The caretaker (1973)

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Movie
Original title The janitor
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 1973
length 85 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director August Everding
script August Everding
production Jürgen Richter
camera Alois Nitsche
occupation

The caretaker is the German TV version of a Munich theater production by August Everding from 1972, which he staged with Heinz Rühmann in the title role. The three-person play is based on the stage drama "The Caretaker" by Harold Pinter .

action

The story is based closely on the stage act Der Hausmeister, which premiered in 1960 :

The brothers Aston and Mick live in a dilapidated house. Aston saved the shabby-looking, stubbly vagrant Davies, who lacks ID and papers, from a brawl. Out of pity he takes the depraved and ill-tempered old man with him. The young man offers Davies to stay, he can even take on the janitor's job and earn money when the house is renovated. However, the cunning, irascible and manipulative old man proves to be anything but grateful, on the contrary: He develops a brazen attitude towards Aston and Mick. The tramp begins to play both brothers off against each other. Davies soon pushes his game to the limit, so that the Aston he recently insulted most violently out of pure instinct for self-preservation finally puts the malevolent misanthrope out the door again. Davies 'last attempt to move in again through the manipulation of Mick also fails: the brothers' cohesion is stronger.

Production notes

The caretaker was created in 1972 and was broadcast for the first time on Wednesday, February 14, 1973 at 8:15 p.m. on ZDF and ORF.

Otto Stich designed the production design, Claudia Stich the costumes.

reception

With this film, Rühmann made one of his rare attempts to escape his usual role model of the smart and friendly average citizen and to portray a negative figure, an obnoxious troublemaker.

The program magazine Bild + Funk found that “the 'folk actor with soul and heart' succeeded - as intended - in breaking out of the tried and tested cliché.”, And in the program magazine Gong Rühmann said: “I've wanted myself for a long time fulfill this wish. (...) And I think I have a right to it after being who my audience wanted me to be for so long. The role has become one of the most difficult and exhausting, but also one of the most captivating that I've ever taken on. "

Individual evidence

  1. Bild + Funk, 9/1973, for broadcast on February 14, 1973
  2. Gong, 6/1973

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