The long way to Cardiff
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The long way to Cardiff |
| Original title | The Long Voyage Home |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1940 |
| length | 105 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | John Ford |
| script | Dudley Nichols |
| production | Walter Wanger |
| music | Richard Hageman |
| camera | Gregg Toland |
| cut | Sherman Todd |
| occupation | |
| |
The Long Road to Cardiff (original title: The Long Voyage Home ) is an American war film directed by John Ford from 1940. The screenplay is based on various plays by Eugene O'Neill . The film was released in German cinemas on January 24, 1964 in a version shortened by twelve minutes. Even before the cinema premiere, it was broadcast on German television ( ZDF ) on June 18, 1962 .
action
The merchant freighter Glencain is en route from the West Indies to Ireland via Baltimore . Ammunition is on board, which makes the ship a potential target and thus a suicide mission. When a heavy storm hits the ship, the sailors get scared, especially when the sailor Yank is thrown onto the deck by a wave and dies.
When land comes into view, the lonely Smitty is suspected of sending signals to the Germans. But the sailors find out that Smitty has withdrawn out of shame about his alcohol addiction. When he confessed his addiction to his comrades, he feels liberated and on arrival at the port wants to return to the wife and child he left immediately. But at that very moment a German plane attacks the ship. Smitty is killed in the attack.
Finally safe in the harbor, the sailors want to persuade their comrade Ole to travel to Sweden to his old mother. But when Ole leaves the ship, he is pressed to serve on the Amindra . He is freed by Driscoll and other comrades. Ole can travel to Sweden, but Driscoll was captured in the action and must now take Ole's place aboard the Amindra . Back on the Glencairn , the shipmates receive news that the Amindra has been torpedoed and sunk. Driscoll is among the dead.
background
John Wayne, who plays a Swedish sailor, had to take language lessons to get the Swedish accent right. After classes with the actress Osa Massen , John Ford was satisfied. He didn't notice, however, that Wayne had learned a Danish accent.
Mildred Natwick made her film debut here. Dan Borzage, the brother of the then famous director Frank Borzage, played a supporting role . Thomas Mitchell won an Oscar in 1940 in the John-Ford Western Ringo . For the same film, composer Richard Hageman was also awarded, while cinematographer Gregg Toland won the Oscar for Stormy Heights by William Wyler in the same year .
1936 Oscar-winning screenwriter Dudley Nichols had to put together four one-act plays by Eugene O'Neill that were written at the time of the First World War. The titles of the pieces: The Moon of the Caribees , In the Zone , Bound East for Cardiff and The Long Voyage Home .
Reviews
The central theme of the film is “the attack by German planes as the ship approaches the port of Cardiff”, according to the lexicon of the international film . However, the director was more concerned with "the artistic [e] atmospheric portrayal" than with the "behavior of people and their motivations". The conclusion was nevertheless: “Not without significance in terms of film history.” Cinema praised the appearance of the film: “Cameraman Gregg Toland was a certain (Oscar) favorite, whose breathtaking photography helped the film to achieve its perfection.” For Prisma , the film was “ a tremendously gripping description of the fate of sailors ”. "[T] he claustrophobic atmosphere on board the ship [...] master director John Ford was particularly successful".
Awards
- Nomination in the Best Film category
- Nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay goes to Dudley Nichols
- Nomination in the category Best Score to Richard Hageman
- Nomination in the category Best Black and White Camera for Gregg Toland
- Nomination for Best Editing for Sherman Todd
- Nomination for Best Visual Effects to Ray Binger, RT Layton and Thomas T. Moulton
New York Film Critics Circle Awards 1940
- NYFCC Award for Best Director for John Ford
The German Film and Media Assessment FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the rating particularly valuable.
Web links
- The Long Voyage Home in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Criticism in Variety (English)
- Review of the TimeOut Film Guide (English)
- Criticism of Channel 4 (English)
- Review by Bosley Crowther in the New York Times (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ See imdb.com
- ↑ The Long Road to Cardiff. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ See cinema.de
- ↑ See prisma.de