The heroes are tired
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The heroes are tired |
| Original title | Les héros sont fatigués |
| Country of production | Germany / France |
| original language | French |
| Publishing year | 1955 |
| length | 115 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Yves Ciampi |
| script | Yves Ciampi Jean-Charles Tacchella Jacques-Laurent Bost |
| production | Terra-Films, Paris ( Raymond Froment ) CCC-Film , Berlin ( Artur Brauner ) |
| music | Jean Louiguy |
| camera | Henri Alekan |
| cut | Roger Dwyre |
| occupation | |
| |
The heroes are tired ( Les héros sont fatigués ) is a German-French fictional film from 1955.
content
The film primarily describes how the main characters in the imaginary African city “Free City” master their European origins at the end of the colonial period and deal with the experiences of the Second World War . The film also addresses the equality of Africans and Europeans and their differences in sociability and music. After all, the film promotes peace and understanding between peoples, including between former war opponents.
action
In the time after the Second World War, several Germans and French meet in the only hotel in the imaginary city “Free City”, which is located by the sea in Africa. Nina, who is married to a black woman, successfully markets the hairdressing skills she learned in Paris to European and African women in her own hairdressing salon. The German Hermann agrees to repair clocks, although he used to be a politician. Wolf Gerke, another German, lives his role as a linguistically and socially adept employee of business people without complaint, even if he dreams of his time as a fighter pilot at Christmas.
Francois Séverin, formerly a lawyer in Paris, runs a hotel and cannot come to terms with the fact that his wife Manuella no longer loves him and instead meets with other men, including blacks. The Frenchman Michel Rivière, also a former fighter pilot, no longer wants to fly as an employed civilian pilot. He wants to start his own business with a small airline and finance the start with rough diamonds stolen by a client. Villeterre, a wealthy businessman, has good contacts in Free City, including the police. Olsen, a circumnavigator, is stuck in town because he cannot pay to repair his boat.
The main characters gradually meet in the hotel bar and share their experiences. Because of the relationship problems between Michel and Manuella and because of the diamond trade, a dispute arises in which a revolver is stolen. Later, Michel looks for a way to smuggle the diamonds out of the country. Several times in the film scenes are faded in in which blacks dance to the drum beats. Nina watches, especially as her husband dances.
While others are celebrating Christmas, Gerke, Michel and Nina find the broken safe in which the diamonds were. They suspect Francois of having buried the diamonds in the chicken coop and force him to dig them up again. Francois can knock Gerke down, lock the "heroes" in the chicken coop and flee with the diamonds. Francois then shoots Manuella because she finally rejects him. He drags the body into a rowboat and drives out to sea. Michel and Gerke swim behind. Francois shoots the remaining bullets at both of them, injuring Gerke. Then he gradually throws the diamonds into the sea in front of Michel's eyes. Michel does not reach the boat, instead he saves the injured Gerke and brings him ashore. Francois capsizes the boat and buries himself under it with Manuella. In the final shot, the opponents of the war go back to the street together, Gerke supported by Michel.
Production notes
The film was produced in the Joinville studio in Paris. The outdoor shots were made in North Africa. It premiered on October 13, 1955 in Düsseldorf.
Awards
- 1955: Venice International Film Festival : Coppa Volpi for Curd Jürgens (Best Actor)
criticism
“An overly overloaded, symbolic film that, thanks to the excellent camera work, creates a certain atmosphere and features good, but over-the-top actors; nevertheless, the intrusive pacifist message is never conveyed in an adequate way. "
Web links
- The heroes are tired in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dr. Alfred Bauer: German feature film Almanach. Volume 2: 1946-1955 , p. 516
- ↑ The heroes are tired. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed April 22, 2017 .