The last fall

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Movie
German title The last fall
Original title The Rake's Progress
Country of production United Kingdom
original language English
Publishing year 1945
length 105 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Sidney Gilliat
script Frank Launder
Sidney Gilliat based
on a story by Val Valentine
production Frank Launder
Sidney Gilliat
music William Alwyn
camera Wilkie Cooper
cut Thelma Connell
occupation

The Fall of Man is a 1945 British melodrama directed by Sidney Gilliat, starring Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer .

Here, like back then in real life, is a married couple: Lilli Palmer and Rex Harrison

action

Second world war . Two British armored vehicles suddenly get caught in heavy enemy fire. One of them is badly damaged. The other continues his journey and comes to an undamaged bridge. The order is to stop shortly before the bridge. But the tank commander decides that the situation is safe enough to cross this bridge. Appearance was deceptive. Shortly thereafter, a newspaper read that the former bon vivant Vivian Kenway has been missing since his last assignment at the front.

Flashback. The young Vivian Kenway from the best upper class circles attends Eton, the noble college of the British elite. The boy soon grows up to be a good-looking bon vivant and bon vivant who, given his origins, seems to have a bright future ahead of him. But Vivian also shows all the negative sides of snobby upper-class youngsters who have always had it easy in life: In many ways he lacks the necessary seriousness, and he prefers to spend his time with jokes and parties, champagne and women. Soon he does it so mad that Vivian is expelled from the prestigious Oxford University, where he has studied since 1931. When he returns to his parents' house, Vivian's father has. Colonel Kenway, has just reclaimed his seat for the Tories in the House of Commons. The Colonel wants his filius, who is threatened to be depraved, to finally understand the seriousness of life and therefore sends Vivian to South America, where he is supposed to prove himself on a coffee plantation. Vivian befriends the scientist Bromhead on site, who has developed a method to increase production at no additional cost. But neither boss is interested in it, as he keeps the price of coffee high by reducing production and destroying any surplus. Bromhead is fired, and Vivian leaves the plantation shortly afterwards, realizing that the coffee business is not for him.

Kenway returns to London to speak to his father, aunt and uncle about his future. He admits he doesn't know what to do. But still he refuses to be pushed into a profession that is chosen for him. His aunt threatens to cut financial support, but Vivian can still withdraw money from his uncle George's estate. As a result, he lives life to the fullest, a light-hearted playboy with no real life goal. Soon he has earned the reputation of a heavy hitter. Vivian doesn't even stop at his best friend Sandy, because after dinner together, Vivian seduces his wife Jill, once his old flame. She frankly admits that she only married Sandy for his money. Sandy finds out about this affair and divorces Jill. When he meets Vivian in a department store, there is a heated argument between the two opponents. A little later, the two fighting cocks bury the hatchet again in a pub. Sandy says he will likely take Jill back while Vivian plans to seek his fortune in motorsport from now on. His new career was promising at first, but the Austrian Grand Prix was canceled due to the Hitler-Mussolini pact and he eventually ran out of money in Vienna. On suspicion of being unable to pay his bills, the hotel manager prevents him from leaving the house until it is clear whether his checks are in good standing.

Having reached the bottom morally, Vivian meets the young Rikki Krausner in Austria, who has fallen in love with him, she says. Rikki plays, not entirely dissimilar to Vivian, not with open cards. In fact, she is a wealthy Jewish heir who is urgently looking for a presentable foreign husband to get her out of Austria, as Hitler is already ante portas and anti-Semitism has also found its way into Austria. If Vivian marries her, Rikki promises, her father will pay all his outstanding debts. After some hesitation, Vivian accepts the offer. The couple goes to London to have their marriage there. Here Rikki discovers that Vivian lied to her when he claimed that his debts were three times what they actually were. Kenway invested the excess money in a completely senseless way. Vivian is just as shocked to learn that his wife's father has no more money. Rikki sells her wedding ring to pay bills. Her husband is ashamed of Rikki's altruism and apologizes to her. The couple visits Colonel Kenway in Cornwall, where Vivian begins an affair with Jennifer Calthrop. When Rikki finds out, she tries to drown herself but is saved. Plagued by remorse, Vivian begins to drink. There is a serious car accident in which Vivian's father dies. Rikki no longer sees any hope of being able to change her husband and is divorced from him. Vivian sells everything he still owns and tries to get by as a vacuum cleaner salesman with a part-time job as a dance hall gigolo. When Vivian realizes that he is part of a dying human species, he vows to make something of his life in the future, and he joins the army. After a remarkable career, the officer dies in action and is celebrated as a war hero. The reputation of the once-for-no good is thus restored.

Production notes

The Last Fall celebrated its premiere in London on December 6, 1945. The mass start was New Year's Eve of the same year. The German premiere took place on January 8, 1952. The film was first broadcast on German television on September 11, 1965 on ARD .

David Rawnsley and Norman G. Arnold designed the film set, assisted by Don Chaffey . Jack Asher served chief cinematographer Wilkie Cooper as a simple cinematographer. Muir Mathieson conducted the National Symphony Orchestra .

synchronization

role actor Voice actor
Vivian Kenway Rex Harrison Ernst von Klipstein
Rikki Krausner Lilli Palmer Eva Maria Bauer
Colonel Kenway Godfrey Tearle Heinz Suchantke
Sandy Duncan Griffith Jones Erwin Linder
Jennifer Calthrop Margaret Johnston Ingeborg Christiansen
Fogroy Guy Middleton Udo Langhoff
Jill Duncan Jean Kent Louise Dorsay
Lady Angela Parks Marie Lohr Marie Martinsen

Reviews

Variety praised the two main actors Harrison and Palmer and said, “The way these two actors are superb, their individual performance on par with many of the others in this large cast. The script, lively in dialogue, is as good as many that Hollywood has released ”.

Bosley Crowther called the flick "a strangely deceptive affair" in the New York Times and thought that it came from this "like a comedy romance, but the whole time it changes with brutal abruptness to the sharpest irony". Therefore, according to the criticism, there is "a strange unevenness of weighting and mood."

The lexicon of international films judges: "An ironic comedy that, despite funny details and charming actors, is too broad to be consistently amusing."

The Movie & Video Guide found that the “life of a playboy with wit and style” shown here had been told.

Halliwell's Film Guide stated: “Generally good production, funny script”.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The last fall of man in the German synchronous files .
  2. ^ Critique in Variety of December 5, 1945, p. 20.
  3. ^ The New York Times, November 14, 1946.
  4. ↑ The Last Fall. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2020 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  5. ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 945.
  6. ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 836.

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