A certain Mr. Gran
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | A certain Mr. Gran |
 | |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1933 |
| length | 101 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Gerhard Lamprecht |
| script |
Philipp Lothar Mayring , Fritz Zeckendorf |
| production | Bruno Duday |
| music | Hermann Schulenburg |
| camera | Eduard Hoesch |
| occupation | |
| |
A certain Mr. Gran is a German agent and espionage film from 1933 by Gerhard Lamprecht . Hans Albers and Albert Bassermann , who gave his farewell performance to German film , play the main roles as the two opponents.
action
Some agents from an unspecified country ambush an Italian engineer in order to gain possession of important and top-secret construction plans for a strategically important electromagnetic anti- aircraft defense system. This device is said to be able to bring aircraft engines to a standstill from a great distance, a revolutionary invention for defense against bomber squadrons and invasions from the air. The engineer is killed in the attack. Unfortunately, there are no duplicates of these records, so secret service man Captain Bergall is tasked with retrieving the documents. In order not to attract attention, he operates incognito and henceforth calls himself Gran for his mission. This is the name he stays at the Hotel Danieli in Venice. There he met Viola Dolleen, the blonde daughter of a rich shipowner. But the competition has already arrived in the form of Captain Gordon. He's also behind the documents here, but Gran can initially take it out of circulation with the help of Viola, whom Gordon has been keeping an eye on for a long time.
Thanks to an unnoticed bugged conversation that a certain Mervin is having with an Italian named Beppo, Gran learns that they are both responsible for the attack. The secret papers were passed on to the art dealer Tschernikoff, who in turn intended to sell the construction plans on to his competitor, Gordon. As long as Gordon is checkmate, Gran wants to use this chance. He goes to Tizian in Chernikoff's art shop in Rome and pretends to be Captain Gordon. But old Tschernikoff is a clever fox and has his doubts whether this man is really Gordon. He had been reported from Venice of the sudden appearance and disappearance of a certain Mr. Gran.
Change of location. In the remote, stately villa of Tschernikoff, his much younger wife Bianca and the young painter Pietro Broccardo have embarked on a violent love affair. She even let the gentle artist paint her naked. When her husband returns home, Pietro has to make the act disappear in no time and unceremoniously wraps it up so as not to make Tschernikoff suspicious. Gran's appearance made Tschernikoff restless. In a moment of inattention, instead of taking a portrait of his wife, he accidentally grabs the wrapped nude with Bianca. The art dealer explains that he needs the portrait for an exhibition. As expected, however, it is by no means about the portrait, but about the secret documents hidden behind the painting, which Tschernikoff now absolutely wants to have taken out of the house and sold. But since the fence took the wrong picture with him, the construction drawings are still in Tschernikoff's villa. When Mr Gran learns of this, he rushes into the house, where a fire suddenly breaks out, and saves the important documents from being burned down. Then he explains himself to Viola, who initially mistook him for a magician and later a crook and impostor, and they both plan to marry.
Production notes
A certain Mr. Gran was created between mid-May and mid-July 1933 and was premiered on August 15, 1933 in the Ufa-Palast am Zoo . The exterior shots were taken in Venice and Rome. The Vienna premiere was planned for September 22, 1933.
The production line had Bruno Duday , the musical director Hans-Otto Borgmann . The film structures were created by the duo Hans Sohnle and Otto Erdmann . Hermann Fritzsching provided the sound . Erich Holder was assistant director, Heinz Ritter was a still photographer.
A French-language version of this film was also produced under the title “Un certain Monsieur Grant”. Only Walter Rilla and Olga Chekhova played their roles in the German original.
Reviews
In the Neue Freie Presse of September 24, 1933, it says: "This time Albers is, although he has of course again to play a daredevil, a Hans Dampf in all alleys and dangers, of very pleasant simplicity and naturalness, fresh, amiable, funny, a nice, charming person… And the other pleasant surprise is the film itself. (…) In terms of content, the story is not entirely new. But the skilful screenwriter Philipp L. Mayring tells it very nicely and diversely, with human episodes and lots of humor. And the director Gerhard Lamprecht gives its speed, intensification and strong visual appeal. Also a film worth seeing as an actor. In addition to the casual and charming daredevil of Hans Albers, the calm, mature art of Albert Bassermann is even more prominent. He plays a grand seigneur of villainy, so to speak, elegant, superior, in every look, every nuance of a splendid achievement. (…) And between boldness and danger r, revolver shots and explosions, there is a whole picture book of nature shots as a pleasant change: Venice, Rome, Italian landscape, all so charmingly captured and filled with real southern air ... "
Paimann's film lists summed up: “The highly detailed subject is exciting without being forced or sensational, it gains through Albers' personal potency. He is informal, personable, in a good mood, speaks point-safe, unsolicited, nuanced dialogue. The tasteful direction creates a real atmosphere, carefully feels the selected ensemble. (...) Photography is completely satisfying visually and motivically. (...) Overall quality: Well above average. "
"The German acting veteran Hans Albers plays the mysterious Mr. Gran, who not only finally gets the documents, but also the hand of the blonde Karin Hardt, who does not appear as attractive in the role of the rich society lady as she does as a simple girl in" Die Blonde Christl "was. Albert Bassermann, an exceptional German actor of the older generation, has the largest share as a Russian-Italian art dealer, whose most lucrative business is trading in diplomatic secrets, with the help of the always capable Olga Chekhova. "
“The great opponent of Hans Albers is Albert Bassermann. It is a pleasure to admire this great actor completely absorbed in this character. Here is a skill that is based on the sovereign mastery of all artistic means, while Albers offers unadulterated nature in his skills. The resulting contrast between the two main actors gives the film a particularly attractive note. "
See also
Web links
- A certain Mr. Gran in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- A certain Mr. Gran at filmportal.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ "A certain Mr. Gran". In: Neue Freie Presse , September 24, 1933, p. 18 (online at ANNO ).
- ↑ A certain Mr. Gran in Paimann's film lists ( Memento of the original from September 13, 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.
