The house of the crocodiles (film)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
Original title The house of the crocodiles
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 2012
length 95 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
JMK 8
Rod
Director Cyrill Boss
Philipp Stennert
script Eckhard Vollmar
Cyrill Boss
Philipp Stennert
production Christian Becker
music Helmut Zerlett
Christoph Zirngibl
camera Philip Peschlow
cut Connie Strecker
occupation

The House of the Crocodiles is a German film based on the youth novel of the same name by Helmut Ballot . The film opened in German cinemas in spring 2012 and was released on DVD and Blu-ray in autumn 2012. The House of the Crocodiles received the rating of "particularly valuable" from the film evaluation office and was awarded the Bavarian Film Prize.

action

The Laroche family has just moved into an uncle's old, eerie villa. When his parents go away on business, eleven-year-old Viktor stays at home alone with his two sisters Luise and Cora. While wandering through the rooms of the house, he discovered to his horror a dark figure in a mirror: a burglar? The curious boy tries to find out and, during his research, comes across a secret hiding place in which the diary of the girl Cecilia is. Cäcilie died in the house years ago at the age of eleven when she fell down the stairwell under unexplained circumstances. Fascinated, Viktor flips through the yellowed book and follows the puzzling clues through the old villa. Again and again he finds small, stuffed crocodiles with empty eye sockets.

Viktor's research did not go undetected. He clashes with the dubious neighbor, Frau Debisch, who tries to prevent his detective work. Does she know what happened back then? Does she have something to do with the girl's death and is she possibly in cahoots with the enigmatic tenant Strichninsky? Viktor senses that he is on the trail of a great secret and tries against all odds to break the silence in the family.

Using the diary, he manages to find diamonds that Uncle Gustav once smuggled from Africa to Germany and that Cecilia hid in a chandelier . It turns out that the burglar seen by Viktor was Mrs. Debisch's son, who knew about the diamonds and was looking for them.

Viktor also manages to find out what had led to Cäcilie's fatal fall: She suffered from epilepsy and had hidden the tablets that she was supposed to take to avoid seizures in Gustav's grandfather clock. Due to an epilepsy in the stairwell, she fell over the railing to her death in front of Ms. Debisch's eyes. Ms. Debisch has since blamed herself for being responsible for regularly giving Cecilia the medication and assuming that she forgot it before the fatal attack. Viktor shows her the pills found in the clock and relieves Ms. Debisch's conscience.

background

The youth novel by Helmut Ballot was adapted for the first time in 1976, at the time as a six-part television series with Thomas Ohrner as Viktor. Thomas Ohrner has a small supporting role as Viktor's father in the movie.

While the series essentially sticks to the novel, the movie differs in some details. In the cinema version Viktor becomes even more of a loner who retreats into a kind of adventure world in the old villa. The musty cellar turns into a misty swamp, the granary into a jungle with lots of stuffed animals. While the novel ends openly and the question of the perpetrator remains unresolved, Viktor manages to uncover the secret of Cäcilie's death in the movie and to free the seemingly evil antagonist Frau Debisch from her feelings of guilt.

Reviews

  • “ This stylish and dense youth film is a masterpiece, also because it takes no account of parents' fears. So "The House of the Crocodiles" is just as exciting for us adults "(Abendzeitung München)
  • “ With some of their ingenious scenes, the two filmmakers bow down clearly to Alfred Hitchcock's Suspense Cinema. In doing so, they sound out the limits that horror and thriller motifs are set in the context of a children's film, right down to the last corner without exceeding them ”(Filmstarts.de)
  • “ The story of eleven-year-old Viktor, who wants to decipher the mystery of the death of his great cousin and the associated secret of the stuffed crocodiles, is convincing due to its careful structure and structure. The tension and atmosphere are skilfully created so that young and old can enjoy the film equally. The house of the crocodiles is an all-round successful youth cinema, which happily stands out from all too much uniformity. "(Moviemaze.de)
  • “ This film is a blast and a visit to the cinema is definitely worth it! Sometimes exciting, sad, funny and moving, it grabbed us from the first minute. The tension really only dissolves at the end of the film. "(Filmkritiker.com)

Trivia

The house was the old building at Sievertstrasse 1 in Munich. It was demolished about 30 years ago. The wrought iron gate and the fence have been left standing.

Awards

  • Goldener Spatz 2012 for best film and special award from the Thuringian State Chancellery for "Best Director"
  • Nomination for the German Film Award 2012.
  • Bavarian Film Prize 2012 for the directors Cyrill Boss and Philipp Stennert.
  • Gryphon Award Best Film 10+, Giffoni Film Festival.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Age rating for The House of the Crocodiles . Youth Media Commission .
  2. ^ Abendzeitung, Germany: Kino: Das Haus der Krokodile: A Hitchcock for boys - Abendzeitung Munich . ( Abendzeitung-muenchen.de [accessed on August 16, 2017]).
  3. ↑ Filmstarts: The Filmstarts review of Das Haus der Krokodile. Retrieved August 16, 2017 .
  4. ↑ The House of the Crocodiles . In: KINO . ( moviemaze.de [accessed on August 16, 2017]).
  5. ↑ THE HOUSE OF THE CROCODILES> Cinema film (2012) Trailer DVD . March 17, 2012 ( filmkritiker.com [accessed August 16, 2017]).