The bank detective
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The bank detective |
| Original title | The Bank Dick |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1940 |
| length | 72 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Edward F. Cline |
| script | WC Fields (under psyeudonym: Mahatma Kane Jeeves ) |
| production |
Jack J. Gross Cliff Work for Universal Pictures |
| music | Charles Previn |
| camera | Milton R. Krasner |
| cut | Arthur Hilton |
| occupation | |
| |
The Bank Detective is an American comedy directed by Edward F. Cline . Celebrity comedian WC Fields , who also wrote the script, plays the leading role .
action
Egbert Sousè (" accent grave over the e ", as he always insists on it) is a misanthropic man who does no regular job and spends most of his time in his favorite bar, the Black Pussy Cafe . He is constantly at odds with his dissatisfied wife Agatha and the nagging mother-in-law Hermosillo. Egbert did a brief job directing a film set when the actual director was drunk. On the set, he jokes with the stars and completely rewrites the film, but then disappears again when the real director gets sober again. His life changes when one day a fleeing bank robber unexpectedly stumbles over the bench that Sousé is sitting on. He is not only celebrated by the newspaper for his alleged bravery, but also gets a job as a bank detective as a "hero" from bank president Mr. Skinner. Sousé takes up his work and in this job attacks, among other things, a little boy wearing a cowboy outfit and a toy gun.
Sousè's new job also attracts the elegant swindler J. Frothingham Waterbury. He promises Sousè great prosperity and lots of beer if he invests in his fund in the beefsteak mines - Waterbury hides that the mines are not considered to be very promising. Sousè is enthusiastic and also convinces Og Oggilby, the fiancé of his daughter Myrtle and also an employee of the bank, to steal a large amount of money from the bank temporarily to invest in Waterbury's invented fund. Unfortunately for Sousé, the effeminate but incorruptible bank auditor Snoopington appears surprisingly, and could uncover the money embezzlement. The bank detective tries to poison Snoopington with a drink from his favorite bar, but the attempt fails - Snoopington still comes to the bank check, albeit sick.
The swindler Waterbury unexpectedly comes to the aid of Sousè and his future son-in-law when he discovers that the beefsteak mines have unexpectedly made a profit. The fund makes Sousè and Og a fortune, so they no longer have to worry about Snoopington's bank check. Right then the bank is robbed a second time (by Repulsive Rogan, the second robber of the first robbery), whereby not only the money of the bank, but also the money from the beefsteak mines is stolen. Sousè is kidnapped by Rogan as a shield and hostage, while a turbulent chase ensues. Rather by chance, he can ultimately take out Rogan and is declared a hero again.
The money from the mine fund, the police reward for the arrest of Repulsive Rogan and money for the filming of an improvised script that he performed on the set make Sousè one of the richest citizens of his small town. He finally has the respect of his family, who see him purified and transformed - but he still goes to the Black Pussy Cafe .
background
The screenwriter's name is mentioned in the opening credits as Mahatma Kane Jeeves . In fact, behind this strange pseudonym hides leading actor WC Fields himself, who wrote most of the script. Fields' fondness for strange names is evident in the majority of the characters in this film. This is partly due to his passion for the novels of Charles Dickens , who also gave many of his fictional characters illustrious names. As usual, Fields had trouble with his producers at Universal, who rated the script as relatively weak and requested many changes. With the help of his director and friend Edward F. Cline, Fields ignored their wishes by simply not giving the producers the script until most of the film was shot. On the set, Fields was also known for rarely using the text in the script, but for spontaneously improvising in front of the camera. This caused surprising reactions from his snubbed supporting actors, some of which were also used in the film.
The Bank Dick is considered by many critics and fans as one of his best, but definitely one of his most famous comedies. In the film, Fields primarily targets rural America, the American Dream and the family as an institution. It was Fields' first "own" film on Universal Pictures: In You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939) he shared the lead roles with Edgar Bergen and his doll Charlie McCarthy and in Mein kleine Gockel (1940) with Mae West . In this film, however, Fields is the sole star and was able to exert a significant influence behind the camera as a screenwriter.
Reviews
The bank detective is named next to Das ist gratis when it comes to the question of the best WC-Fields comedy. Stanley Kubrick named The Bank Detective in a 1963 list for Cinema magazine as one of his ten favorite films.
“A classic of crazy humor loosely about a useless person who becomes a bank detective. Sutton as weak-headed future son-in-law and Pangborn as bank auditor fit in with Fields' mischief (rating: four out of four stars) "
“WC Fields in its most successful and at the same time last major role. A work-shy drinker and show-off who is bullied by his family catches a bank robber by chance, is rewarded with a job as a house detective for the bank and finally becomes a rich and consequently respected man. Snappy comedy with sarcastic swipes at American society and its success myths. "
Awards
- 1992: Inclusion in the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically or aesthetically particularly important"
Web links
- The Bank detective in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Frank Miller, Jeff Stafford: The Bank Dick (1940) - Articles. In: Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 18, 2020 (English).
- ^ Stanley Kubrick's Favorite Films - Movie List. Retrieved March 7, 2019 .
- ^ Leonard Maltin : Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide - The Modern Era . Plume, New York 2017, ISBN 978-0-525-53619-2 , pp. 89 (English).
- ↑ The bank detective. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed June 15, 2017 .