The Maurizius Case (1954)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The Maurizius case |
| Original title | L'affaire Maurizius |
| Country of production |
France Italy |
| original language | French |
| Publishing year | 1954 |
| length | 140 (Germany), 110 (France) minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Julien Duvivier |
| script | Julien Duvivier based on the novel of the same name (1928) by Jakob Wassermann |
| production | Henri Deutschmeister for Franco-London |
| music | Georges van Parys , Faustin Jeanjean , Maurice Jeanjean , Pierre Larrieu |
| camera | Robert Lefebvre |
| cut | Marthe Poncin |
| occupation | |
| |
The Maurizius case is a French-Italian judicial and criminal drama from 1954 with Daniel Gélin , Madeleine Robinson , Adolf Wohlbrück and Charles Vanel in the leading roles. Directed by Julien Duvivier .
action
The story takes place on two time levels in Zurich and Bern; once in the present (1953) and once with flashbacks in 1935.
Etzel Andergast, passionately committed to justice, is the son of the public prosecutor Wolf Andergast, a legal ambassador and, if it serves his own career, also an agitator. One day the extremely sensitive young man finds out that his father has sentenced Leonhard Maurizius, who was accused of the murder of his older wife Elisabeth, to hard prison only on the basis of highly dubious evidence and unproven suspicions. Etzel then made his father promise to take up the case, which had been on file for 18 years, again. At the time, Maurizius was sentenced to twenty years in prison, and this trial, which was successful for Wolf Andergast, perfectly paved the career of the prosecutor, who was still in his early career. In the struggle for justice as the highest legal asset, Etzel collects all the evidence of yore that could prove the innocence of the convicted with holy earnestness and zeal in order to be able to reopen the Maurizius case. After examining and weighting the evidence, he comes to the conclusion that Anna Jahn, the convict's sister-in-law, must be the perpetrator.
The decisive admission is made by the mysterious Gregor Waremme, who once testified as a key witness for the alleged guilt of Maurizius. He reports of Anna's sister murder with the revolver, that Anna had loved Leonard Maurizius and that she could not forgive her or her forbidden feelings towards the married brother-in-law either for himself or for him. Thereupon senior public prosecutor Andergast, who has meanwhile developed doubts about his former actions through the selfless commitment of his son and who was actively involved in this matter, advocated the release of Leonhard Maurizius. For him, this late engagement is also an attempt at catharsis , the desire to face guilt and to question the consequences of unscrupulous ambition at a young age. But his knowledge is not that of the son. Chief Public Prosecutor Andergast's attempt at rehabilitation for Leonard is only half-hearted, he intends to free Maurizius by mercy, although the man is proven innocent and does not need any state “mercy”, as Etzel accuses his father. When he was released, Maurizius had long been an old and broken man and saw no more opportunity to reintegrate into the current society and to restore his ruined reputation. Without any possibility of rehabilitation and completely isolated, Leonard Maurizius kills himself. Deeply affected by this act of desperation, Etzel Andergast decided to devote himself to his fight for a judiciary that is always aware of its responsibility towards the individual.
Production notes
The Maurizius case was filmed within two months, from November 2, 1953 to January 2, 1954, and premiered on June 4, 1954. In Germany, the film opened on October 29 of the same year. The German television first broadcast took place on June 22, 1970 at 8:15 p.m. on ZDF .
Louis Wipf took over the production management. The film structures were designed by Max Douy , assisted by Jean André and Jacques Saulnier , and the costumes by Rosine Delamare .
Charles Vanel received the award for best actor at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in 1954.
Reviews
The lexicon of the international film says: "Duvivier staged the novel ... by Jakob Wassermann dense and convincing as an indictment of abuse of rights and human error."
Individual evidence
- ^ The Maurizius case. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed October 24, 2015 .
Web links
- The case Mauritius in the Internet Movie Database (English)