Golden Anchor . The 25th Pepi explains that Columbus stayed with his ancestor Pepi after his deposition and that he opened the bar. Columbus and other participants on the first voyage of discovery met there once a week.

Around 1505, in the Golden Anchor . Columbus and his cronies are sitting at the regulars table and eating pea soup as usual when Amerigo Vespucci enters. Vespucci explains to Columbus that he did not travel to India at all, but that he had discovered a new continent, which is now called America after him, Amerigo. Columbus should write a book about his travels. Columbus refuses, but Vespucci insists that peoples need heroes to confirm themselves. In addition, he had already spread the story of Columbus' egg in a book . When he demonstrated the egg technique on the regulars table, the sailors were outraged; that was all a lie. Vespucci waves him off and explains as he leaves that one should admire great men, but not get to know them.

Columbus carefully peeled an egg and ponders that he has now discovered America, too, and explains to Pepi that as a person of contemporary history, one can admit anything, just not to have been wrong. At some point, America will be on everyone's lips. In the New World, the poor will also be fine, skin color and race will no longer play a role, nobody will be oppressed and gold will be selflessly distributed to all countries. On the bank there will be a statue with a biblical inscription that this is the paradise of the world.

1969. In the Golden Anchor , Pepi explains that Columbus also said at the time that this prophecy was not intended for the public because it sounds so beautiful: “Too beautiful. It sounds too nice ”. A waiter comes in and yells “Lunch is ready, ladies and gentlemen”. Funny music starts with marching music elements by John Philip Sousa .

Production notes

The shooting took place from May 19 to June 14, 1969 in HR television studio 1 in Frankfurt am Main . The staging deviates significantly from the original in parts. So the setting with the bar including the figure of the 25th Pepi was invented; in the original there is an opening scene that takes place in a German school with about 12-year-old school boys in the present from 1931/32 , in which a teacher asks the boys about their discovery of America and receives only vague answers.

After 1932, the play was only staged again in 1960 by the Dortmund City Theater under Paul Walter Jacob on the occasion of Tucholsky's 70th birthday. In June 1961 there was a production at the Rostock Volkstheater , which was also performed in Bremen in 1962, despite the construction of the Wall . The stage text was first published on the 50th anniversary of Tucholsky's death and the 45th anniversary of Hasenclever's death in 1985 by Peter Moses-Krause ; however, the television broadcast was not mentioned in the post-comment.

Trivia

  • According to Moses-Krause, the role of Vendrino is based on the character of Mr. Wendriner , who appears in several of Tucholsky's stories.
  • Hannelore Elsner appeared bare-breasted in front of the camera as an Indian girl - highly unusual for this time on German television.

Lore

  • The production was edited on DVD by Pidax in 2012 .

literature

Web links