The immortal song

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Movie
German title Silent Night Holy Night
Original title The immortal song
Country of production Germany , Switzerland
original language German
Publishing year 1934
length 75 minutes
Rod
Director Hans Marr
script Alfred Lampel
production Emil Hollenstein
Robert Landolt
music Robert Ziegler
camera Hans Schneeberger
cut Gottlieb Madl
occupation

The immortal song (also Silent Night, Holy Night or Das Lied der Heimat ) is a feature film by director Hans Marr . The film about the Christmas carol Silent Night, Holy Night was shown for the first time on December 1, 1934 in Munich.

action

The teacher Franz Gruber has just received a letter in which it is announced that one of his compositions will be performed on White Sunday in Salzburg. He is delighted to share this with his friend, Pastor Mohr, who congratulates him on this success.

Gruber and his wife take part in the procession and the subsequent service on White Sunday . While they celebrate a little with the cathedral chapel master in the "Petrikeller" after the mass, part of the church service community takes part in a happy raft trip. A little misfortune spoils the joy, because Traudel, the daughter of the Sternwirt, falls into the water, and only the quick help of Lois, who secretly admires Traudel, saves her life. He would love to ask for her hand, but her father strictly rejects him. Even when Traudel confesses to her father that he loves Lois, he doesn't want to hear about it. In the end he breaks up with her, and Traudel leaves her father's house with Lois. With Gruber's intercession, they are secretly married by Pastor Mohr, who can only give them the pious wish that everything may turn out well with God's help.

Five years have passed, and the couple in love has become a small family with one son. They live in a hut in the mountains, but one day an avalanche takes away all of their belongings. Happy to have got away with life, Traudel wants to return to her father with her family. But the old man remains bitter and tough. Only the maid has an understanding and accommodates the family in the stable in the cold December weather so that they are at least warm. Pastor Mohr came by there late in the evening and was surprised that a light was still shining here. He looks through the window and sees the three of them like the Holy Family , and he thinks of the scriptures: “And there was no other place for them in the inn”. The sight of the blond boy, whom his parents put to sleep on soft straw in the animals' feeding trough, inspired him to write a poem. He had his friend Gruber set this to music the next day and hoped that this would finally soften the heart of the star host. At the same time, he wants to solve the problem of the broken organ with this song, which can no longer be repaired, because it is Christmas and a Christmas mass without music is unthinkable for him. So everything is prepared, and in his Christmas sermon the pastor admonishes the congregation not to close their hearts and not to turn anyone away because this is unchristian. When the lovely melody sounds and little Loisl approaches his grandfather and asks why he is crying, the bitterness of the star host finally breaks out. He caresses and kisses his grandson and offers his daughter and son-in-law his hand in reconciliation.

Production notes, publication

Gruber's school in Arnsdorf near Lamprechtshausen (2003)

The immortal song was written between the end of March and May 1934 on the Jungfrau massif (Switzerland), in the Bavarian Alps and in Salzburg (external recordings). The studio recordings were made in the Bavaria Ateliers (Geiselgasteig near Munich, Vita Atelier in Vienna-Rosenhügel) with the assistance of the Salzburg Cathedral Choir. The teacher Gruber was portrayed by the composer's biological grandson. The school building in which Gruber taught was originally used as a backdrop. The film structures were designed by Hans Schneeberger , supported by Josef König.

This German-Swiss collaboration was produced by Bavaria Film AG (Munich) and Arophon-Film (Zurich). The theatrical distribution was with Hans Marder, who premiered the film on December 1, 1934 in Munich. The Swiss premiere took place on December 7, 1934 in the Apollo cinema in Zurich. The Berlin premiere was on December 11, 1934 in the Mozart Hall.

The film was initially banned from young people by the censorship authority in Germany, but this was then lifted in the complaint procedure. a. because some passages had been cut out.

criticism

The German Film Service assessed: “The story of how the Christmas carol 'Silent Night, Holy Night' came about - linked to a village love story. Sentimental Heimatfilm. "

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ulrich J. Klaus: German sound films. 5th year 1934, p. 218 (134.34), Berlin 1993
  2. ^ Hervé Dumont : The history of Swiss film. Feature films 1896–1965. Lausanne 1987, p. 160
  3. ↑ Censorship at difarchiv.deutsches-filminstitut.de, accessed on December 31, 2018.
  4. ↑ Filmritik at filmdienst.de, accessed on 31 December 2018th