The Forester Christian (1952)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Forester Christian |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1952 |
| length | 104 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Arthur Maria Rabenalt |
| script | Fritz Böttger , Joachim Wedekind based on the operetta of the same name by Georg Jarno and Bernhard Buchbinder |
| production | Carlton-Film GmbH, Munich ( Günther Stapenhorst ) |
| music | Robert Gilbert based on the original by Georg Jarno and Bernhard Buchbinder |
| camera | Friedl Behn-Grund |
| cut | Doris Zeltmann |
| occupation | |
| |
The Försterchristel is a film adaptation of the operetta by Arthur Maria Rabenalt from 1952. Johanna Matz is cast in the title role , Karl Schönböck acts as Emperor Franz Joseph, Will Quadflieg as Joseph Földessy, Angelika Hauff as Gypsy Ilona and Käthe von Nagy as Josefine.
action
After an uprising by the Hungarians against Emperor Franz Joseph, peace has reigned in the country since 1849. The rebels were pardoned by the emperor, with the exception of a few who have not yet asked for pardon. One of them is Captain Koltai, who is employed under the name of Joseph Földessy as an administrator at the court of Count Paalen. The imperial forest areas, which are administered by the chief forester Lang, are nearby. His daughter Christel has a second admirer besides Földessy: the supposedly high official at the imperial court in Vienna, Simmerl. Christel rejects both men, even if she is secretly drawn to Földessy. In addition to the forest hut and the count's castle, the Barany-Csarda tavern, owned by the gypsy Barany and his daughter Ilona, is another setting. Both know about Földessy's secret.
Emperor Franz Joseph is on the way to Count Paalen's castle, who wants to give a ball in his honor that evening. When his carriage had an accident and a replacement could not be found quickly, the emperor decided to walk to the castle through his forest areas. He is discovered by Christel, who thinks he is a poaching hunter and, in accordance with an imperial decree, demands a thaler as a penalty for unauthorized entry into the imperial land. The emperor, who has no money with him, agrees to a one-day detention in the forester's house and is extremely amused by the resolute nature of the forester's daughter and the overall situation. In “Haft” he hears Simmerl, who has appeared in the forester's house, proposing to Christel, which she refuses. Simmerl, who found out about Földessy's identity through an overheard conversation in the tavern, reveals to Christel in his anger that Földessy is a wanted rebel. Christel then immediately wants to see the emperor to ask him for Földessy's pardon.
While Simmerl, who describes himself as a friend of the emperor, turns out to be a mouthful who is actually nothing more than a little tailor in Vienna, the alleged poacher Franz Joseph shows himself ready to show Christel the way to the castle. There she is willingly received and invited to the ball that evening, where she is supposed to face the emperor. She doesn't know that her poacher is the emperor and almost faints when he meets her that evening. Földessy, who also appears at the festival, misinterprets the familiar dancing of both and forgets himself in his jealousy. He is captured, but released by Christel's request for a pardon. Only now does Földessy realize that Christel loves him and not the emperor. The emperor, in turn, realizes that a relationship with Christel is impossible. The lovers Christel-Földessy find each other while the Kaiser travels back to Vienna. But not without having invited Christel and Földessy to his castle beforehand.
production
The Försterchristel was filmed in Bad Tölz and in the Bavaria Studios Geiselgasteig . Robert Herlth was responsible for the buildings, the production management was in the hands of producer Günther Stapenhorst and Otto Lehmann . The film contains several titles from the operetta Die Försterchristl :
- Have a heart free and happy!
- Give me the violins of the whole world
- Herr Kaiser, - Herr Kaiser, Oh dear Majesty!
- Is a girl on the puszta
The actors were dubbed by professional singers. The Bavaria Symphony Orchestra provided the musical accompaniment.
Publication, further films
The film premiered on May 27, 1952.
On February 22, 2013, Alive published Die Försterchristel-Doppelbox with the films from 1952 and 1962 as part of the series “Jewels of Film History”.
The film is the third film adaptation of the operetta. The first film is from 1926, a second from 1931. Another was made ten years later and was released in cinemas under the same title .
criticism
Der Spiegel rated Die Försterchristl as the “high point of the New German Filmbiedermeier”. In the film, the “new discovery from Vienna, Hannerl Matz, which is properly advertised as 'lovely'… in the green, green forest would enchant her unknown imperial and royal majesty”. With the "Hungarians thirsting for freedom", the film also presents a "traditional kuk hereditary enemy", who in the end, however, is given "the hand of the forest ranger". The Lexicon of International Films called the film a "folk and romantic musical comedy - loosely based on the operetta by Georg Jarno."
Web links
- The Försterchristel in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Försterchristel on filmposter-archiv.de
- The Forester Christian Full Movies (1952 and 1962)
