The burning field

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Movie
Original title The burning field
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 1922
length 100 minutes
Rod
Director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau
script Willy Haas ,
Thea von Harbou ,
Arthur Rosen
music Alexander Schirmann
camera Fritz Arno Wagner ,
Karl Freund
occupation

The Burning Acker is a German film drama by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau from 1922. The silent film that has been viraged is divided into six acts.

action

When the old farmer Rog dies, his son Johannes, coming from the city, does not make it to his deathbed in time. After Rog's death, his other son Peter takes over the farm, Johannes, who does not consider himself suitable for work in the country, becomes the secretary of Count Rudenburg. Johannes is interested in his daughter Gerda, who brokered the job for him, but when he learns that a petroleum source is suspected to be under the "Teufelsacker" - a barren piece of land that Rudenburg bequeathed to his second wife Helga in his will he himself this too. Out of desperation, Gerda marries her unloved admirer Lellewel, Johannes is married to Helga after the Count's death.

Johannes found what he was looking for in the field - it is worth millions - and tries to get loans in town for the exploitation of the petroleum source. Meanwhile, Helga wants to sell the barren field, since this one Johannes needs all of his attention. For her sake, her brother-in-law Peter takes over the land for 12,000 marks; at the same time, Johannes is also successful with his loan agreement. When Johannes found out about the sale he was beside himself and confessed to Helga that he had never loved her, but only married because of the field. Helga can get Peter to withdraw from the contract and walks across the snow-covered field, where she drowns herself in a nearby stream. The body is found by a coachman and taken to the village.

Test drillings have started in the field without Johannes taking any special interest. Gerda tries to win him back, but she was only interesting for him because of his career. She then sets a derrick on fire and dies.

Johannes also always loved the peasant girl Maria. She took a job as a maid with Peter on the Roghof to be close to Johannes' birthplace - she was also turned away by Johannes when he thought he was something better than the farmers. Johannes goes to his brother in his father's house, where Maria, who proposed marriage to Peter in vain, confesses her love for him. He fends off her and Peter's concession with the words “I'm not worth it”, but ultimately remains in his old room, which Maria had lovingly prepared every day.

Remarks

The world premiere of The Burning Acker took place on March 9, 1922. The buildings in the film were made by Rochus Gliese .

The film was considered lost until a nearly complete copy was found in the collection of an Italian pastor in 1978. The pastor had regularly shown old films in psychiatric hospitals.

literature

  • Christiane Mückenberger: The burning field. In Günther Dahlke, Günter Karl (ed.): German feature films from the beginning to 1933. A film guide. 2nd Edition. Henschel-Verlag, Berlin 1993, ISBN 3-89487-009-5 , pp. 73 f.

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