The Schimmelreiter (1978)

Movie
Original title	The Pale Rider
Country of production	Germany
original language	German
Publishing year	1978
length	96 minutes
Age rating	FSK 6
Rod
Director	Alfred Weidenmann
script	Georg Althammer; Alfred Weidenmann
production	Alf Teichs for "Schimmelreiter" Albis Film (Hamburg), Studio Film (Bendestorf) and ZDF (Mainz)
music	Hans-Martin Majewski
camera	Heinz Hölscher
cut	Klaus Dudenhöfer
occupation
	John Phillip Law : Deichgraf Hauke Haien; Gert Fröbe : Tede Volkerts, the old dikemaster; Anita Ekström : Elke, his daughter; Dirk Galuba : Foreman Ole Peters; Vera Chekhova: Vollina Harders; Reinhard Kolldehoff : Jess Harders; Lina Carstens : Trin Jans; Werner Hinz : Official from Husum; Richard Lauffen : Jewe Manners; Volker Bogdan : Iven Johns; Katharina Mayberg : maid Ann Grete; Jörg Pleva; Detlev Eckstein; Gerda Gmelin; Friedrich Hartau; Rainer Delventhal; Bettina Dörner; Elmar Gehlen; Peter Kuiper; Wolfried Lier; Henry Simmons;

Der Schimmelreiter is a German film adaptation of Theodor Storm 's novella of the same name from 1978 by Alfred Weidenmann . The American actor John Phillip Law played the title hero Hauke Haien.

action

Hauke Haien is an ambitious and determined young man with big goals. He marries the pretty, blonde daughter of the old dikemaster Tede Volkerts, who inadvertently made him his successor. When the old man dies, Hauke confidently takes over his inheritance and immediately develops lofty plans. He is planning to build a dike the likes of which has never been seen before. It should be high and powerful and protect the people living behind it from the roaring North Sea floods forever. He wants to achieve this by constructing the new dyke in such a way that it slopes less steeply towards the lake than before. But his bold and ingenious plans are not met with approval, let alone enthusiasm.

Hauke's thirst for action alienates the inflexible Frisians of the village, whose indolence is their greatest lack of character. They are inspired by all sorts of superstitions, speculate that sharks must be in league with the devil. When the young dikemaster acquires a rickety white horse, which he cherishes and tends and nurtures to a noble and proud horse, the simple-minded villagers finally turn away from him. Unfortunately for him, his wife Elke gives birth to a mentally handicapped daughter. Several incidents, interpreted as gloomy omen, give rise to the rumor that a terrible disaster is about to happen for the entire community. One day in October a heavy storm breaks out, lashing the high waves violently against the dike. The dikemaster swings on his white horse and rides to the endangered dike. Then the catastrophe falls on him and his family: The old dam breaks, and Hauke has to watch as his wife and child drown in the floods. Thereupon he also rides his horse into the wet, roaring death.

production

This house near Ockholm served as a film set

The film was in Schleswig-Holstein (exteriors including in Wewelsfleth , Dithmarschen and Ockholm in North Frisia ) and in Bendestorf turned (studio) in only 41 days (September 20 to November 5 1977) and on 29 March 1978 Husum premiered .

For a number of those involved in this production, Der Schimmelreiter meant the farewell performance from the cinema: director Weidenmann, producer (overall director) Alf Teichs , the actors Lina Carstens , Werner Hinz and Teichs wife Katharina Mayberg as well as set designer Roman Weyl .

ZDF editor Martin Büttner (cinema magazine “Neues vom Film”) took over the editing for the station involved in the production of the film.

Curt Oertel and Hans Deppe had filmed the material as early as 1933 . The title role was played by Mathias Wieman .

criticism

The Lexicon of the International Film wrote: "A film routinely staged with atmospheric landscape shots, in which the social conflict recedes in favor of the tragic love story, which Weidenmann [...] plays out widely."

The film's large personal lexicon called Weidenmann's work a “bland film adaptation” and, moreover, felt it was “too routinely staged”.

Web links

The Ghost Rider in the Internet Movie Database (English)
The Schimmelreiter at filmportal.de
Schimmelreiter film adaptations at a glance

Individual evidence

↑ Klaus Brüne (Red.): Lexikon des Films Volume 7, p. 3267. Reinbek near Hamburg 1987
↑ Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 8: T - Z. David Tomlinson - Theo Zwierski. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 301.
↑ Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 4: H - L. Botho Höfer - Richard Lester. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 620.

[1] Klaus Brüne (Red.): Lexikon des Films Volume 7, p. 3267. Reinbek near Hamburg 1987

[2] Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 8: T - Z. David Tomlinson - Theo Zwierski. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 301.

[3] Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 4: H - L. Botho Höfer - Richard Lester. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 620.