The copper mountain
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The copper mountain |
| Original title | Hungry Hill |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1946 |
| length | 106 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Brian Desmond Hurst |
| script |
Terence Young Daphne du Maurier |
| production | William Sistrom |
| music | John Greenwood |
| camera | Desmond Dickinson |
| cut | Alan Jaggs |
| occupation | |
| |
The Copper Mountain is a 1946 British drama film about a three-generation family feud directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Margaret Lockwood , Dennis Price and Cecil Parker . The story is based on the novel “ Hungry Hill ” by Daphne du Maurier , published in 1943 , who also co-wrote the script.
action
The small town of Hungry Hill in the far southwest of Ireland is known for its large copper deposits. The wealthy “Copper” John Brodrick plans, much to the great annoyance of the local citizens, to promote the exploitation of a copper mine. Most people are angry because Brodrick wants to hire men from Cornwall as miners . Brodrick took this step to convince the reluctant local men to work for him after all. John's one son, called “Greyhound” John, who is related to the local Fanny Rosa, does not believe that anything his father can do to make him more popular with the population and leaves the area disaffected. Brodrick's other son Henry, on the other hand, defends the stubborn father's tough approach. Brodrick's greatest enemy is a rival family, the Donovans, who feel that Brodrick has betrayed their crucial piece of land. Accordingly, the Donovans are very clear in their warning to Brodrick to stay away from the disputed piece of land. “Copper” John doesn't let himself be deterred and opens the mine, whereupon the head of the Donovans, Morty Donovan, pronounces an eternal curse on him and his clan.
There are ongoing protests by the villagers, in which one of the protesters loses his life when he tries to acquire copper himself. Now there is no stopping them and the Hungry Hill people attack the hated Brodricks. Serious riots broke out and the conveyor system was attacked. Numerous people die in the process. One of the old man's sons, Henry Brodrick, also lost his life when the gunpowder needed for copper mining was blown up in the warehouse. Now begins a decades-long period of mutual hatred with the Brodricks and Donovans clans as eternal adversaries. There are repeated attacks and destruction in the conveyor systems. “Greyhound” John, who studied law in London, returns to Hungry Hill one day. His sister had reported to him that in the meantime “Greyhounds”, the love of Fanny Rosa, had also returned home. Another mine break-in now leads to the death of one of the Donovans. The curse uttered by Morty Donovan now seems to be turning against its trigger. For a total of three generations, this conflict has kept everyone in suspense ...
Production notes
The shooting of Hungry Hill , so the original title, began in September 1945 with the background recordings in the East Irish county Wicklow, the studio recordings were made in Denham since March 1946. The British premiere took place at the end of 1946, the London premiere was on January 7, 1947, the mass start on February 10, 1947. The German premiere took place on November 8, 1948.
Alex Vetchinsky designed the film structures, Eleanor Abbey designed the costumes. Muir Mathieson conducted the London Symphony Orchestra .
Irish-born artists Eileen Herlie , Siobhán McKenna and Dan O'Herlihy made their film debut here.
Reviews
The Movie & Video Guide identified a “capable cast” in this film.
Halliwell's Film Guide said this was "a pretty uninteresting costume melodrama".
The lexicon of the international film judges: “The dogged struggle of two Irish families in the 19th century over a copper mine causes hatred and death for three generations and ultimately leads to moral and social decline. A cumbersome, lengthy costume film. "
Individual evidence
- ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 611
- ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 491
- ↑ The Copper Mountain. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2020 .
Web links
- The Copper Mountain in the Internet Movie Database (English)