The balcony (film)

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Movie
German title The balcony
Original title The balcony
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1963
length 80 minutes
Rod
Director Joseph Strick
script Ben Maddow
production Ben Maddow,
Joseph Strick
camera George J. Folsey
cut Chester W. Schaeffer
occupation

The Balcony is an American film drama from 1963. The script is based on the play of the same name by Jean Genet .

action

In an abandoned film studio, Madame Irma runs a brothel known as The Balcony . Even when riots broke out in the streets of the city, the brothel owner took care of the wishes of her customers. A gas station owner plays a bishop who is sexually aroused by the confession of a sinner. A milkman presents himself as a general who treats women like horses. An accountant pretends to be a judge dealing with a thief.

To calm the angry crowd, the police chief, Irma's friend, asks the three men to play their wrong roles in public. Over time, the men begin to assume their roles more and more, but the police chief soon brings them back to reality. Irma also pretends to be the queen. The rebel leader comes into the brothel and wants to impersonate the police chief. Carmen, Irma's lesbian confidante, seduces the rebel. At that moment the chief of police enters the brothel. The two men begin to fight, with the women of the brothel undressing the fighting. When the two are only covered with towels, she asks Irma to go home, where the illusions they indulge in are even more false than those she sells in the brothel.

Reviews

The lexicon of international films describes the film as "an unusual acting examination of power and abuse of power, revolution and oppression, reality and illusion, which, however, lacks the approach to deeper human engagement."

The Variety finds that after "weeding out obscene language, a robust, vivacious, and dispassionate fantasy remains."

The Protestant film observer is full of praise : “A brilliant filmic and literary parable about human vanity and the hollowness of certain typical political behaviors and phrases - illustrated by the events surrounding a revolution in an imaginary state. The extraordinary acting performances are a pleasure. Worth seeing for every adult. "

Awards

In 1964 the film was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Camera (b / w) . Another nomination was for the WGA Award from the Writers Guild of America .

background

The US premiere took place on March 21, 1963. In Germany the film was not started in cinemas. An original version with German subtitles was broadcast on December 10, 1993 by the television station 3sat .

The music theater work The Story of the Soldier by Igor Fjodorowitsch Stravinsky is used as the film music .

The photographer and documentary filmmaker Helen Levitt worked as an assistant director. Verna Fields , who normally works as a film editor , was responsible for sound editing.

Further films

Joseph Strick filmed the scandalous play by Jean Genet, which premiered in 1957, for the first time. Shelley Winters starred in the 1975 remake Poor Pretty Eddie by David Worth and Chris Robinson. The Finnish TV production Parveke was made in 1982. In 2002 Andy Sommer filmed the play again for French television.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. The balcony. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. Archive link ( Memento of the original from January 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) 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.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.variety.com
  3. Evangelical Press Association, Munich, Review No. 390/1969