The Son of Hagar (film)

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Movie
Original title The son of Hagar
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 1927
length 107 minutes
Rod
Director Fritz Wendhausen
script Hans Kyser
production Karl friend
music Gustav Gold
camera Theodor Sparkuhl
Günther Krampf
Robert Baberske
occupation

The son of Hagar is a 1926 German silent film melodrama by Fritz Wendhausen with Mady Christians and Werner Fuetterer in the leading roles. The story is based on the Silesian homeland novel of the same name (1907) by Paul Keller .

action

In the Silesian town of Teichau, at the turn of the century. One day four traveling musicians appear there and run into the doctor and chief officer Dr. Friedlieb, who in his social welfare wants to persuade the begging musicians to settle here. Friedlieb even ensures that each of them finds a job. One of them, the youngest by the name of Robert Hellmich, tells the doctor the reason why he once ended up on the street and has since been making his living wandering around: his birth mother Martha Hellmich died bleeding to death in a field when he was born and the one he did not know Father never cared about him. The innkeeper who was also present, old Hartmann, immediately suspected that only he could be Roberts' producer, who profoundly hates his unknown father. Hartmann had abandoned Martha for purely economic reasons and married a wealthy woman, Anna Hartmann, in her place. The children Berthold and Christine emerged from this connection. For fear of having to face his own shabby behavior of yore, Hartmann refuses Friedlieb's request to accept Robert as a servant. The old servant Gottlieb Peukert knows about Hartmann's dark secret and threatens the innkeeper to tell Robert everything if he doesn't at least do something for the boy and get him off the street.

Christine Hartmann soon learns that Robert Hellmich is her half-brother, but keeps the secret to herself. She also demands from her father to stand up for Robert. Anna Hartmann, on the other hand, is strictly against accommodating the young man, who is completely strange to her, at home and cannot understand her daughter's commitment to Robert at all. Christine is particularly courteous towards Robert, whereupon the latter mistakenly believes that the girl is in love with him. However, he only has eyes for Lore, old Hartmann's parentless niece, who also lives under his roof. She is an extraordinarily adorable person, but despite Robert's efforts, she doesn't want to commit so early. However, through a rash misstep, Lore becomes pregnant; however, the child's father has no intention of marrying the girl. Hartmann, who recognizes a parallel to his own behavior in the past, now absolutely wants to couple Robert with Lore and is also ready to make a lot of money for it. But Hartmann's wife blocks herself again and chases the pregnant truck out of her house. For the sake of Lore, who has become very important to him, Robert accompanies the girl into town and talks to the child's father, who is not a bad guy in itself. He hands him Hartmann's money to enable the two of them to make a living as a married couple.

When old Hartmann suffers a stroke and Robert's great support Lore is gone, Robert has very little joy under Anna's rule. Although she doesn't love him, Christine lets himself in on Dr. Friedlieb, not least to make it clear to Robert that she didn't love him. Friedlieb, in turn, is very much in love with Christine, but does not want to admit his feelings, probably because of the considerable age difference. After some back and forth, the two marry, and Robert loses Christine, his last advocate in the Hartmann family. Anna and her son Berthold now make Robert's life hell. Robert finally learns by chance that he is old Hartmann's son, and now many of the old man's actions become clear to him. On the one hand, he is grateful to the old man, on the other hand, he has long harbored hatred of the man who once abandoned his pregnant mother. Robert reads that passage from the First Book of Moses in the Bible with his grandparents Hellmich, which tells of Abraham and Hagar, who was cast out by him, together with his son Ishmael. Deeply touched by the Old Testament parable that applies to him, Robert wants to leave the Hartmann house, where there was no law or justice for him, only alms. After a final dispute with Mrs. Hartmann, Robert leaves the property and also Teichau.

Robert's former musician buddies, the old begging musicians, have long since moved on. When Robert catches up with them, they see that Robert has completely changed. After a short time he separates from them again and tries to make ends meet as a factory worker in the city. Robert's soul is full of anger, hatred and inner strife, which soon affects his health. He gets sick with his lungs and has to go to the hospital. There he overhears a conversation between the doctors, from which he understands that he only has a short life left. Robert decides to visit Lore one last time. At this meeting he learns that she did not love her current husband, but only Robert. For Robert, it's time to clean things up in his life. Marked by death, he goes to Teichau one last time to make up with old Hartmann, his father. However, he no longer reaches the houses of the village, but collapses on the outskirts of the village after a hemorrhage - and looks like his mother once bleeding to death in a field in the face. Jesus Christ appears to the dying in a vision and promises him a comforting eternity in the kingdom of heaven.

Production notes

Hagar's son was made in November and December 1926 in the Staaken film studios. The film passed the censorship on February 28, 1927 and was premiered on March 24, 1927 in Berlin's Mozart Hall. The film had eight acts, spread over 2,693 meters, and was released for young people. The son of Hagar received the title “popular education”.

Erich Kettelhut and Karl Vollbrecht designed the film structures, Karl Freund , who usually works as a cameraman , was a producer here on behalf of Deutsche Fox-Defa, a German-American consortium of companies.

criticism

In the September 9, 1927 issue of the Neue Freie Presse it was said: “Essentially, this 'son of Hagar' is a good German and - good film. (...) Fritz Valk ... as the old Hartmann puts on a splendid character study [the] legs, which in its broad gauge like gnarled roots seem to dig into the soil of the clod. (...) Direction and technology very imaginative and very clean. Just a trifle, with all due respect: Was it absolutely necessary to build the, albeit not large, scene in which lovers are sitting on the picturesque hillside in the studio? The gray-white, very space-saving cardboard ceiling is quite annoying. "

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "The Son of Hagar". In:  Neue Freie Presse , September 9, 1927, p. 16 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / nfp

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