The Mill of Petrified Women
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The Mill of Petrified Women |
| Original title | Il mulino delle donne di pietra |
| Country of production |
Italy France |
| original language | French |
| Publishing year | 1960 |
| length | 96 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 18 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Giorgio Ferroni |
| script |
Remigio Del Grosso Ugo Liberatore Giorgio Ferroni |
| production | Giampaolo Bigazzi |
| music | Carlo Innocenzi |
| camera | Pier Ludovico Pavoni |
| cut | Antonietta Zita |
| occupation | |
| |
The mill of petrified women (original title: Il mulino delle donne di pietra ) is an Italian-French feature film in color by Giorgio Ferroni . The script was written by Remigio Del Grosso , Ugo Liberatore and the director. It is based on a story by Pieter van Weigen . The leading roles are cast with Pierre Brice , Scilla Gabel , Dany Carrel and Wolfgang Preiss . The work had its world premiere on August 30, 1960 in Italy. In the Federal Republic of Germany, the film first came to the cinema on March 23, 1962.
action
One of the attractions of the city of Amsterdam is the "Carillon of Petrified Women", a carousel driven by a mill wheel, which lets historical statues of women pass by in front of the viewer. This strange spectacle was built by an ancestor of the sculptor Gregorius Wahl over a hundred years ago.
One day the German architecture student Hans von Arnim comes to town to write a report on this “carillon”. Prof. Wahl, the current mill owner, assigned him a small study. During his forays through the building, the young man soon encounters Elfy, the professor's daughter, who is being kept in strict seclusion by her father. One night the two meet for a shepherd's hour.
The next day, Hans receives a visit from his fiancée, a student at the art academy. When Elfy sees how lovingly Hans is leading Liselotte through the eerie building, this sight arouses her jealousy. In a letter she asked Hans to visit her again the following night. But at this rendezvous, she learns from Hans that this must be the last mutual meeting. Then the girl falls to the ground with a scream. Your skin turns blue; the heart stands still. Hans blames himself for her death and runs away.
The very next day, Hans goes to the mill again. In the distance he hears Elfy's favorite piano piece. This leads him to believe the girl is still alive. When he finds her laid out in the cemetery, however, his relief turns to horror. He quickly seeks the distance.
As so often before, Elfy just had a severe seizure. In order to stay alive, her sick blood must be regularly replaced with healthy blood from a young woman. The victims' bodies are petrified and placed between the figures of the carillon.
Hans is slowly recovering from his delusions. Now he thinks he has only dreamed it all and wants to marry Liselotte as soon as possible. But when he wanted to turn his back on Amsterdam, his fiancée suddenly disappeared. A terrible premonition strikes him. Together with his friend Raab he rushes to the mill.
Liselotte is tied up in the cellar. Their blood is of such a rare group that Elfy could be completely cured by a transfusion. The doctor Dr. However, Bohlem has one condition: he wants Elfy to be his wife. Wahl is so outraged that he kills the medic.
Wahl now wants to do the transfusion himself. For this he needs the bottle with the mixture made by Bohlem. In the dead man's pockets, however, he only finds the broken pieces. In a maddened state, he seizes his daughter's body, takes it to the "Carillon" and sets it on fire.
Hans and Raab manage to escape the flames with Liselotte, which they have freed, just in time.
criticism
“It groans and moans, squeaks, screams and whistles here according to all the rules of the art of horror. Italy and France jointly produced the medieval ghost in mysterious colors. Next to Scilla Gabel, who is constantly dying and has to be awakened to new life by the blood of other girls, you can see the Germans Wolfgang Preiss and Herbert AE Böhme. "
The lexicon of international films describes the strip succinctly as a “absurd horror film”. In contrast, Echolog.de is full of praise: “The French-Italian co-production 'The Mill of Petrified Women' is rightly considered an absolute insider tip for fans of neat Gothic horror. Giorgio Ferroni, who otherwise made a name for himself through relevant sandal films and westerns, succeeded with his only horror film a Coup d'Éclat, an atmospheric masterpiece that does not stand out in front of the best representatives of its kind from Hammer Studios or Mario Bava [ ...] has to hide. ” Filmtipps.at is also very impressed by the work:“ A forgotten classic from Gothic horror. Up to halfway through the film you can only guess in which direction the film is going. Until then, the film can only be understood as an atmospheric description: windmill, village pub and a few outside shots are in an impressive symbiosis and convey a classic horror scenario. [...] In the clearly distinguishable second half of the film, the events roll over and the puzzles are soon revealed. You are almost a little disappointed at how simple the basic structure of the story actually is, but only then does it become clear how outstandingly stylish the first half is. "
source
- Program for the film: Illustrierte Film-Bühne , Vereinigte Verlagsgesellschaft Franke & Co., Munich, No. 6069
Web links
- The mill of the petrified women in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Lexicon of international films, rororo-Taschenbuch No. 6322 from 1988, p. 2676
- ↑ http://www.echolog.de/filmtipps/die_muehle_der_versteinerten_frauen.shtml
- ↑ http://www.filmtipps.at/kritiken/Die_Muehle_der_versteinerten_Frauen_Il_Mulino_Delle_Donne_Di_Pietra/