Bridge of Fate
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Bridge of Fate |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1960 |
| length | 100 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Michael Kehlmann |
| script |
Joachim Wedekind Fritz Böttger |
| production |
Heinz Angermeyer Gottfried Wegeleben |
| music | Herbert Jarczyk |
| camera | Karl Schröder |
| cut | Anneliese Schönnenbeck |
| occupation | |
| |
Brücke des Schicksals is a German film drama from 1960 by Michael Kehlmann with Hannes Messemer in the leading role of a newspaper journalist who is as unscrupulous as it is pathologically ambitious.
action
Klaus Urban is the prototype of an over-ambitious journalist and photo reporter who would do anything for “a story”, including committing crimes if necessary. Constantly ridiculed by his colleagues and tired of the banal everyday stories and the average journalistic petty journalist, he is no longer willing to wait for the scoop . And so he begins to create his own stories. Urban, driven by extreme craving for recognition, first sets a dance hall on fire in which a man dies, and then stages the fatal fall of a window cleaner by manipulating a window in order to be able to deliver sensational photo reports from the crime scene to his clients. His headlines, all based on deeds committed by his own hands, gradually make Klaus Urban a sought-after and admired sensational reporter, but also a pathological case. His friend Frank Mossdorf, who passed him on the career ladder, sees Urban’s behavior very critically and believes that he just happened to land these sensational stories.
In the urge to have to produce ever larger image sensors from time to time, Urban soon knows no more scruples. Mossdorf's lover Ingo, who wants to make a career as a mannequin, separates from Frank one day to travel to Paris. Urban finds out about it and gets on the train with her. With the claim to want to make a nice newspaper report about her career jump of a German photo model in a foreign country, he lures her to a train door for some photos and pushes her out of the car during the journey. A passenger sees this and applies the emergency brake. Urban gets his photos, but Ingo survived the murder seriously injured. A passenger recognizes him and speaks to Urban. He runs away in a panic and kills a train attendant in the train moving on. Ingo, who is in the hospital, receives a visit from Urban the following night, who does not kill the mannequin, who is tied to the bed, but announces his final, cruel and bloody act: he wants to stage an accident at the bridge in Langenau, in which around 500 people should be killed. This should be his “masterpiece” as a sensational photographer.
From a photo of the same bridge, which Mossdorf discovers in Urban’s apartment, he suspects that his colleague must have obviously gone mad and intend to stage a terrible catastrophe at the Langenau bridge. The editor-in-chief rushes there immediately. Meanwhile, Klaus Urban works the tracks on the bridge with a heavy hammer in the middle of the night in order to derail the next train. Mossdorf surprises him and tries to dissuade Urban from his insane act. When the latter does not hear, the two men fight a duel. Urban tries to strangle his former friend. In an act of self-defense, Mossdorf shoots Urban. In the final scene, the editor-in-chief senses the report of the century for his paper , but this time Mossdorf, who has been unscrupulous so far, urgently warns his boss against this moral outrage.
Production notes
Bridge of Fate was created in August and September 1960 in the Bavaria studios in Munich-Geiselgasteig. The premiere took place on October 27, 1960 in Duisburg's Europa-Palast. It was first broadcast on television on September 16, 1967 on ARD .
Heinz Angermeyer was in charge of production. Franz Bi designed the buildings that Bruno Monden carried out. Hildegard Bornkessel was responsible for the costume designs.
Sabina Stuhlmann's voice cannot be heard in the film. It was dubbed by Rosemarie Fendel .
Reviews
“The film goes to great lengths, albeit in vain, to explain the pathology of the shooting gunman. Once from its facilities and professional complexes. On the other hand, from the completely inadequate demands that are made of him. On this point the story is far from being true. But one has to admit that it is told in a fascinating way - by German standards - and is presented unusually well, so that in parts one thinks to have a masterpiece in mind. It seems that with this film, the director Michael Kehlmann has handed in his ticket for a career, adorned with the brilliant autographs of Hannes Messemer, Elisabeth Flickenschildt, Günther Pfitzmann, Carl Lange and the more than pretty flourish of Sabina Stuhlmann. "
The lexicon of international films says: "Critical comments on the subject of sensational and scandal journalism take a back seat to the excellently staged thrill."
“The film debut of TV-experienced director Michael Kehlmann from 1960 deals only rudimentarily with criticism of scandal journalism, rather it focuses on an exciting story in typical thriller style. Kehlmann staged fast and with a sure hand, Hannes Messemer in the lead role convincingly portrays both the obsession and doubts of his character. A film that entertains well, but buries its explosive subject under the surface charms of a crime story. "
Web links
- Bridge of Destiny in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Bridge of Fate at filmportal.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bridge of Fate. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed December 31, 2015 .
- ↑ Criticism on kino.de