The bells of Coaltown
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The bells of Coaltown |
| Original title | The Miracle of the Bells |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1948 |
| length | 120 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Irving Pichel |
| script |
Ben Hecht Quentin Reynolds |
| production |
Jesse L. Lasky Walter MacEwen |
| music | Leigh Harline |
| camera | Robert De Grasse |
| cut | Elmo Williams |
| occupation | |
| |
The Bells of Coaltown is an American film from 1948. The film was based on the bestselling novel Miracle of the Bells by Russell Janney .
action
Olga Treskovna from Poland lives in Coaltown , Pennsylvania . The city is a sleepy town with no great future. Olga dreams of becoming a star in Hollywood and making her hometown famous. She moves to Hollywood and receives the title role in a film about the life of Joan of Arc . Shortly before the film was finished, Olga suddenly dies. The producer of the film, Marcus Harris, would like to recast the role with a well-known star. The press agent Bill Dunnigan opposes this, but he cannot convince Harris. He goes to Coaltown to learn more about the life of Olga Treskovna. There he meets the mourners and the priest Paul. Father Paul keeps the bells ringing for Olga for three days. When, on the third day, two statues bow their heads in the church and look at Olga, who is laid out, it is seen as a miracle. Film producer Harris is now convinced that he can still earn money with the film. He finally brings it out and the film becomes a sensational success. And the town of Coaltown is famous.
background
The outdoor shots for the film were shot in 1947 around the St. Michael's Church , built in 1909, in the mining town of Glen Lyon in Luzerne County , Pennsylvania . The church was demolished in 2004; their bells, which gave the film its name, have since been kept in the church of Our Lady of Grace in the neighboring town of Hazleton .
In the film, the Polish folk song Powrót is sung a cappella twice by Kazimierz Lubomirski ; first in the Polish version by Alida Valli, then in an English version as Ever Homeward by Frank Sinatra. The melody was adapted by Jule Styne , the English text was written by Sammy Cahn ; the arrangement is by Constantin Bakaleinikoff . In 1948 Sinatra published a version of Ever Homeward on Columbia Records , recorded in December 1947 with orchestra and arranged by Axel Stordahl , in which he sings a few verses from the Polish text in addition to the English text.
On the basis of the film script, a radio play version of the film was created in 1948 with the participation of the main actors, which was broadcast on the radio in May 1948 as part of the Lux Radio Theater series on CBS .
Reviews
"Carefully staged edifying story with a tendency to sentimentality and sentimental songs."
Web links
- The Bells of Coaltown in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Bells of Coaltown. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed February 18, 2017 .