The last will
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The last will |
| Original title | testament |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1983 |
| length | 90 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Lynne Littman |
| script | John Sacret Young |
| production |
Jonathan Bernstein Lynne Littman |
| music | James Horner |
| camera | Steven B. Poster |
| cut | Suzanne Pettit |
| occupation | |
| |
The last testament (original title: testament ) is an American film drama from 1983 , which deals with the consequences of a nuclear war . Directed by Lynne Littman . The screenplay was written by John Sacret Young based on the story The Last Testament of Carol Amen . The lead role was played by Jane Alexander , who received an Oscar and a Golden Globe nomination for it.
The largely absent nuclear war is turning into a tale of gradual disappearance in the small town, and the consequences are reflected in children's eyes.
action
The action takes place in the fictional small town Hamlin near San Francisco . The film can be divided into two sections. In the first part, Tom Wetherly, who likes to drive his son Brad to peak performance on a racing bike, goes on a business trip while his wife Carol stays at home. Primary school children in the village perform the Pied Piper of Hamelin . Tom calls Carol from the airport, but she doesn't answer. Meanwhile, unexpectedly, a large-scale nuclear attack against the United States is broadcast on television . Shortly afterwards, a flash of light also appears in the Wetherly house.
In the second part, the film shows Carol Wetherly's struggle for survival, who takes care of the remaining family. At first everything seems to be fine. Brad looks after everything in town with his bike and makes himself useful. However, the city is exposed to invisible radioactive radiation , which is why more and more local residents are dying. Cathy and Phil, a young couple from the neighborhood, are one of the first families to lose their newborn. In the small community, however, neither anarchy nor panic breaks out. Carol's lastborn, Scottie, also dies and his body is buried. Carol reads from her diary again and again and often thinks of her beloved husband, who probably died in the bombing. The sky over the village seems to be getting darker. Information on the general situation cannot be obtained. It is unclear who dropped the bombs or whether there is a war. Carol's daughter Mary Liz also dies, but is no longer buried, but cremated.
By chance, Carol finds her husband's last call on her answering machine. She, her son, and a mentally challenged friend ultimately plan to commit suicide by sitting in a garage in a car with the engine running. But Carol breaks off the attempt.
At the end of the film, Carol and the two of them celebrate their birthday in candlelight. She remembers the flickering Super 8 films of a child's birthday and her husband. When asked what else she wants, Carol says: That we remember everything, the good and the terrible. The way we lived then. That we never gave up. That we will live, that we will be here to earn our children.
Reviews
Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times on November 4, 1983 that the film was the first film in a long time that made him cry. Jane Alexander gives a great portrayal. The last scene is one of the most powerful scenes that Ebert has ever seen.
Peter Gaschler wrote in Heyne Science Fiction Magazin 12, 1985 that the film was "a radically personal film (...), strangely static and of an extremely conventional, if not to say amateurish, style." In addition, he "too often slips into the sentimental or simply boring."
Film-Dienst wrote that the film was "haunting" and "convincingly played" . His music brings the danger of slipping into melodrama in some scenes, which, however,mitigates the "silent sadness and sympathy" that penetrate him. It is an "interesting film that is worth discussing and that does not exploit its topic" .
Stefan Höltgen 2008: “ When the film was made, the atomic Holocaust was often so noticeably close that I expected the world to end almost every day. [...] But when I look at 'The Last Testament' today, this fear becomes palpable again, as if it were still real. "
The TV fiction found, "Using the example of the everyday life of a family, director Lynne Littmann draws a far more haunting nuclear war scenario than Nicholas Meyer did in the same year with the better-known ' The Day After '."
DVD Verdict spoke of a sensitive director ( "sensitive direction" ).
Michael Koresky in Reverse Shot Online 2003 compared with Imamura , Kurosawa and Geh und sieh (USSR 1985, D: Elem Klimow) and stated: “Largely forgotten because [...] the people who saw him try to forget him . […] The singular American film ” .
DVD Talk 2004: "Hopefully this film won't be our will ."
Awards
Jane Alexander was in 1984 as best actress for Oscar and the Best Actress - Drama for the Golden Globe Award nomination. Rossie Harris and Roxana Zal were nominated for the Young Artist Award in 1985. The film won the Christopher Award in 1983 . Lynne Littman in 1984 for the Grand Prix of the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival nominated.
backgrounds
The film was in Sierra Madre ( California turned). It grossed around $ 1.5 million in US cinemas .
Director Lynne Littman dedicated the film to her family.
The film opened in German cinemas on March 9, 1984.
Web links
- The last testament in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The last Testament at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- Brad Wilber: Testament in eFilmCritic (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Film review by Roger Ebert, accessed on April 3, 2008
- ^ Heyne science fiction magazine. Volume 12, Munich 1985, ISBN 3-453-31125-6 .
- ^ The last will in the Lexicon of International Films , accessed on April 3, 2008.
- ↑ similar to Gibron, similar to Johanson (web links).
- ↑ Stefan Höltgen: “CQ… CQ… seek you…” In: Simulationsraum. February 13, 2008, accessed April 5, 2009 .
- ↑ cf. Stefan Höltgen: Der Tag X. (No longer available online.) In: epd Film . Archived from the original on March 11, 2011 ; Retrieved April 15, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ The Last Testament. In: TV feature film . TOMORROW FOCUS AG, accessed on April 5, 2009 .
- ↑ Lacey Worrell: Testament. (No longer available online.) In: DVD Verdict. January 31, 2005, archived from the original on May 11, 2009 ; accessed on April 15, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ cf. Joe Valdez: Testament (1983). In: This Distracted Globe. March 28, 2008, accessed April 15, 2009 .
- ↑ Michael Koresky: ... but a whimper. In: Reverse Shot Online. 2003, accessed on April 5, 2009 (English): "it has been forgotten over the years, probably due to self-denial on the part of those who viewed it […] viewers try to forget that they've ever seen it [ ...] The solitary American film [...] the singular American work "
- ↑ Bill Gibron: Testament. In: DVD Talk. December 7, 2004, accessed on April 5, 2009 : "If it was, indeed, our true legacy, we'd be doomed"
- ↑ Filming locations for Testament, accessed April 3, 2008
- ↑ Box office results for wills, accessed on April 3, 2008
- ↑ End credits.
