The private secretary (1931)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The private secretary |
| Country of production | German Empire |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1931 |
| length | 100 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Wilhelm Thiele |
| script |
Franz Schulz based on the novella Mesék az frógépröl (1905) by Stefan Szomáhazy |
| production | Hermann Millakowsky for Greenbaum-Film, Berlin |
| music | Paul Abraham |
| camera |
Otto Heller Reimar Kuntze Adolf Schlasy |
| cut | Paul Martin |
| occupation | |
| |
Die Privatsekretärin is a German romantic comedy by Wilhelm Thiele with Renate Müller in the title role.
action
The young, budding shorthand typist Vilma Förster finally wants to start big. Therefore, with just twenty Reichsmarks in her pocket, she goes to Berlin, where she hopes to have a great career. In search of a properly paid job, she meets the skinny bank clerk Hasel, a friendly and good-natured guy with a rascal face who would much rather get started as a singing artist. For this reason he founded a choral society. In order to keep costs down, Hasel is chairman, conductor and cashier rolled into one. Since Hasel and Vilma get along well right away, he would like to help the young, inexperienced girl and tries to find a job in “his” bank. Personnel manager Klapper quickly shows a keen interest in Vilma, which however clearly goes beyond the purely professional. He uses his position of power and orders her to a rendezvous at Potsdamer Platz , but Vilma does not appear.
Angry and disappointed, Klapper Vilma now lets feel his displeasure and grumbles the new employee a "detention", which means overtime. A young man also notices typing on the typewriter after office hours, whom Vilma promptly takes to be another bank clerk. In truth, however, it is their top boss, the director Arvai. It keeps its incognito and instead helps Vilma to deal quickly with the unnecessary extra work. Then he invites the pretty blonde to “Weber's ballroom”, where colleague Hasel performs with his choir. Arvai looks at Hasel, who is happily surprised that his boss is coming to visit him on the occasion of his performance, meaningfully, so that he immediately knows that he shouldn't tell Förster about him. It wasn't until the next morning that Vilma realized who her gallant companion was last night. She wants to speak to Director Arvai to clarify her ignorance yesterday, but fails because of the director's anteroom lady, his private secretary.
The lovable Hazel is there again to elegantly solve Vilma's problem. Allegedly on behalf of his boss, he sends his secretary to Dresden. Hasel now succeeds in placing Vilma as Arvais' new private secretary. When Arvai learns that his actual secretary is in Dresden, he is annoyed for a moment; but the anger dissipates the moment he sees Vilma again. He orders the new girl to come to his house on the pretext that he wants to dictate a few important letters to her after the office closes. Vilma is delighted and dresses up for this date. Arvai, who has long since kept an eye on the young lady, would like to give her a final test and offers Vilma every conceivable luxury to see if she could only aim for his wealth. On the other hand, he makes it clear to her that he does not trust her. Deeply disappointed, Vilma decides not to return to her job. Arvai now instructs his closest confidante Hasel and his chauffeur to bring Miss Förster back - in vain. So he crawls to the cross himself and goes to the small pension where Vilma is staying. There he confesses his love to the beautiful young woman, and the private secretary returns both to her workplace and to his heart.
Production notes
The private secretary was created in October / November 1930 in Berlin (studio and outdoor recordings). After the censorship on January 15, 1931, a youth ban followed. The nine-act measure was 2316 meters long and was premiered on January 16, 1931 in the Berlin Capitol am Zoo . The loan was made by Emelka . For Austria, the first performance in Vienna was scheduled for April 4, 1931.
Georg Witt served producer Hermann Millakowsky as production manager. The texts for Paul Abraham's composition were penned by Robert Gilbert , the orchestra was directed by the Curt Lewinek band. The film structures were designed by Otto Hunte , assisted by Franz Koehn . Hans Grimm set the tone.
The following music tracks were played:
- I'm so happy today
- I have an old aunt
- I asked my heart
- From the work of his hands
The recordings were published by Alrobi-Musikverlag GmbH, Berlin.
Especially the song I am so happy today, intoned by Renate Müller , has become a veritable hit and evergreen .
Foreign language versions and remakes
The French version of the private secretary was called Dactylo and was also staged by Thiele, but with only French-speaking actors. This film ran in Paris in April 1931 and was followed up in 1934 with Dactylo se marie . This film was staged by Joe May , who is now ostracized as a Jew in the German Reich , which is why Dactylo se marie was only shown in Austria, under the title The private secretary marries .
The Italians also made a version of the private secretary for their film market, which was called La segretaria privata and was directed by the Mussolini star Goffredo Alessandrini .
The private secretary was such a big hit in Germany in 1931 that the British showed great interest in a remake. The producing Greenbaum-Film sold the rights in March 1931 to Felsom-Film in Berlin, which in the same year produced the British remake under the title Sunshine Susie , also with Renate Müller in the lead role, on behalf of Gainsborough Pictures in London . On June 11, 1931, the German original was also launched in the USA (New York) under the title The Office Girl .
Private secretary -Schnittmeister Paul Martin staged in 1953 on behalf of CCC chief Artur Brauner , a remake of the film by the same name . However, the protagonists of this story were given different role names.
The significance of the film for Müller's career
The private secretary signaled Renate Müller's final breakthrough as a film star. Shortly before, in 1930, she appeared in Darling of the Gods at the side of Emil Jannings and was featured there. In Die Privatsekretärin she had to carry a film largely alone for the first time.
Heinrich Fraenkel wrote about this in his memory book "Immortal Film":
“What was the deeper reason for the extraordinary effectiveness of this actress? It was quite simply the fact that she was the original concept of the clean young girl; and whether she portrayed 'Die Privatsekretärin' in her first world success ... or whether she played a female impersonator in ' Victor und Victoria ' or ... under Carl Froelich's direction 'Liselotte von der Pfalz', she was always in her appearance and nature the dream of millions of young men who wanted just such a girl, and of millions of young girls who wanted to be just as beautiful, so healthy and neat, and just as happy. 'I'm so happy today', I'm 'so happy today ...', this hit song that is so effective due to its naive simplicity that Müller has 'created', it could in a sense be the motto for the picture that many millions of them have Admirer of Renate Müller was remembered. "
Reviews and reception
The Austrian Film-Zeitung said on April 4, 1931: “Our bustling present, filled with so much lightness but also superficiality, forms, like a drop shadow, the background against which the personality of the pretty little girl stands out, although it is quite modern , self-confident, in a word: is contemporary, but which is nevertheless rooted internally in the solidity of an earlier time. This makes this delightful film appear ... characterized in its basic essence. Extremely amusing are the big city experiences of the graceful, hearty Vilma, who through her - certainly unconscious! - sex appeal is certainly exposed to many attacks on her firmly established concepts of maiden virtue and decency, which she withstands, however, to the last consequence. (...) Renate Müller, the young Viennese [sic!] Artist who is fascinating because of her unusual charm, is the bearer of the main and title role in the events that are surrounded by a multitude of small and small episodes of certain effect, also by the brilliant musical undertaking carried away by Paul Abraham. "
Paimann's film lists summed up: “A subject, neither new nor profound, has produced a seldom lovable film thanks to the tempo-filled direction, fluid dialogues and the extremely skilful interweaving of operetta-like motifs. Not to forget the well-coordinated ensemble; Müller-Thimig genuine, informal, Bressart a great achievement. Finally Abraham's melodic accompanying music and hit songs, clean presentation, sound reproduction and photography. - Overall qualification: Almost a hit. "
“It's hard to say why The Private Secretary was such a big hit. Some say it's because of the hits ... others were in love with the short stenographer Renate Müller, who cheerfully and happily trills and dances through her Sundays and undoubtedly offers a finely worked and pointed representation; the young girls, on the other hand, were in love with Hermann Thimig, the bank director, who is a film lover of a new, more original, more human kind than we have seen him on the screen so far. The Bressart congregation laughed with joy at the bank clerk and the president of the choral society and wept with emotion over the 'Schlemihl with heart'. Those from the construction department said that the director Wilhelm Thiele had once again proven himself to be a great master and that the success would come to his account; the film writers, on the other hand, book the success on the subject that finally brings a very simple excerpt from everyday life. "
Individual evidence
- ^ Note in the Österreichische Film-Zeitung of November 1, 1930, page 7.
- ↑ Immortal Film. The big chronicle from the first note to the colored wide screen. Munich 1957, p. 113.
- ↑ "The Private Secretary". In: Österreichische Film-Zeitung , April 4, 1931, p. 2 (online at ANNO ). .
- ↑ The private secretary in Paimann's film lists ( memento of the original from September 24, 2015 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. .
Web links
- The private secretary in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The private secretary at filmportal.de