A ray of light in the dark
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | A ray of light in the dark |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1917 |
| length | approx. 81 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Joe May |
| script | Joe May |
| production | Joe May |
| camera | Curt Courant |
| occupation | |
| |
A ray of light in the dark is a German silent film blind drama from 1917. Directed by Joe May , his wife Mia May plays the leading female role. Bruno Kastner embodies the blind .
action
Graf Palm is a sought-after artist. His portraits always flatter the model, and so the attractive painter is often used and courted by the ladies of society. One day Kitty Wellington appears to be portrayed as well. In tow is Countess Lydia von Grabor, whose portrait is disfigured by an ugly nose. Count Gerd, however, looks behind its facade and recognizes a beautiful soul behind the allegedly defaced face. He quickly falls in love with Lydia after he has also painted her as a mother. At a party given by her aunt, Princess Aurelia, Lydia sings a song and now finally enchants Gerd, who immediately confesses his love for her. Then the painter asks for her hand. Lydia can't believe that the talented artist loves her and, out of deep self-doubt, gives him a basket the following day. Gerd is thunderous, but maintains his composure, bows and walks away. When Lydia tries to run after him, it's already too late and he's gone.
Years have passed since then. Lydia had her supposedly disfiguring nose fixed by a cosmetic surgeon and now, finally looking beautiful, she wants to rush to her Gerd immediately. But meanwhile fate has struck mercilessly in his life too. The stupidity of two boys made him blind. About the doctor Dr. Robin, a mutual friend from earlier days, wants Lydia to come back into Gerd's life as "sister Agnes" in order to be of service to him in this way. At first the painter thought he recognized Lydia by her voice, but his valet reassured him: this couldn't be Countess Lydia, this sister Agnes looked completely different in the face. The sisterly services are visibly good for the blind man, he quickly recovers under her care. One day “Sister Agnes” reads him a letter from Lydia, in which she asks her lover's forgiveness and promises to become his wife. After initial skepticism that she would only take this step out of pity, the fake nurse goes to the piano and plays the piece that once enchanted him. And with Lydia's singing, Gerd now realizes who he was looking at all the time. He jumps up, feels his way up to her, and they embrace deeply.
Production notes
A ray of light in the dark was created in November 1917, passed the film censorship the following month and was premiered on December 21, 1917 in the Tauentzienpalast . The length of the four-act act was, depending on the version, 1675 or 1619 meters.
For 18-year-old Curt Courant , this was one of his first films as head cameraman.
Reviews
“A film that was downright an experience. It is difficult to describe in words the tension with which one followed scene after scene. It is a drama of gripping power and interesting content in which Mia May and Bruno Kastner show their grandiose art here. (...) Bruno Kastner portrays the blind man in the most gripping, shocking way. The scenes in which he eats and walks for the first time as a blind man are probably the most grandiose that a film can offer. Mia May embodies the ideal figure of Countess Lydia with so much grace and charm that one is deeply moved and shaken. A brilliant staging, the work of Jo May, first-class equipment and the particularly good, three-dimensional photography are the other advantages. "
Paimann's film lists summed up: "Material, photos and play excellent. Scenery very good."
Individual evidence
- ↑ A ray of light in the dark in Paimann's film lists ( memento of the original from March 16, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
