The green emperor
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The green emperor |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1939 |
| length | 88 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Paul Mundorf |
| script |
Frank Thieß Géza from Cziffra |
| production | Karl Schulz |
| music | Hans Ebert |
| camera | Willy Winterstein |
| cut | Axel von Werner |
| occupation | |
| |
Der Grüne Kaiser is a German adventure film made in 1938 by theater director Paul Mundorf , whose only foray into the film business was to remain this. Gustav Diessl and René Deltgen play the main roles. The story is based on a novel (1935) by Hans Medin .
action
The South American fazendero (large landowner) Henry Miller is a fairly unscrupulous contemporary. He, who is known as the “green emperor” because of his vast land holdings in the Brazilian jungle, has fallen in love with Joana Martinez, whom he met at home, and is determined to relax her fiancé, the aviator Jan Karsten. Via Joana, he offers him an offer that he cannot refuse by sending the talented pilot to Europe with a letter of recommendation to a certain Hendrik Mylius. This Mylius is actually none other than Miller himself, of which neither Joana nor Jan suspect anything. When the aviator introduces himself to Mylius in the distance, he logically does not recognize him as Henry Miller, who is unknown to him. Miller pretends to be very interested in Karsten working exclusively for him from now on, that is: he should become Mylius' house pilot. Karsten accepts, beaming with joy, the good salary is more than just tempting for him.
Soon Mylius gets into payment difficulties because his bank lenders make demands on him that he can no longer pay. Mylius / Miller decides to kill two birds with one stone: He wants to go into hiding to avoid the financial problems, but on the other hand also to get rid of Karsten so that Joana can now be to himself. Miller develops a diabolical plan: he boards his plane with Jan to be flown to London. Since a storm occurs during the flight, Mylius makes a stopover. At that moment, allegedly as a target practice for seagulls, he used his revolver and fired two shots. Then the plane takes off again. When Karsten arrives in London, Mylius is no longer on board, but the revolver, with two cartridges missing in the barrel. Mylius remains missing, and the police assume that the pilot must have murdered his boss. There is a trial in which Karsten is sentenced to three years in prison.
Meanwhile, Mylius returns to Brazil and becomes "green emperor" Henry Miller again. Now he has a free run with Joana, who, after her letters to Jan went unanswered, agrees to marry Miller, who is courting her. But he shows more and more changes in his increasingly loveless being, which frighten Joana. Released again, several bankers betrayed by Mylius contact Karsten and instruct him to track down the financial fraudster Mylius. It is believed that the Brazilian landowner Henry Miller might have something to do with Mylius and his frauds. Jan finds out that Miller and his wife are currently anchored off Nice with their yacht and enters the ship. Mylius / Miller is not present, so Jan can talk to Joana. Suddenly the "green emperor" appears and both men recognize each other immediately. A physical attack ensues in which Miller pulls out his revolver and shoots. In this scramble, the villain meets himself and dies. Karsten is brought to justice again, but despite all the best efforts on the part of the public prosecutor, Jan is acquitted this time: He cannot be convicted twice for the same crime, namely the murder of Hendrik Mylius alias Henry Miller. He and Joana can now begin a future together.
Production notes
The shooting of The Green Emperor began on August 31, 1938 and ended in October of the same year. The premiere took place on February 13, 1939 in Vienna. The Berlin premiere was on February 28, 1939 in the Tauentzienpalast .
The production costs amounted to a moderate 541,000 Reichsmarks.
Producer Karl Schulz also took over the manufacturing and production management. The film constructions come from Erich Kettelhut . The music texts for Hans Ebert's composition were provided by Bruno Balz .
Reviews
The criticism found few friendly words for Mundorf's singular excursion into the world of cinematography.
Mundorf and von Cziffra “created one of the strips that served or should serve 'usual film entertainment'. The film brought "an unlikely amount of improbability," joked the viewing. (...) The director didn't seem to attach the greatest importance to the criminalistic tension either. Gustav Dießl as the international grand slide, René Deltgen, who twice had to sit innocently in the dock for manslaughter, and Carola Höhn (with the bathtub scene mocked not only in Germany, in which she showed 'something illegal') were the pillars of this kitschy film . "
Already at the premiere in 1939, the Film-Kurier criticized : "However, in the major changes made by Geza von Cziffra's script adaptation, the novel by Hans Medins has lost much of its original charm in psychological terms."
The film service judged: "Confused adventure and crime film with a tear-inducing love story and a gentle thrill."
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ulrich J. Klaus: Deutsche Tonfilme, 10th year 1939. P. 80 (38.39), Berlin 1999
- ^ Boguslaw Drewniak: The German Film 1938-1945 . A complete overview. Düsseldorf 1987, p. 518 f.
- ↑ ibid., P. 519
- ↑ The green emperor. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed December 25, 2019 .
See also
Web links
- The Green Emperor in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The green emperor at filmportal.de