The white demon

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Movie
Original title The white demon
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 1932
length 107 minutes
Rod
Director Kurt Gerron
script Philipp Lothar Mayring
Fritz Zeckendorf
production Bruno Duday
music Hans-Otto Borgmann
camera Carl Hoffmann
cut Constantine Mick
occupation

as well as Alfred Beierle , Ernst Behmer , Paul Biensfeldt , Julius Brandt , Hansjoachim Büttner , Eugen Burg , Julius E. Herrmann , Karl John , Erwin Kalser , Philipp Manning , Ernst Prockl , Paul Rehkopf , Emilie Süssmann , Eva Speyer , Emilia Unda , Else Ward .

The White Demon is a German film drama from 1932. Hans Albers plays the leading role under the direction of Kurt Gerron .

action

Consul Gorre is the head of an international drug smuggling gang who also includes the morphine-dependent theater director Urusev, the Marquis d'Esquillon, section head of the gang in Paris, and a man who is only known as “the hunchback” and is responsible for importing the drug from overseas , belong. The gang of criminals travels under the guise of an internationally performing theater tour company, to which the young artist Gerda Gildemeister has joined as the leading actress. Gerda's brother is the "Hamburg Jung" Heini Gildemeister, who is finally returning to his hometown by ship after years of absence that he spent in South America. On this journey home he saves his son Gorres after he fell overboard.

Back home, Heini makes a terrible discovery: Sister Gerda is only a wreck, very weak and ailing in body, mind and soul. Years of abuse of morphine have severely affected her. She has become completely dependent and can hardly get back on her feet without the white stuff, also known as the "white demon". Heini discovers a corresponding syringe in Dora's pocket, a friend of Gerda's, and receives confirmation from the theater doctor that his sister has become a dependent morphinist through years of drug use. Heini immediately takes her to the nearest hospital. But since Gerda is to go on tour to Paris the next day, the gang members are immediately on the spot and get her out of the hospital again. Then Gerda is forced to call her brother and summon him to a meeting in a pint that is notorious as a drug bar.

When Heini appears there, the gang tries to overpower the "troublemaker", but the whole guy from one man can free himself and now takes up the pursuit of the gang on his own initiative, as the police, who have been informed beforehand, are no real help. Heini absolutely wants to prevent Gerda from staying in the care of the unscrupulous dealers even one day longer. But Heini fails because Gerda goes to the French capital for a vocal performance with the Gerda theater company, where they are held in the Marquis's house. The Marquis explains to Heini that Gerda (in a feverish fever, as it turns out) has faked a bill in the hope that Heini will finally give peace and quiet so that his sister does not end up in prison. Consul Gorre, who has been guilty of Heini's debt since he saved his son on the liner, helps him free Gerda so that Heini can immediately take her to a sanatorium. But Heini still doesn't know who the alleged ally really is.

Heini Gildemeister continues not to give up and is on the heels of the criminal gang. In Lisbon he can arrange for “the hunchback” to be arrested, while Urusev, who betrayed his friends, is shot. On the flight home with Dora and Gorre, Heini now also exposes the ominous consul as the head of the gang. With suicidal intent, he then throws himself into the Atlantic. Heini and Gerda's artist colleague Dora, with whom he has befriended in the meantime, return to Hamburg as friends for life.

Production notes

The white demon was created from June 20, 1932 until August of the same year in Portugal and Spain as well as on the Hapag steamer Emil Kirdorf, in the port of Cuxhaven and on the MS General Osorio (all exterior shots). The premiere took place on November 19, 1932 in Berlin's Ufa-Palast am Zoo .

The film was originally supposed to be called Rauschgift , but with this title it encountered considerable problems with the German film censors, who feared a character in the film advertising drugs. Corresponding scenes had to be deleted according to a decision of November 10, 1932. In Austria, however, the film title drug was approved.

Julius von Borsody designed the film structures, Günther Anders assisted chief cameraman Carl Hoffmann . Hermann Hoffmann designed the costumes, Erich Holder assisted director Gerron. Walter Rühland provided the sound .

The former star of the early silent film, Eva Speyer , played his (now very small) last film role here, Karl John in turn made his film debut here.

A French version of this film with Jean Murat in the Albers role was made at the same time under the title Stupéfiants

reception

In the specialist publication “Der Film” it is said: “The director Kurt Gerron lets ... the events take their fabulous course and happily fables, out of an actor's mood. (...) He uses his only trump cards and knows how to take advantage of the violently extemporating Albers, who lives it out, ... the excellent Lorre, who plays with gripping behavior, ... this time the surprisingly good Gerda Maurus ... "

“Albers a fabulous boy. Otherwise a mess. "

- Joseph Goebbels , diary entry from November 21, 1932

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Decision of the Film-Oberprüfstelle on filmportal.de
  2. ↑ cit. according to Ulrich Liebe: adored, persecuted, forgotten. Actor as a Nazi victim. Quadriga Verlag Weinheim / Berlin, 2nd edition 1993, p. 49

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