The Sanssouci Mill
Die Mühle von Sanssouci is a German silent film made in 1925 with Otto Fee in his star role as Friedrich the Great and belongs to the series of Fridericus Rex films .
action
The core plot of the film tells of an episode from the life of the Prussian King Friedrich II beyond the usual tumult of battles and courtly ceremonies. The year is 1750. After the end of the Silesian Wars , Friedrich returns to Sanssouci exhausted and wants to recover from the grueling events of the war. But the mill of the miller Casper, once the finest and most expensive in the world, rattles so loudly that his Majesty feels massively disturbed in his need for rest. Even a nimble instruction issued by the monarch does not change anything, since Casper is more than stubborn. He refers to the king's decree that all people are equal before the law in Prussia: the citizen like the nobleman, the beggar like the king.
The dispute soon escalated, and Casper decided to get a court ruling on this matter (of which Friedrich knows that he can only lose in view of the equality law he has made before Justitia). But finally the two fighters decide to strive for a compromise and find an out-of-court solution that enables a reconciliation. In the various subplot strands, His Majesty can promote the love happiness of two couples, including two of his soldiers (Leutnant von Bärenfels and Corporal Jobst), exchange ideas with the great French writer Voltaire and finally his own amorous affair - his relationship with the Dancer Barberina - moving things forward.
Production notes
The Sanssouci mill was built in November / December 1925 in the Staaken film studios. After the censorship, which released the film for young people on January 18, 1926, this production, which was 3124 meters long, spread over ten acts, was huge, premiered on February 1, 1926 in the Berlin Capitol am Zoo . In Austria, the strip started on July 23, 1926.
Friedrich Zelnik was the artistic director, Heinz Landsmann was the production manager. Under the direction of chief cameraman Frederik Fuglsang served Gustav Ucicky and Eduard von Borsody as other cameramen. As a director, Ucicky was to present a Fridericus Rex film himself less than five years later with The Flute Concerto by Sans-souci . Gustav A. Knauer designed the film structures, and Andrej Andrejew took care of the painting.
For Lissy Lind , who played the leading female role here with Wilhelmine von Bayreuth , The Mill of Sanssouci was the last movie.
Historical background of the story
In 1745 Frederick II ordered the construction of the Sanssouci summer palace a few meters east of the mill. In addition to the disturbances in the daily mill operation due to the construction work, the miller feared impairments in the wind supply and complained about this to the king during the construction phase. He commissioned the War and Domain Chamber to review the matter and wrote: “[…] what kind of wind miller Johann Wilhelm Graebenitz zu Potsdam complains that his wind mill, after our summer palace there built very close to it, the vineyard with high Walls were surrounded and tall trees were planted, had to go quiet for lack of wind, but nevertheless the annual rent had to be paid by him [...]. ”This dispute later led to the formation of legends.
Criticism and reception
Paimann's film lists summed up: “The largely historical plot is interesting and without length, with many highlights, the direction is tight, the presentation is consistently good, excellent Otto Fee as Frederick the Great. Presentation and photography are also very good. "
“With an almost ingenious incarnation, Otto Fee has brought his wonderful King Friedrich II back to life for the German people, and with this achievement, which will remain unforgettable for a long time, earned an acting merit that will hardly find examples in the art of film and drama . Now the Fridericus series followed according to the old laws of film production. First the story of the "Mill of Sanssouci" (1926). Love stories, battle pictures, grenadiers exercising. "
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Mill of Sanssouci ( Memento of the original from March 11, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Paimann's film lists
Web links
- The Mill of Sanssouci in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The mill of Sanssouci at filmportal.de