The great waltz (1938)

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Movie
German title The great waltz
Original title The Great Waltz
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1938
length 107 minutes
Rod
Director Julien Duvivier
script Samuel Hoffenstein
Walter Reisch
production Bernard H. Hyman
for Metro Goldwyn Mayer
music Dimitri Tiomkin
camera Joseph Ruttenberg
cut Tom hero
occupation

The great waltz (OT: The Great Waltz ) is a fictional film biography about Johann Strauss (son) from 1938 with Luise Rainer and Fernand Gravet in the leading roles. Julien Duvivier is named as a director in the credit, although it is unclear which scenes were actually realized by him. Much of the film was shot by Josef von Sternberg and Victor Fleming .

action

Johann Strauss, son of the well-known waltz composer of the same name, works in a bank at the beginning of his illustrious career. One day he'll be fired because he thinks too much about the music and too little about the customers at the counter. His girlfriend Poldi Vogelhuber, the lovely daughter of the bank director, supports Johann in his endeavors to become a musician. The road to success is rocky, but with Poldi, now as a wife, at his side, Johann Strauss's fame is growing. But only with the soprano Carla Donner do the melodies convince the masses. Soon Johann can no longer resist Carla's charms. Poldi sits at home alone and endures her fate as a betrayed wife with stoic composure. Her willingness to make sacrifices is so great that she wants to consent to the divorce just so that Johann will be happy. Carla is not ready to build her own happiness on the misfortune of another and renounces the continuation of the relationship. Johann and Poldi are happy again.

background

Louis B. Mayer , studio manager of MGM , was an enthusiastic lover of the music of Johann Strauss (son) . So it was not surprising that in mid-1935 the first plans were made to bring the life of the well-known composer onto the screen. Like many productions from the time, casting the main roles was difficult. First Nelson Eddy was supposed to play the composer, then names like Brian Aherne , Fredric March and Francis Lederer were in discussion before the choice finally fell on the Belgian Fernand Gravet . The main female role fell to Luise Rainer , who can be seen here again as a long-suffering wife. Miliza Korjus was a personal discovery by Louis B. Mayer, who saw in her a potential successor and rival to Jeanette MacDonald . The film made Korjus big, but a serious accident shortly after the premiere prevented a further career for the soprano.

Theatrical release

The cost of production was $ 2,260,000, which was well above the average budget for an MGM film. At the box office, The Great Waltz fell short of expectations. In the United States, box office earnings were $ 918,000, with a further $ 1,504,000 coming from foreign markets. In the end, the studio realized a very large loss of $ 724,000 despite a total gross profit of $ 2,422,000.

music

The film's soundtrack consists exclusively of works by Johann Strauss (son). The most famous pieces are:

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1939 the film won in the category:

  • Best camera

He received two other nominations in the categories:

  • Best Supporting Actress - Miliza Korjus
  • Best cut

criticism

The New York Times found the film opulent and beautiful to watch, but empty and boring in content. MGM has the dubious talent of turning a thimble of screenplay into large-scale productions. ("A stupendous show. Stunning, opulent and melodious. All of which does not prevent it from being a bit of a bore. Metro, of course, makes the most beautiful bores in the world. [...] No other studio can make so big a picture out of so small a script. ")

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