Legacy of the executioner

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Movie
German title Legacy of the executioner
Original title Moonrise
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1948
length 90 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Frank Borzage
script Charles Haas
Original: "Moonrise", novel by Theodore Strauss
production Charles Haas
music William Lava
camera John L. Russell
cut Harry Keller
occupation

Heritage of the Executioner (AKA Moonrise ) is in black and white twisted American film noir directed by Frank Borzage . Grandmother Dane Clark , Gail Russell and Ethel Barrymore star in this detective story based on Theodore Strauss' novel Moonrise .

action

When Jeb Hawkins' wife falls ill and he calls a doctor for help, he is rejected because the symptoms he described would not justify coming immediately. Shortly afterwards, however, Hawkins wife dies, he loses control and kills the doctor. Hawkins is sentenced to death and hanged.

Many years have passed since then when Danny, the son of the dead couple, visited a dance hall. There are also Gilly, his great love, and the banker's son Jerry Sykes. Later that night, Danny is once again raised by Jerry about his father being an executed murderer . In the course of the conversation, the two men also have an argument about Gilly. Since Danny has been confronted with his father's guilt and has been derogatory all his life, he loses control and kills Jerry with a stone. When he realizes what he has done, he tries to cover up the act, which he succeeds at first. However, his conscience cannot be reassured. Even in Gilly's arms, with whom he is now together, he is not forgotten.

When Danny one day visits his dark-skinned friend Mose Johnson in his cabin on the edge of the forest and sees how wild dogs are chasing and killing a raccoon, he fears that the body he buried in the forest could be found by Jerry and linked to him. Boiling hot he remembers that he rammed his pocket knife into a tree that night just before he killed Jerry. When Gilly confronts Danny with the fact that she is worried about Jerry, since no one can see or hear anything from him, his fear increases further. And then Moses actually finds Jerry's already decomposing body. Sheriff Clem Otis is notified and Jerry's body is taken to the coroner for investigation. A bank auditor tells JB Sykes that his son Jerry stole $ 2,000 from the cash register. Sheriff Otis also determines that Jerry Ken Williams, the drummer for the dance hall band, owed money. Otis wants to know from Danny if he saw when Ken left the bandstand during or after the dance. That must be the night Jerry was killed. Danny says he didn't see anything. The next morning, Danny and Gilly meet Sheriff Otis and his wife Martha at the fair . The sheriff overhears Gilly telling Danny that the deaf and dumb, handicapped Billy found his pocket knife not far from where Jerry was killed. When Danny and Gillys climb into the Ferris wheel at the fair, he sees to his discomfort that Otis and his wife are also climbing the carousel and reacts so hectically that he falls from his seat and injures his leg. The carousel starts moving and as fast as he can, Danny limps away from the fair and goes to his friend Mose, where Billy is currently. In a fit of anger, he almost strangles Billy.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Otis and his deputy are looking for Danny in the swamp. Otis had hoped in vain that Danny would come back voluntarily and then tried in vain to find out from Gilly where he could be. Danny has since fled to his grandmother, who lives near Moses' hut. A conversation with the old woman and a visit to his parents' grave make it clear to Danny that he cannot run away from his responsibilities. On the way to the sheriff, he meets the sheriff looking for him and credibly assures him that he has understood that he must answer for his deed. Sheriff Otis then renounces handcuffs and together they go to the prison .

Production and Background

Filming began in late December 1947 and lasted until late January 1948. The film premiered in the United States on April 2, 1948. It was released in cinemas in the Federal Republic of Germany on December 16, 1951. In Austria it started on July 20, 1951 under the title The Executioner's Legacy .

Theodore Strauss' story first appeared in Cosmopolitan in August and September 1946, before it was published in book form . On November 6, 1946, the Los Angeles Times reported that Garson Kanin was planning to purchase the story to be screened with John Garfield and that there was another offer from John Farrow to produce a film with Alan Ladd . Also Burt Lancaster was said to be intended for the male lead. In February 1947 there was talk of James Stewart taking over the male lead. The Hollywood Reporter then reported on October 15, 1947 that Republic Studios had acquired the rights to the novel and entrusted Frank Borzage to direct it. Republic Pictures' specialty at the time was producing low-budget films . The cost of making Moonrise was just under $ 850,000, which was an unusually high budget given that the studio's budget for films was typically $ 50,000. However, Lillian Gish , who was supposed to play a role, declined.

Among the films Frank Borzage made later in his career, Moonrise is considered by some cinema experts to be Borzage's late masterpiece. The film stands out from any other American film in the 1940s and is closer in tone and mood to the poetic realism in French cinema of the 1930s, such as Julien Duvivier's Pépé le Moko (1937) or Marcel Carné's Port of Shadows (1938). Moonrise was a commercial failure at the time that only attracted a few viewers. In order to save money, Borzage did not take outdoor shots, which gave the film an artificially highly stylized atmosphere, but also gave the role of Danny an almost feverishly claustrophobic dream intensity, which begins as an extension of Danny's view of the world, his brooding in the dark finally ends in the twilight. Charles Laughton's film The Night of the Hunter (1955) is comparable in the nightmare sequences to Moonrise and was ignored by the public as much as Moonrise . Moonrise did not go down well with the American audience because the film had more in common with European art film, which the audience at the time didn't really know what to do with. The opening sequence of the film alone demanded a lot from the audience, since the first 15 minutes ran without any significant dialogue and only with sound effects and were more reminiscent of a silent film.

For Borzage this film was a turning point in his career, he alienated himself from Hollywood and fought a drinking problem. He did not return to work until 1955, initially for television, but then made two more films before he died in 1962. Today Moonrise enjoys a good reputation due to its frequent revival festivals. The audience appreciates the advantages of the film. In addition to Borzage's artistic craft, John L. Russell's camera work is also honored in the black and white film. The poetic script by Charles F. Haas can also impress today, as can the portrayal of Dane Clark, Gail Russell, Ethel Barrymore and Harry Morgan (as a deaf-mute) and Rex Ingram in a rare, non-stereotypical role as an African-American actor.

criticism

The lexicon of international film came to the conclusion: “Melodramatic crime film about distress of conscience, fear of hereditary problems and social conditions; solidly staged and played. "

The Los Angeles Times said that some of the scenes that were thought to be key scenes "looked rather ridiculous." The New York Times critic was of the opinion that this was a "melancholy story with people remaining colorless" and asked the old question of which medium could tell a story better. In this case the “book is the better means”. The Washington Post even accused the film of presumptuousness and said what made matters worse was the fact that Republic Studios even “believed” that they had developed “a work of art” with Moonrise. Daily Variety believed the film was one of the best Republic Pictures ever produced, and for viewers who liked stories like this it would be an asset.

Awards

For the Oscars 1949 Earl Crain Sr. and Howard Wilson were in the category "Best Sound" for the Oscar nominated, could, however, against Harry M. Leonard and Arthur of Kirbach that the trophy for the literary adaptation The Snake Pit ( The Snake Pit ) received, not enforce.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Moonrise at TCM - Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  2. ↑ a b c Moonrise TCM - Turner Classic Movies (articles and reviews in English)
  3. ↑ Legacy of the Executioner. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used