The Gypsy Baron (1954)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The gypsy baron |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1954 |
| length | 105 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Arthur Maria Rabenalt |
| script |
Curt Johannes Braun Ignaz Schnitzer (template) |
| production | Berolina-Film GmbH, Berlin ( Kurt Ulrich ) |
| music | Johann Strauss (son) |
| camera | Karl Schulz |
| cut | Margarete Steinborn |
| occupation | |
| |
The Gypsy Baron is a German fiction film by the director Arthur Maria Rabenalt from 1954. The leading roles were cast with Paul Hörbiger , Margit Saad and Gerhard Riedmann . Curt Johannes Braun wrote the script . It is very loosely based on the libretto for the operetta of the same name by Ignaz Schnitzer and the music by Johann Strauss (son) .
action
Sandor Barinkay returns home from exile. He is horrified to discover that the great estate of his ancestors is in a neglected state. But he hopes to be able to restore the old shine. His father explained to him that before he fled he had buried the Barinkay property - together with the Turkish army's war chest. The young gypsy girl Saffi admires the young man and helps him furnish the manor house. When all the gypsies gather in front of the campfire in the evening, they name Sandor their patron, the "gypsy baron".
But there is one person in town who is deprived of sleep by Sandor's presence, namely the newly rich pig farmer Kalman Zsupan. He used to be a simple swineherd in the service of the Barinkays and during their absence he made some foreign properties his own. In order to be able to keep this, he is now pursuing the plan to marry off his daughter Arsena to the newcomer; because then everything would stay in the family. To his chagrin, Arsena is in love with Zsupan's shy secretary Ottokar, but begins to doubt him when she meets Sandor. No sooner has Saffi seen through Zsupan's intentions than she proves - using a trick - to her secret lover that Arsena is still by Ottokar. Sandor was so impressed by this that he announced his engagement to Saffi at the next turbulent party. The engagement lasted only minutes, however; because shortly afterwards the couple is married by the oldest gypsy.
Finally, Sandor's father Ernö also arrives with the gypsies. As his son imagines his daughter, the old Barinkay stands at Saffis neck a medallion with old Turkish writing in the eye. Now he has to find out that the girl is the daughter of the last Turkish pasha in Hungary, so a real princess!
District commander Homonay suddenly appears on the Barinkay estate. He is accompanied by Count Carnero, a senior civil servant. The colonel accuses Sandor of being a Turkish spy and Carnero objects to his illegal marriage to Saffi. When the couple is declared arrested, Sandor unceremoniously shoots the chandelier from the ceiling and uses the resulting tumult to escape.
There is a lot of excitement in the city because Empress Maria Theresa arrives to visit. Her real concern, however, is to encourage her subjects to donate money for the upcoming war. Suddenly the young Barinkay enters the hall and donates a million ducats. For this he asks for Saffi's release. This wish is not only granted to him; the "gypsy baron" is ennobled to a real baron. Sandor and Saffi marry again, but this time properly, framed by a lavish party.
music
The following sung musical numbers from the operetta were used for the film:
- As a brisk spirit with the refrain Yes, all of this, on honor ' (performance song by Sandor Barinkay),
- Yes, writing and reading have never been my subject (Kalman Zsupan's performance song),
- O watch out, watch out for the children of the night! ( Saffi's aria )
-
Who trusted us? ( Duet Saffi-Sandor) In
addition, parts of the overture can be heard during the opening credits. There are also some instrumental numbers that were danced by the ballet of the National Theater Belgrade. Bert Grund directed the film orchestra and the choir of the Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk ( NWDR ).
Production notes
The production company "Berolina" made the film in two versions: German and French. In the latter, the French singer-actor Georges Guétary played the role of Sandor Barinkay . The exterior shots were taken in Yugoslavia ( Belgrade , Sremski Karlovci , Lake Palić , Sarajevo ), the interior shots in the Avala studios in Belgrade and in the Berlin-Tempelhof studio. The buildings were designed by the film architects Willi A. Herrmann , Heinrich Weidemann , Peter Schlewski and Paul Markwitz . Herbert Ploberger contributed the costumes. Kurt Ulrich , Heinz Willeg and Karl Mitschke took over the production management.
Waltraud Haas, who was supposed to ride into the real fortress of Belgrade on the narrow footbridge in a specially registered role as Empress Maria Theresa and smile at the camera, initially failed because the horse, a police stallion, was not used to a side saddle . With another horse used to saddles, the complicated scene succeeded.
The film premiered on August 31, 1954 in Stuttgart . The French version first ran in January 1955 during the Punta del Este International Film Festival, Uruguay, and the French premiere was on February 18, 1955 in Paris .
criticism
The lexicon of international films describes the strip as a remake of Strauss's operetta with time-related allusions: Love, Jealousy, "Gypsy Music" in Austria-Hungary Maria Theresa.
source
Program for the film: Illustrierte Film-Bühne , Verlag FILM-BÜHNE GmbH, Munich, number 2457
Web links
- The Gypsy Baron in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The gypsy baron at filmportal.de