The forbidden paradise (1924)

Movie
German title	The forbidden paradise
Original title	Forbidden Paradise
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1924
length	76 minutes
Rod
Director	Ernst Lubitsch
script	Hanns Kräly ; Agnes Christine Johnston based ; on the play "Die Zarin" ( The Czarina ) by Lajos Biró and Melchior Lengyel
production	Famous Players-Lasky Corp.
camera	Charles Van Enger
occupation
	Pola Negri : Tsarina Katharina; Rod La Rocque : Captain Alexej Czerny; Adolphe Menjou : Chancellor; Pauline Starke : Anna; Fred Malatesta : French ambassador; Nick De Ruiz : the general; Carrie Daumery : lady in waiting; Clark Gable : Soldier of the Tsarina;

The Forbidden Paradise is an American silent film from 1924 by Ernst Lubitsch . Pola Negri and Rod La Rocque played the leading roles .

action

In a fictional Balkan country (which is more reminiscent of Russia in terms of various details): Tsarina Katharina has a number of lovers to whom, in the eyes of her court, she devotes herself more than to urgent government business. A mutiny is looming, several officers have banded together to overthrow their monarch. Among them is the handsome captain Alexej Czerny, who, however, melts away at the sight of the tsarina, changes sides and warns his country mother of the looming danger. As a “reward”, he too can now join the crowd of her lovers. In his naivete, however, Alexei believed that he was the only one allowed to share favor and bed with his ruler. When he now has to find the exact opposite, he is the first to take the lead of the mutineers.

Finally the day of the decision is approaching. The rebellious soldiers penetrate the palace under Alexei's leadership. But Katharina's most loyal vassal, her experienced chancellor, familiar with all human weaknesses, opposes the soldier mob with the checkbook as his sharpest weapon. Mindful of the willingness to corrupt oneself and let all ideals go, the uprising collapses as quickly as it began. Leader Alexej is arrested and goes to dungeon. His fate is now entirely in the hands of Katharina. The tsarina quickly returns to her old lifestyle and experiences new happiness in love with the French ambassador at court. In the exuberance of her feelings for the French, she orders the captain to be pardoned. He is now allowed to marry the lady-in-waiting, with whom he was in love before his adventure with his tsarina.

Production notes

The Forbidden Paradise was on November 16, 1924 New York City premiere. The film premiered in Germany the following year, probably in November 1925. The film structures were designed by the native German Hans Dreier . The 23-year-old, later Hollywood star Clark Gable , who can be seen in a miniature role , made one of his first screen appearances here.

The story of Das Verbotene Paradies was more or less re-filmed in 1944 by Otto Preminger under the title Scandal at Court . Lubitsch took over production there.

Reviews

In the New York Times , star critic Mordaunt Hall dealt with the Lubitsch film. There it said on November 17, 1924: “Relying entirely on his fertile imagination, Mr. Lubitsch, as is his custom, succeeded in directing this film with delightful ease. The story is lightweight, as you might expect, but it is always interesting and often quite amusing. Miss Negri is a charming queen, as long as one believes that such rulers deal with tracing their eyebrows, touching the eyelids and accentuating the rims of their eyes ... (...) Adolphe Menjou is the chancellor. He is excellent from the moment you see him staring at her voluminous hairstyle to the very last scene. You won't forget his cold smile, this character's selfishness, and Menjou's wonderful expression when he pretends to be surprised. (...) If there is any director's idea that impressed us more than anything else, then it is the one where Mr. Lubitsch had the idea of having the hero and his loved one reflected in an artificial lake. You can see the two smiling at each other in their eyes, and when it comes to hugging, a carefree fish swims through this reflection, blurring the effect. "

Reclam's film guide judged the film: “A typical Lubitsch film, in which the“ great spectacle ”is reduced to a human level, as it were. A famous scene cited in many works on Lubitsch is the appeasement of the revolutionaries who invaded the palace. In the face of the intruders, the Chancellor reaches into his pocket, but does not pull out a weapon, as one suspects, but the checkbook with which he buys the conspirators without further ado. There may be a good deal of cynicism behind this - but also tacit approval of the all too human weaknesses. "

Halliwell's Film Guide characterized the film as follows: "Seldom seen today, this film was perceived as a sparkling satire in its time, with clever allusions and modern references such as motor vehicles and short hairstyles".

Individual evidence

^ Forbidden Paradise in the New York Times
↑ In the original: "Drawing upon his fertile imagination, Mr. Lubitsch has succeeded, as is his wont, in filling this picture with delightful touches. The story is a light affair, as might be gathered, but it is always interesting and frequently quite amusing. Miss Negri makes a charming Queen, so long as one decides that such rulers were partial to outlining their eyebrows, touching up their eyelids, accentuating the corners of their eyes ... (...) Adolphe Menjou figures as the Chancellor. He is excellent from the moment one perceives him gazing upon the basket of hair to the very last scene. You won't forget his cold smile, the selfishness of the character and Menjou's delicate expressions of surprise. (...) If there is one directorial touch which impressed us more than another, it is where Mr. Lubitsch has depicted the reflection of the hero and his sweetheart in an artificial lake. One sees the two smiling into each other's eyes, and as the embrace comes, a careless fish obliterates the effect by swimming through the reflection. "
^ Dieter Krusche, Jürgen Labenski : Reclams Film Guide. Reclam, Stuttgart 1973, ISBN 3-15-010205-7 , p. 57.
^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 366
↑ In the original: "Seldom seen these days, this was judged at the time a scintillating satire, with its sly innuendo and modern references such as motor cars and bobbed hair."

Web links

The forbidden paradise at filmportal.de
The Forbidden Paradise in the Internet Movie Database (English)

[1] Forbidden Paradise in the New York Times

[2] In the original: "Drawing upon his fertile imagination, Mr. Lubitsch has succeeded, as is his wont, in filling this picture with delightful touches. The story is a light affair, as might be gathered, but it is always interesting and frequently quite amusing. Miss Negri makes a charming Queen, so long as one decides that such rulers were partial to outlining their eyebrows, touching up their eyelids, accentuating the corners of their eyes ... (...) Adolphe Menjou figures as the Chancellor. He is excellent from the moment one perceives him gazing upon the basket of hair to the very last scene. You won't forget his cold smile, the selfishness of the character and Menjou's delicate expressions of surprise. (...) If there is one directorial touch which impressed us more than another, it is where Mr. Lubitsch has depicted the reflection of the hero and his sweetheart in an artificial lake. One sees the two smiling into each other's eyes, and as the embrace comes, a careless fish obliterates the effect by swimming through the reflection. "

[3] Dieter Krusche, Jürgen Labenski : Reclams Film Guide. Reclam, Stuttgart 1973, ISBN 3-15-010205-7 , p. 57.

[4] Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 366

[5] In the original: "Seldom seen these days, this was judged at the time a scintillating satire, with its sly innuendo and modern references such as motor cars and bobbed hair."