The sea monster

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Movie
German title The sea monster / The Tryton
Original title A Tryton
Country of production Austria-Hungary
original language Hungarian
Publishing year 1917
Rod
Director Alfréd Deésy
script Karl Huszár
production “Star” Filmfabrik und Filmvertriebs AG Budapest-Vienna
camera Karl Vass
occupation

The sea monster is an Austro-Hungarian silent film love story and horror story filmed in Hungarian in 1917 . Karl Huszár not only played the title role, but also provided the script.

action

Somewhere in a fashionable, European seaside resort. The bathing management warns all young, beautiful women of a sea monster lurking in front of the seashore, the Tryton, who lifts his head out of the waves to draw the lovely femininity into her ruin, the sea waves, with its gawking fish eyes. This year's bathers also included the wife of the chemist Orenzi. This Lilly is a light-hearted woman, making conquests after conquests and playing cards until she wastes all of her husband's money. When she sees the poster with which the management warns of the Tryton, this is all the more of a challenge for Lilly. She developed the plan to row far out to sea so that she could look the sea monster in the eye. Accompanied by her beau Albin, she goes out to sea, and the Tryton actually appears in front of her, mighty and mighty and spewing out a lot of water. With his huge, webbed paws, he reaches for the rowboat. Lilly screams in fear, the Tryton takes her and hurls Albin, who is trying to save the careless woman, out to sea. Pale with horror, the beach visitors watch as the Tryton steals Lilly and drags her away. In his hiding place, a grotto, the Tryton leaves the stolen woman. In order to show his affection for the beautiful woman, the beast drags all sorts of corals and pearls and covers them with them. Lilly, however, only has the desire to escape this cold and damp hiding place as quickly as possible.

The Tryton's weak point is his servant, a little Tryton, so to speak. Lilly promises him her love, should he carry her back to the people on the beach. The servant agrees to the deal, and no sooner has Lilly been back in her husband's arms than she persuades him to hire little Tryton as his assistant. However, he does not receive her gifts of love, rather the unfaithful beauty soon turns back to Albin, who has meanwhile been fished out of the sea. The big Tryton is downright lovesick and therefore decides to go in search of Lilly and to join the people. He crawls out of the sea and uses his pearls to buy clothes that European people wear. In this act Tryton goes to Orenzi and introduces himself as the Australian Pearl King who wants to buy his wife from him. Since the chemist has grown tired of his wife's eternal cheating, he enters into this trade, especially since he can use the money well for his research. Lilly has to submit, and from now on both live as husband and wife. Tryton's servant feels betrayed by Lilly and wants to take revenge on her and at the same time make love to his old boss. And so he monitors Lilly and immediately teases Tryton's latest affair - once again with Albin. Little Tryton leads big Tryton to an extramarital rendezvous, whereupon the former sea monster wants to pounce on Albin. But he uses a revolver to defend himself and shoots. The bullet hits Tryton's servant, who is fatally hit and sinks to the ground. The great Tryton is so disgusted at the malevolence that humans are obviously capable of, and leaves the scene of death in disgust. Then he returns to his true element, the sea.

Production notes

In Austria, A Tryton literally means Der Tryton and was created in Budapest studios in 1917. The film, also written by the title hero Karl Huszár, was four acts long and premiered in the same year. The film was also shown in a German-language version in Vienna during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the German Empire you could see The Tryton under the title The Sea Monster , presumably also in 1917. The cinematograph no. 567 reported on the film in 1917, a very rare example of an early horror story from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The buildings were designed by Stefan Lhotka , who was still known as Lhotka Szirontai in his homeland.

criticism

“The Tryton is a fantasy full of spirit and wit. It is wonderful nature shots that catch the eye in this film work and give the picture a peculiar charm. "

- Cinematographic review of October 6, 1917. p. 88

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