The Journey (1959)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The trip |
| Original title | The Journey |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1959 |
| length | 126 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Anatole Litvak |
| script | George Tabori |
| production | Anatole Litvak |
| music | Georges Auric |
| camera | Jack Hildyard |
| cut | Dorothy Spencer |
| occupation | |
| |
Die Reise (Original title: The Journey ) is the title of an American adventure and love film distributed by MGM in 1959. It is the second film after The King and I in which Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner play the leading roles.
action
The color film takes place in 1956 . It is the time of the Hungarian popular uprising against the Soviet occupation.
The action begins in Budapest at the end of October. The uprising is on its last legs, the city is dominated by the Soviet military and the airport is already occupied. The last civil flight to Vienna will be canceled and passengers will have to continue their journey west on an airline bus. The journey goes from the airport through Budapest via Győr to (the fictional) Mosán near the Austrian border.
The 17 passengers included a Japanese businessman, an American oil engineer with family, a Syrian with his French wife, an Israeli professor, a Swiss student, a German ex-air force pilot and an English television reporter. Most of the attention of her fellow travelers, however, attracts the attractive English lady Ashmore and her companion, a certain Mr. Flemyng, who also has a British passport. He appears to be ill, but in truth has an untreated gunshot wound. On the long journey through the riot area, the passengers' nerves are strained, and the common danger is gradually bringing them closer together. During the journey there are controls by Soviet soldiers and - after a stretch of military no man's land - by Hungarian freedom fighters. When Russian control dragged on, Flemyng fell weak, but the soldiers no longer noticed. However, the fellow travelers notice that Flemyng suddenly no longer speaks English, which leads to the suspicion that his papers are not in order.
In Mosán, 5 km from the Hungarian border, there is another Russian roadblock. Major Surow, commander of this section of the border, stops the bus and claims that the travel permit is no longer valid. During the compulsory stay of two days, the passengers stay in the only hotel in town. As it turns out, Surov acted unauthorized. He is an intelligent man and full of doubts whether his military mission in Hungary is justified or just Soviet propaganda. In the harsh interrogations to which he subjects his prisoners, however, he only encounters panic fear and undisguised hatred. The situation escalates. Apparently the major has suspected Flemyng. During the night, the inmates learn that Mr. Flemyng is the Hungarian freedom fighter Paul Kedes, who is trying to escape with Lady Ashmore's help. Immediately the tour company split into two camps. The larger group sees a danger to themselves in Kedes' presence. And meanwhile Surow is more and more interested in the beautiful English girl - to the displeasure of the hotel staff Borbala, who has her eyes on the major herself.
The situation comes to a head when Flemyng and Lady Ashmore make a daring attempt to escape to Austria, but are watched by Borbala. Suddenly, Surov gallops after them (presumably on Borbala's advice) and alerts the patrol. Flemyng, Lady Ashmore and their escape agent are arrested. Lady Ashmore begs the major to release Kedes. But now, after he had been silent for her sake, he remains tough and reports the incident to headquarters. A few hours later, an MWD captain interrogates the captured Hungary.
All departures are scheduled for the next morning. But the goal is not Vienna, but Budapest. The travelers are desperate and only think about their own fate. They force Lady Ashmore to see Major Surov alone. By playing out "private relationships" she should change his mind. However, this attempt seems in vain. The next morning, Surow surprisingly lets the bus passengers drive to the Austrian border against the orders of his superiors and releases everyone, including Lady Ashmore and Kedes.
For the moment, human reconciliation has triumphed over general hatred. But when the major paused pensively for a moment on the Hungarian side of the border, a shot cracked from a revolutionary's weapon and hit him fatally. As the journey continues, Lady Ashmore keeps thinking of Surow's parting words: “We did not trust each other, and we will never be able to trust each other. Nobody is to blame, and yet we are all guilty. "
Others
Born Countess Barbara von Nady, who played the Borbala, fled her homeland in an adventurous way shortly after the uprising in 1956. The reason was the persecution of the nobility by the Hungarian regime loyal to Moscow. How much she contributed to the film's credibility is unknown.
Historically are z. For example, the insurgents' cries for help on Radio Kossuth that women took part in the fighting, the escape routes through the area between the Danube and Lake Neusiedl and over already destroyed canal bridges to Austria, and the destruction in the streets of Budapest. Less authentic details are related to the fact that it was not possible to film in Hungary and that there was hardly any Soviet military equipment available. The film soviets drive around in American jeeps, and the destroyed Budapest is represented by the destroyed Vienna.
Reviews
"The film tries to make the artificiality of hatred between the peoples clear, but remains on the surface."
“November 1956, uprising in Hungary: foreign air passengers are transported from Budapest by bus to the Austrian border. A wounded freedom fighter travels with them, with whose British lover a Soviet officer falls in love. The escape story, which had to be taken seriously at the beginning, is sinking into noble kitsch. "
source
- The new film program No. 4352, Mannheim
Note
- This film has not been shown in German dubbing for a long time, at least for the last 25 years, neither on free tv nor on Premiere. There is also no DVD produced for the German market, but English and Spanish DVDs are available as imports.
Web links
- The journey in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Journey in the All Movie Guide (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Internet Movie Database, article on Barbara von Nady
- ↑ The journey. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed February 3, 2017 .