The angel who moved his harp
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The angel who moved his harp |
 | |
| Country of production | Federal Republic of Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1959 |
| length | 98 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Kurt Hoffmann |
| script |
Heinz Pauck , Günter Neumann |
| production | Georg Witt |
| music | Franz Grothe |
| camera | Sven Nykvist |
| cut | Hilwa from Boro |
| occupation | |
| |
The angel who moved his harp is a German comedy film from 1959. Kurt Hoffmann directed the black and white film based on the novel of the same name (original title: The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp ) by Charles Terrot. The world premiere took place on February 12, 1959 at the World Games film theater in Hanover .
action
The gray everyday life of the old pawnbroker Josua Webmann and his apprentice Klaas Henning offers little special. There is, for example, the chubby and always candy-sucking Elise Feuerhake. Klaas doesn't like them. Elise's mother would love to have him as her son-in-law. Suddenly Klaas Henning and Josua Webmann experience a small miracle. A truly unearthly lovely girl who has come to town on vacation and has lost her money enters the shop and wants to borrow a large golden harp . When the lovely creature was also interested in Webmann's collection of music boxes , the pawnbroker agreed and loaned the instrument 250 marks .
In the evening, Klaas visits the “Youth Club for Education and Knowledge”, which is actually a dance club. Klaas, who previously played a rather inconspicuous role, unexpectedly becomes the hero of the day. The charming harp girl has accepted his invitation to the club and is dancing with him. From then on, the attractive Lissy is also interested in him. The evening threatens to come to a sad end, however, when Police District Chief Haverkamp, Lissy's father, appears to raid the club for disturbing the peace. Klaas can avert the misfortune with a clever excuse. At the same time arguing Joshua Webmann and his friend Hinrich Prigge, a just abgemusterter ship's cook, in the Tavern "The Golden Lamb" on the mysterious girl with the harp. While Prigge is convinced that this is an angel , Webmann worries about the loan amount that he handed out in his ecstasy. There they are approached by a certain Mr. Parker. The stranger trades in musical instruments and, to the comfort of Webmann, also expresses an interest in the harp. In the meantime, Hinrich Prigges is focusing on the landlady Gerda Petersen. The two are very fond of each other. However, a real rapprochement fails because of Hinrich's refusal to settle down permanently.
The instrument dealer Parker shows up at the pawnshop the next morning and finds that the harp is of great value. If Webmann could buy the instrument for 2,000 marks, Parker would buy it from him for 2,700 marks. Webmann is enthusiastic about the planned deal and gets in touch with the official valuer Liebesam to be on the safe side. More miracles happen in the evening: Klaas goes out with Lissy Haverkamp and kisses her. The angel appears in the pawn shop to charm Josua Webmann and Hinrich Prigge with his harp playing.
But the next day the angel and harp disappeared. Just as Webmann alerts the district chief Haverkamp to start a search for the fraudster, the mysterious being is back on the spot and pays back the loan amount. However, the girl does not want to know anything about Webmann's suggestion to buy the harp for 2,000 marks. Even the official appraiser no longer has time to examine the instrument. Parker is also disappointed with the collapse of the deal, since it is obviously a particularly valuable harp worth 10,000 marks. In the meantime, there is a falling out between Klaas and Lissy because Klaas has still not left the wings of his overconcerned mother and her bosom friend Mrs. Feuerhake. A short time later, the angel appears at the district chief Haverkamp and asks him to take the harp into his care for a few days.
A burglar raids the pawn shop during the night. Webmann, Prigge and Klaas are knocked down by the stranger and end up in the hospital. Little did you know that the crook is the instrument dealer Parker. In the hospital, the three injured people dream one after the other of the magical angel who draws their attention to the goals they have previously missed in life. In fact, everyone gains more clarity about themselves and now appears much more courageous. Klaas finally tells his mother and wife Feuerhake what they think. In the evening there is both a reconciliation between Klaas and Lissy and an engagement between Hinrich Prigge and Gerda Petersen. Finally, the angel appears again in the pawn shop. This time Webmann succeeds in buying the harp for 2000 marks. However, Webmann's joy is soon ruined by the estimator Liebesam. The instrument is worth considerably less and the alleged angel turns out to be an accomplice of the deceiver Parker.
History of origin
prehistory
The director Kurt Hoffmann was in the second half of the 1950s at the height of his career. With Das Wirtshaus im Spessart and Wir Wunderkinder , two of the director's films were released in 1958 and delighted both audiences and critics. This positive development was offset by the first signs of a cinema crisis , the high expectations of the film producers and the increased fees of well-known actors. So Kurt Hoffmann and film producer Georg Witt decided to break new ground with their next project, The Angel Who Moved His Harp . Due to numerous adjustments in the production, the production costs of the film should be limited to 480,000 DM (currently around 1,140,000 euros). Kurt Hoffmann commented on his plans as follows: “I will rehearse thoroughly for ten days. And then it will be turned off in 20 days. [...] I only have one recipe - I always make cheerful films. Otherwise, however, the angel will be something completely different from my last films. "
script
The script for the film Der Engel, who moved his harp came from the pen of the famous authors Heinz Pauck and Günter Neumann . It is based on the novel of the same name, written by Charles Terrot (original title: The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp ), which was first filmed in 1951 by the BBC as a television film and again in 1956 as a British cinema production. Both adaptations could not be seen in Germany, however.
occupation
A considerable part of the production costs could be reduced by not using famous movie stars. The entire cast of the film consists of young actors or actors who until then could only be seen in supporting roles or on stage. The fees of the actors and extras totaled less than 100,000 DM (today approx. 240,000 euros).
production
The shooting took place from November to December 1958. The interior shots were shot in Halls 2 and 3 of the Bavaria film studios in Geiselgasteig . The exterior shots were made in Copenhagen . For the first time, Kurt Hoffmann was assisted by the Swede Sven Nykvist as cameraman . The film structures were created by Johannes Waltz. Ingrid Winter designed the costumes. For the film tricks was Theo Nischwitz responsible.
Film music
The film music was composed by Franz Grothe , the lyrics were written by screenwriter Günter Neumann.
reception
publication
The FSK released the film on February 10, 1959, from the age of 6. On February 12 of the same year, the premiere took place in the film theater Weltspiele in Hanover . The Constantin Film Distribution , which marketed the film, promised a "musical comedy" and a "film with new faces." Despite mostly positive reviews, commercial success fell short of expectations. In the polls carried out by the trade journal Filmecho / Filmwoche at the time , in which the cinema owners rated the number of visitors to individual films on a scale from 1 (excellent) to 7 (very poor), the film received a grade of 4.5. For comparison: The previous Kurt Hoffmann films Das Wirtshaus im Spessart (1.9) and Wir Wunderkinder (3.2).
After all, the film has often been shown on television since its first broadcast on October 19, 1963 on ZDF , where it delighted many viewers. The film was first released on DVD in 2014 .
Reviews
“[…] The film cost little money, but it's valuable. Finance alone doesn't do it. One must have ideas. Kurt Hoffmann has proven that. The audience received the film with great delight. "
"[...] The film - on the level of above-average good entertainment - continues the series of high-quality Kurt Hoffmann comedies. Even if this turned out to be more subtle, it should appeal to a wide audience with the help of an advertisement referring to the success of its predecessors. And - what is no less important - discerning, discerning circles will also acknowledge the guest performance of the angel who played his harp with thanks and a good mood. "
“[…] The angel who moved his harp has - in our opinion - turned out to be a great, poetic film. Perhaps also Kurt Hoffmann's best and most difficult undertaking so far. "
"[...] Every single scene also seems to be on a par with every other: a film like a piece - without highlights, without increases, almost without any noticeable peculiarities. A film like a poem - optical poetry from our day, but shimmered with distant romanticism. "
“[...] All in all, a cautious film, whose quiet punchlines do not have an easy time catching on with the audience. Granted, some wishes remain open. But we agree with Kurt Hoffmann because as a successful director he is always looking for new nuances of quality entertainment - and finds it! "
"Thanks to its lovable cheerfulness, the optimistic film fairy tale that was not free of weaknesses was considered a special feature among the German comedies of the 1950s."
Awards
- Filmbewertungsstelle der Länder (FBW) 1959: Predicate "valuable"
Web links
- The angel replied his harp in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The angel who moved his harp at filmportal.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ 98 minutes for cinema projection (24 images / second), 94 minutes for television playback (25 images / second), film length: 2680 meters
- ↑ Team work and thorough preparation . In: The New Film . November 6, 1958.
- ↑ Kurt Hoffmann on new paths . In: Film-Echo . December 13, 1958.
- ↑ Reiner Boller: The angel who moved his harp. The booklet for the film. Movie jewels. 2014.
- ↑ The angel who moved his harp. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .