The smugglers' banquet
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The smugglers' banquet |
| Original title | Le Banquet des fraudeurs |
| Country of production | Belgium , Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1952 |
| length | 108 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Henri Storck |
| script |
Charles Spaak Henri Storck |
| production | Franz van Dorpe for Teve-Film, Brussels / E-Film, Frankfurt am Main |
| music | André Souris |
| camera | Eugen Schüfftan |
| cut |
Georges Freedland Hilde Grabow |
| occupation | |
| |
The Banquet of the Smugglers is a Belgian-German fictional film from 1952 by the Belgian documentary film director Henri Storck with the French star Françoise Rosay in one of the leading roles.
action
Shortly after the end of the Second World War , something really revolutionary happened in a small community in the Dutch-Belgian-German border area: The customs barriers between the Benelux countries should finally come down! For the mayor of the municipality, however, this is a double-edged sword, because he is also the owner of a small shoe factory, and its existence is massively threatened by this politically desired move. His own son is supposed to fix it, who, as soon as he has taken over the management of the plant, immediately hires smugglers to take the entire shoe production across the border into Germany at night and in fog. There the smugglers are supposed to sell the duty unpaid goods at a profit, in the hope that the workers of the shoe factory can continue to be paid with the proceeds. A German smuggler is killed in these illegal transactions. His sister falls in love with another smuggler, who gives the young woman a new meaning in life.
Production notes
The Smuggler's Banquet originated in Belgium in the second half of 1951 and was premiered on March 30, 1952 in the German-Belgian border region, in Aachen . The official (West) Berlin premiere was on June 26th of the same year, but the film could be seen for the first time in German shortly before at the 1952 Berlinale . The French-language version Le Banquet des fraudeurs premiered at the Cannes Film Festival (April / May 1952). This is where The Smuggler's Banquet was nominated for the great festival award.
Fritz Aeckerle and Léon Canel took over the production management. The film constructions come from Alfred Bütow . André Cayatte advised the inexperienced Storck on films.
useful information
The smuggler's banquet was the first German-Belgian cinematic collaboration after the Second World War and a fiery plea for a duty-free unification of Europe. Screenwriter Charles Spaak appeared to be the right writer for this film material: He was the brother of the then head of the International Council of the European Movement, Paul-Henri Spaak .
The David O. Selznick Prize (Silver Laurel) went to Das Banett des Schmuggler in 1952 for “the best film in French that promotes international understanding”.
Reviews
Der Spiegel stated in 1952: “Director Henri Stork shotthe“ first European community film ”with a team of twelve nationsunder the artistic patronage of“ Jury Court ”creator André Cayatte . Hearty satire on the Kantönli spirit and the customs borders of today's Europe, bloody interludes in no man's land and slightly pointed small town interiors, in which it is not entirely safe. "
The film service gave a succinct verdict: "Satire on petty chauvinism and narrow-minded customs legislation in Europe around 1950: (...) The film championed a united Europe, but with a weakly constructed plot and concessions to the public's taste for its effect."
Individual evidence
- ↑ The banquet of smugglers in Der Spiegel 16/1952
- ↑ The Smugglers' Banquet. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed December 25, 2019 .
Web links
- The Feast of the smugglers in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The smugglers' banquet at filmportal.de