The king of the center forward
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The king of the center forward |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1927 |
| length | restored version: 95 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 0 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Fritz Freisler |
| script | Hugo Huxhol and Kurt Lauermann |
| production | Olympia Film GmbH Berlin |
| camera | Günther Krampf , Artur von Schwertführer |
| occupation | |
| |
Der König der Mittelstürmer is a German feature film from 1927. The silent film was one of the first “ football films ” in German cinema.
action
Tull Harper is an avid football fan and a leader of the Alemannia football club. His father, Consul Norbert Harper, does not share this passion and forbids Tull to take part in training and games in addition to his work - especially since the wholesaler Harper is in financial difficulties that threaten its existence. When Miss Mabel Douglas arrives as an agent of an American lender to collect debts, bankruptcy threatens. But the plot takes a good turn when, on the sidelines of the business relationship, a love affair develops between Tull Harper and Mabel Douglas, which is supported by a shared passion for football. This relationship threatens to break up when Jonas Habakuk Ripton, who also has an eye on Miss Douglas, succeeds in sowing discord by spreading false claims. Ultimately, however, love wins over the intrigue, the wholesaler Harper is saved and, with the blessing of his father, Tull Harper is allowed to put on his football boots in time for a decisive match and lead his club to victory.
meaning
The King of the Center Forward is one of the first German films to use football as a framework and a leitmotif. Under the motto quoted in the opening credits: " Spinning globe - rolling football - sport that connects people", it hit the nerve of the times, because football had developed into one of the most popular sports of all classes of society in the 1920s. After its premiere in autumn 1927, the film was shown with great success in cinemas all over Germany. Particularly noteworthy are the soccer scenes in the film, staged and filmed by Artur von Schwertführer. With dynamic camera work, skillful cuts including documentary film recordings (e.g. scenes from the long shot with audience ranks and real players) the perfect illusion was created and the soccer ball was shown on the screen in a form never seen before. The plot of the film, with the twists and turns of upscale love, is average, solid 1920s theatrical material and doesn't matter. Paul Richter , well-known star from Fritz Lang's film epic The Nibelungs , can be seen in his star role as a heartbreaker. The Norwegian actress Aud Egede-Nissen is a charming, self-confident and attractive business woman in Mabel Douglas.
Remarks
The main character of the film is a tribute to Tull Harder , a well-known and popular player for the Hamburg sports club and the national team in the 1920s .
In the cinema season 1927/28, another football film called Die elf Teufel ran successfully in German cinemas.
The king of the center forwards was soon forgotten despite his popular success and was considered lost for a long time. The Munich Film Museum succeeded in restoring a badly damaged Italian screening copy in 2005 with reconstructed subtitles . The restored version was released on DVD in 2006 with music newly recorded by Günter A. Buchwald, along with the silent football film Die elf Teufel and a nine-minute short film about the Germany - Italy international match held in Duisburg in 1924 .