The pastor of Kirchfeld (1937)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The pastor of Kirchfeld |
| Country of production | Austria |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1937 |
| length | 90 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director |
Jakob Fleck Luise Fleck |
| script |
Friedrich Torberg (as Hubert Frohn ) |
| production | Siegfried Lemberger for the Excelsior Film, Vienna |
| music |
Viktor Altmann Karl M. May |
| camera | Ernst Millwheel |
| occupation | |
| |
The Pfarrer von Kirchfeld is an Austrian fiction film directed by Jakob Fleck and Luise Fleck in 1937 based on the original by Ludwig Anzengruber . Hans Jaray played the title role .
action
Peter Hell, the pastor of Kirchfeld, is very popular in his community. Actually he wanted to answer a call to the authorities of the diocese of Salzburg , but when his brother cousin from the parish of St. Jakob asks him to look after the orphan Annerl Birkmeyer and take him into his service, Hell decides to stay in Kirchfeld . Peter Hell soon begins to develop feelings for the young girl, but his belief in God is stronger. Michel Berndorfer, a young man from the neighboring community, also fell in love with Annerl. In order to at least be close to her, Berndorfer, who doesn't dare to confess his feelings to the girl, moves to Kirchfeld.
A much bigger problem for Pastor Hell is the Wurzelsepp, who has been in grudge with the church since he was once denied the wedding. One day Hell saves his mentally confused mother from a serious misfortune when he goes on a hike through the mountains with the local children. The Wurzelsepp is not very grateful, rather he covers the man of God with allusions and slander, especially in relation to Hell's relationship with his maid Annerl.
In order to finally put an end to the rumors, Pastor Hell must finally obey the call to Salzburg, although he suffers greatly from the untrue allegations. When the mother from Wurzelsepp had a fatal accident, the son finally made up with the church and pastor. The Kirchfelder also recognize that their doubts about their pastor, who has now left them, were completely unfounded. Peter Hell's last official act is Annerl's marriage to Michel Berndorfer.
Political background and production notes
Filming began in late August 1937 and ended in early autumn. The world premiere took place on November 18, 1937.
In terms of film history, Der Pfarrer von Kirchfeld is of the greatest importance because it was the last production in the country that was independent of state requirements before the Anschluss . As early as April 20, 1936, Austrian production companies had signed an agreement with the German Reich according to which Austria's producers undertook not to employ any “ non-Aryans ” in their films . Thereupon the Jewish owner of the film distributor Excelsior-Film, Siegfried Lemberger (1884-1942) decided to produce the film himself at his own risk. The pastor of Kirchfeld became the only Austrian film made in 1937 that consistently evaded the racist dictate.
Most of the artists involved in Der Pfarrer von Kirchfeld were Jews and had to flee from March 1938 or were arrested and deported after the Anschluss:
- The directors Jakob and Luise Fleck fled to Shanghai at the beginning of 1940 after Luise Fleck had obtained the release of her Jewish husband on August 4, 1939 from the Buchenwald concentration camp .
- Leading actor Hans Jaray fled the country in March 1938 and went to the United States .
- His colleague Karl Paryla , pastor Hell's opponent Wurzelsepp in the film and, like Jaray, employed at the Theater in der Josefstadt until March 1938 , followed him a little later and settled in Switzerland .
- The actor Ludwig Stössel , briefly in Gestapo custody in April 1938 , fled to Switzerland in the same year as Paryla , but then settled permanently in the United States.
- Screenwriter Friedrich Torberg , who delivered the manuscript under the pseudonym Hubert Frohn, also emigrated to Switzerland in June 1938.
- Even Hans Weigel , who had supplied the music lyrics, settled down in 1938 in the Swiss Confederation.
- Kirchfeld cameraman Ernst Mühlrad fled to Belgium , where he was arrested after the German Wehrmacht invaded in 1940 and deported to Auschwitz two years later .
- The unit manager Arthur Gottlein, on the other hand, managed to escape and fled to the Philippines .
- Producer Siegfried Lemberger did not survive the war; like Mühlrad in Auschwitz, he died a violent death in 1942.
The Vienna Boys' Choir sang as well as Das hehre Quartett des Schubert-Bund.
The pastor of Kirchfeld had already been made into silent films by the Fleck couple in 1913/14 (in Austria-Hungary) and 1926 (in Germany). In 1955 further film adaptations of the popular material followed, this time directed by Hans Deppe and Alfred Lehner ( The Girl from the Parsonage ).
Despite the anti-Semitic legislation that is now also in force in Hungary , The Pastor of Kirchfeld was performed there on November 30, 1939. The production was first shown in the United States a few months earlier, on April 21, 1939. As expected, the film was not allowed to be shown in the German Reich of Adolf Hitler ; the (federal) German premiere took place on May 19, 1950 in Konstanz .
Reviews
Paimann's film lists said: “The plot has a start with many passages. But then the force of the topic breaks through. Dialogues in good Austrian dialect. Jaray plays the pastor vigorously and convincingly, and all the others are naturally present. (...) Exterior shots (Salzkammergut) well worth seeing and suitable interiors, clean image and sound technology ”.
In the exhibition catalog of the Film Archive Austria 'Kino vor dem KZ. Film artists as victims of National Socialism 'it says: "The film, made with a minimal budget, is a remarkable example of the' resistance 'to the dictates of Nazi Germany."
Web links
- The pastor of the church field in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The pastor of Kirchfeld in filmportal.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ See also Kay Less : Between the stage and the barrack. Lexicon of Persecuted Theater, Film and Music Artists 1933-1945, p. 400. Berlin 2008.
- ↑ Kay Less : "In life, more is taken from you than given ...". Lexicon of filmmakers who emigrated from Germany and Austria between 1933 and 1945. A general overview. ACABUS Verlag, Hamburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86282-049-8 , pp. 172, 263, 387, 490, 578, 612.
- ↑ The pastor of Kirchfeld ( Memento of the original from December 28, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Paimann's film lists
- ^ Film Archive Austria (ed.): Cinema in front of the concentration camp. Film artists as victims of National Socialism (catalog). S. 80. Vienna 2003.
