The happy wanderer (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The happy wanderer |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1955 |
| length | 100 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Hans Quest |
| script | Juliane Kay |
| production | Berolina Film GmbH, Berlin ( Kurt Ulrich ) |
| music | Norbert Schultze |
| camera | Kurt Schulz |
| cut | Hermann Leitner |
| occupation | |
| |
The Happy Wanderer is a German Heimatfilm by Hans Quest from 1955. Rudolf Schock can be seen in the title role, leading roles are occupied by Waltraut Haas , Elma Karlowa , Willy Fritsch , Paul Hörbiger , Gunther Philipp and Helen Vita . The movie poster of the time promised a great color film “about love, music and home”.
action
Axel Wendt works in a small town as director of the children's choir and occasionally composes. He has long tried to finish his song My father was a wanderer , but he can only write when he is sad. He has no reason to do so, as he feels drawn to teacher Toni Peters and loves his work. His friend Heini Krops knows how well Axel can sing and tries to advertise his talent everywhere. One day the famous chamber singer Rita Mehling appears in the small town to get away from the hectic everyday life of singing. Heini brings her together with Axel and they both become a couple. In the end, Axel goes to the big city with Rita and Toni remains sad. Only the teacher Kurt Henner, who succeeds Axel as choir director, is relieved because he has loved Toni for a long time.
Axel is allowed to audition in town, but is very nervous. He is hired despite poor performance, because the opera director would grant his star Rita every wish. Axel is studying diligently by attending rehearsals and taking singing lessons. In addition to the whispering in the city, because Rita wants to develop a lover into a great singer after every vacation and usually fails, Axel is also depressed by his health. He sees worse and worse and the ophthalmologist finally notices a clouding of the vitreous humor, which cannot be cured with medication. Axel is depressed and in this state finishes the song My father was a wanderer , which he sends to Toni. The children's choir is rehearsing it, as it is to be performed publicly for the first time at the small town's 1000th anniversary.
In a performance of the opera Rigoletto , the singer of the main role is canceled after the second act because of flu. Since the second tenor is not present either, Axel has to step in without further ado. Although his eye problems plague him, he manages the performance flawlessly and the audience goes wild with enthusiasm. The newspapers are full of praise and Axel is considered the new star. However, he is depressed because Rita no longer loves him. Lost in his thoughts, he crosses a street and is hit by an omnibus. His minor injuries are being treated in the hospital, but Axel refuses an operation for his eye disease. It is Rita who convinces him to take the risk of the previously untested operation.
In fact, the operation is successful and Axel can see clearly again. However, he has to cancel a career at Rita's side, as any great excitement and bright light would jeopardize the success of the operation. Axel returns to his small town, where Toni marries Kurt the next day. Axel sings with the children's choir at their wedding because he has accepted that he came back too late. At the request of his former choir children, he is employed again as a choir director and travels with the children to metropolises around the world. In London, the fairy tale singers under Axel's direction even won first prize with the song My father was a wanderer .
Production, publication
The happy wanderer was created in the Ufa film studios Berlin-Tempelhof with exterior shots from Berlin as well as from Forchheim and Franconian Switzerland . Many exterior shots were shot in Bamberg , especially against the backdrop of the Old Town Hall . The film structures come from Hanns H. Kuhnert , Peter Schlewski and Hans Luigi .
In the film, whose title was created using the song of the same name by Friedrich Wilhelm Möller, numerous folk songs are sung , primarily by Rudolf Schock and the Schaumburg fairy tale singers . The Egon Kaiser Orchestra plays . You can hear the songs The merry wanderer , my father was a wanderer , stars, dear stars , Become mine (you are the woman of my dreams) , the old song as well as a furtive tear and Oh how so deceptive are women hearts from Rigoletto .
According to the doorbell in the film, Rita's surname is “Melling”, but according to the opening credits the spelling is “Mehling”.
The film premiered on September 22, 1955 in the Düsseldorf Residenz Theater . It was published in Belgium in December 1955, in Austria in January 1956, in France in July 1956 and in Denmark in November 1956. In Ireland it was first seen in May 1957 under the international title The Happy Wanderer .
Alive released the film on October 30, 2015 as part of the "Jewels of Film History" series on DVD. The critic Falk Schwarz found that one had to ask the company "which is now releasing this film on DVD", "why such cinematic nonsense has to be reissued". “Rudi Schock” can be “heard on records. The rich [e.] "
criticism
For the film service , The Happy Wanderer was an “undemanding home film with folk music.” Cinema called the film a “Schmonzette” and “embarrassing”.
Falk Schwarz asked the question on filmportal.de what “test recordings are actually made for” and gave the answer “so that the film team could assess” “whether someone meets the minimum requirements for acting talent” and “whether his face is Gang photogenic enough ”. Schwarz came to the conclusion that this film saved himself the need to take pictures, "otherwise you would have known: the shock can sing, but not act". So “he is presented here as someone who does not have the slightest talent to be the character in the film. Shock is standing around. When he suffers, you can't tell by looking at him, when he's courting, especially not when he has to show sadness, he doesn't get the smile off his cheeks. Severe shock - how is that possible? Then the film uses the construction kit of the Heimatfilm construct (noted by Juliane Kay): first the talent is discovered, then he goes to the stage, then he gets an eye problem (which of course passes quickly), then he is cheered, then comes however, he ruefully returns to his hometown (the pull of regression) - but - and this film breaks the rule there - he doesn't get his Waltraut (Haas). Old Fritsch snatched it from him ”.
Web links
- The Happy Wanderer in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The happy wanderer at filmportal.de
- The happy wanderer Fig. Title page Illustrierte Film-Bühne No. 2953 on the page liederlexikon.de
- The happy wanderer Fig. Title page Illustrierter Film-Kurier (in the picture: Rudolf Schock, Elma Karlowa)
- The happy wanderer full film on the page ingutesdeutsch.web.tv
Individual evidence
- ↑ The happy wanderer, see page rarefilmsandmore.com (English; including film poster).
- ^ Alfred Bauer: German feature film Almanach. Volume 2: 1946-1955 , pp. 507 f.
- ↑ The happy wanderer see page liederlexikon.de.
- ↑ The happy wanderer Fig. DVD case film jewels.
- ↑ a b Falk Schwarz: The happy wanderer see page filmportal.de, review of October 2, 2015. Retrieved on April 4, 2020.
- ↑ The happy wanderer. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ The happy wanderer See cinema.de. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
