The Blue Palace

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Movie
Original title The Blue Palace
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 1974/1976
length 90 minutes each
Rod
Director Rainer Erler
script Rainer Erler
music Eugene Thomass
camera Frank Brühne (1, 2, 3)
Joseph Vilsmaier (4, 5)
cut Hilwa von Boro (1, 4, 5)
Margot von Schlieffen (2)
Ingrid Broszat (3)
occupation

Das Blaue Palais is a five-part science fiction film series that was broadcast on ZDF in 1974 (with three episodes) and 1976 (with two episodes) . All five films were written and directed by Rainer Erler . The Blue Palais is widely regarded as one of the best science fiction productions on German television. The individual films are each around 90 minutes long.

Overview

The blue palace is an old castle-like villa, in which an international group of scientists is conducting basic research for the future and which owes its name to the slightly bluish color of the exterior plaster. The palace is never clearly located geographically, but is obviously a bit out of the way in the country. The research is financed by an unspecified board of trustees whose representatives are occasionally on site to find out about the current status of the research. The board of trustees is headed by the brain surgeon Professor Manzini, who is regularly at the institute.

The Dutch biochemist Jeroen de Groot, the Romanian biologist Sibilla Jacopescu, the Swiss cyberneticist Carolus Büdel, the chemist Enrico Polazzo and the physicist Siegmund von Klöpfer work here under the direction of the level-headed, balancing Louis Palm. Although collegial cooperation is sought, there are occasional quarrels and jealousies between the scientists, for example on issues of budget allocation. The scientific team is supported by the assistant Yvonne, the caretaker Kühn and the "finance minister" of the Su-Shu Wong institute.

The individual episodes are not only set in the Palais, but often abroad, for example in the USA , Scotland or Asia .

The Blue Palace belongs to the science fiction or science fact genre. Rainer Erler used current scientific findings and hypotheses as a thematic basis . Building on this, he speculated in the individual episodes about future developments in research and science.

Erler took advice from renowned researchers on the production of the films. In order to make the individual episodes interesting for a broad audience, the plot was also enriched with crime and thriller elements.

Four of the central roles (Jacopescu, Yvonne, Büdel, Wong) were cast with other actors in episodes 4 and 5.

The individual consequences

Episode 1 - The Genius (EA: October 15, 1974) The researchers of the Blauer Palais notice a hitherto unknown person named Felix van Reijn ( Rolf Henniger ), who excels as a pianist . However, his playing is reminiscent of that of a well-known virtuoso who disappeared under strange circumstances. When the researchers at the palace take a closer look at van Reijn, they are surprised to find that he also excels as a chess player. The biologist Sibilla Jacopescu travels to Japan with van Reijn, where he takes lessons from an old master of Japanese painting ( Kenzo Nishimura ). Jacopescu's colleagues now suspect that van Reijn is a murderer who kills specialists in various fields in order to distill their talents and experience from their brains. When the researchers want to confront van Reijn, he first fled. He later refuses to comment on the allegations and commits suicide by jumping from the roof of the palace. His brain is kept alive in the palace; the scientists hope to be able to communicate with him one day in order to get in touch with van Reijn.

Episode 2 - The Traitor (EA: November 12, 1974) The laser specialist Klöpfer doggedly pushes ahead with his project, the research into a new synthetic fertilizer synthesis, and is furious because the palace does not initially want to finance an expensive test facility for him. Finally, the appropriate budget is approved. The chemist Polazzo (Dieter Laser) proves that Klöpfer's experiments can trigger an apocalyptic chain reaction, which the latter ignores. He has the seedy financier Weigand ( Georg Marischka ) finance an even more expensive test facility. Then he fled with his research results via Hong Kong to Canada, where he was shot in front of Sibilla Jacopescu's eyes by Weigand's henchmen, who took away the suitcase that contained his documents.

Episode 3 - The Medium (EA: December 10, 1974) The quantum physicist Dr. Kevington ( Edward Meeks ) examines 18-year-old Petra ( Angelika Bender ), who is apparently gifted with parapsychology . The girl, a simple worker, seems to have clairvoyant skills and has already been able to predict two lottery wins. Absolute proof of the young woman's psi talent cannot be provided. After being seriously injured in a traffic accident, Petra's talent appears to have died. Other guest actors: Henning Gissel , Conny Palme , Ronald Nitschke and Günther Kaufmann .

Episode 4 - Immortality (EA: October 19, 1976) The Scottish biologist Ian McKenzie ( Udo Vioff ), who lives in seclusion in a secluded castle, has discovered the key to immortality and injected fruit flies with a kind of immortality gene. After McKenzie's death, Jeroen de Groot and his girlfriend Sibilla Jacopescu advance McKenzie's research and get into a dispute because Jacopescu is not interested in the moral issues that arise from this work. The Palais scientists are studying a group of people who have been told that they have achieved immortality by injecting a certain active ingredient. Jacopescu, who is pushing ahead with her research, dies in an explosion in the laboratory.

Episode 5 - The Giant (EA: November 16, 1976) The chemist Enrico Polazzo wants to develop a new material, a synthetic steel. In order to be able to continue his research, he is engaged by the multinational IMT, which operates a research laboratory in the desert of New Mexico. Polazzo, who wanted to register his invention for a patent, realizes that it has only been used by the IMT. The group wants to exploit the results of its research commercially in order to achieve the highest possible profit as a producer of the new material. The chemist proves that catastrophic environmental damage is inevitable with the planned mass production, which the leadership of the IMT ignores. Polazzo loses his job and returns to the Blue Palace, which, however, is closed. Louis Palm explains to him that the influential IMT probably worked in the background to ensure that the institute is closed. Other guest actors: Jean-Pierre Zola , Ben Zeller , Franz Rudnick , Alexis von Hagemeister and Wilfried van Aacken .

Locations

Although it is indicated in individual episodes that the palace should be located near Frankfurt / Main, Weyhern Castle in the Fürstenfeldbruck district west of Munich was the location for the palace and ancillary buildings.

Awards

The European Science Fiction Award - Best European SF Screenwriter (Brighton)

Books

Original edition at Goldmann:

  • The blue palace: the genius (= Goldmann-Taschenbuch. 3743). Munich 1978, ISBN 3-442-03743-3 .
  • The blue palace: The medium (= Goldmann-Taschenbuch. 3767). Munich 1979, ISBN 3-442-03767-0 .
  • The blue palace: immortality (= Goldmann-Taschenbuch. 3858). Munich 1979, ISBN 3-442-03858-8 .
  • The blue palace: The traitor (= Goldmann-Taschenbuch. 3757). Munich 1979, ISBN 3-442-03757-3 .
  • The blue palace: The giant (= Goldmann paperback. 3909). Munich 1980, ISBN 3-442-03909-6 .

Collective issue at Bastei Lübbe:

  • The blue palace (= Bastei-Lübbe-Taschenbuch. 10977). Bergisch Gladbach 1987, ISBN 3-404-10977-5

Revised new edition at Shayol:

  • The blue palace: the genius. Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-926126-58-2 .
  • The blue palace: the traitor / the medium. Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-926126-63-4 .
  • The blue palace: immortality (in preparation).
  • The blue palace: the giant (in preparation).

Videos / DVDs

The individual episodes of the Blauer Palais were published on Eurovideo in 1999 as video cassettes, which are no longer on the market. The series was released on October 11, 2012 as a triple DVD (Euro Video). However, the films were not subjected to any restoration or technical revision.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.rainer-erler.com/cre.htm locations