The Collins Diary
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Collins Diary |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1915 |
| length | approx. 74 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Richard Eichberg |
| script | Carl Schneider |
| production | Richard Eichberg for Eichberg & Feibisch |
| music | Giuseppe Becce |
| camera | Heinrich Gärtner |
| occupation | |
| |
The Collins Diary is a German silent film crime drama from 1915 by Richard Eichberg .
action
Engineer Fred Collin is found dead one day. He left a handwritten note on a piece of paper for a message intended for his friend Peter Thomson, according to which important information about his death could be found in his diary. The examinations in Collins' apartment continue, when a young lady appears on the scene who pretends to be a distant relative of the deceased. In a moment of police inattention, the woman steals the diary lying on the desk. The investigations into the death of Collin reveal weighty suspicions against Thomson, who is then taken into custody. When his bride, Ellen Wolter, visits him, he asserts his innocence to her and urges her to leave no stone unturned in locating the diary.
Ellen Wolter goes to Fred Collins' apartment and discovers a woman's glove with a peculiar perfume note. She finds out that this perfume was specially made for Princess Metschersky. Ellen disguises herself as a maid and goes to the domicile of the princess to hand over the leather glove. She claims to have found him right in front of the princely villa. The princess is very impressed by this “maid” and hires her in this very position. Ellen, who has a maid herself, instructs her to stay near the new job, the villa, and to observe any events from outside. The maid sees the princess having a meeting with a man and follows them when they go to a pint called “Der Rote Hahn”. Ellen's maid tells her mistress about her observation, whereupon she disguises herself as a flower girl in order to investigate in the "Red Rooster" who this ominous man might be.
In fact, she can find out his name, a certain Peppio Pastia. A little later you see the princess, who is clearly the thief of Collins 'diary, sitting in the house chapel and reading Collins' notes. Then she kisses his photo. Ellen has sneaked into the chapel unnoticed and watches the Princess go on. After Princess Metschersky has left the chapel and locked it from the outside, Sch Ellen grabs the diary left there and escapes from the chapel by jumping out the window. She goes to her home with the evidence and reads the notes. In fact, the lines prove her fiancé's innocence. Well armed with this knowledge, she goes to the court where the trial against Thomson is pending. The process takes a sensational turn. The meeting was adjourned to include both Princess Metschersky and the ominous Peppio Pastia.
Now Collins's diary is being read out in court: In a port city, Fred Collin once met the dancer Carmen Sorgatha and her jealous friend Pedro. Fred soon fell in love with classy Spain, who returned his feelings. But the fiery young lady was very possessive herself, wanted to bind Fred to her and threatened him with a dagger. It all got too much for him and he got away as quickly as possible. After two years, Collin saw the spirited lady again, who appeared in a performance as a dancer. Carmen had discovered him too and invited him to have dinner with him after the performance. She wanted him back, she told him, but he no longer agreed to it. Carmen then threatened to marry a rich prince and to make Fred's life hell from then on. And indeed, this woman began to take revenge on him.
She smuggled incriminating pamphlet into his apartment, informed the authorities and ensured that Fred Collin was deported to Siberia as a result. After a long period of suffering, however, he managed to escape and returned to his friends. Unfortunately, he ran into Carmen again, who was far from satisfied with her thirst for revenge. He caught her dripping poison into his teacup and snatched the ampoule from her. Then Carmen stabbed his bride Claire. Fred Collin didn't want to go on living without them and swallowed the poison from Carmen's ampoule that he had kept with him. This finally proves Peter Thomson's innocence. When Carmen alias Princess Metschersky and her accomplice Peppio are to be arrested, the devil swallows the remnants from her poison arsenal and thus evades earthly justice.
Production notes
The Collins diary was censored in November 1915, was banned from young people and had its world premiere on December 24, 1915 in the Mozart Hall in Berlin. In Austria-Hungary the film was called, slightly changed, Collins Diary . The length of the four-act vehicle was 1355 meters.
criticism
“The content of the extremely interesting crime drama“ Collins Diary ”is an extremely exciting plot. Collins diary is the record of a suicide believed to have been murdered. One of his friends is arrested as a suspected perpetrator. The innocence of the detainee can only be proven through the diary sheets, but the diary has disappeared. The investigation of the diary and the contents of it itself provide the material for the extraordinarily well-invented plot. What is to be emphasized in this remarkable picture is a brilliant photograph, excellent direction and the artistic performance of the actress in the main role. "