The struggle for existence or "occupied"
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The struggle for existence or "occupied" |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1897 |
| Rod | |
| production |
Oskar Messter for Messter-Film, Berlin |
The Struggle for Existence or “Occupied” is a short German silent film grotesque from 1897.
action
In the corridor of a hotel, the door of a guest room and the toilet next to it can be seen. A guest enters the toilet room. A little later another gentleman comes out of the next room to go to the quiet place as well. However, he cannot enter because the first hotel guest has locked the door from the inside. The persistent pressure is clearly reflected in the mood of the second guest's face.
Another hotel guest will soon arrive - only wearing trousers - who also has an urgent need, but is not allowed to enter the occupied toilet. He knocks impatiently on the door. After a while, the first person to go to the toilet steps out again, and at the same moment both other gentlemen rush to the door to be the first to find relief inside. There was a real brawl and a waiter who passed with coffee utensils was jostled and fell to the floor with the service.
Production notes
The Struggle for Existence or “Occupied” is one of the oldest German films known by name from the production of Oskar Messter . The actors are likely to have largely been laypeople.
As is usual with very early films from the late 19th century, short scenes from everyday life were shown with the thematic background “human-all-too-human”.
Reviews
In the Messter film catalog from 1898 it says: "An extremely humorous subject, which always makes you laugh, the picture is flawless".
More than 100 years later it could be read: "Behind the social Darwinist title THE FIGHT FOR EXISTENCE hides a prime example of what Freud analyzed as anal sadism around 1905."