Eroticon (1920)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title Erotic
Original title Erotic
Country of production Sweden
original language Swedish
Publishing year 1920
length 97 minutes
Rod
Director Mauritz Stiller
script Gustaf Molander ,
Arthur Nordén ,
Mauritz Stiller
production Charles Magnusson
camera Henrik Jaenzon
occupation

Erotikon is a Swedish silent film comedy in five acts by Mauritz Stiller from 1920 .

action

Professor Leo Charpentier is a passionate entomologist and enthusiastically gives lectures on polygamous, monogamous and bigame beetles. His attractive wife Irene uses her free time to shop, but she cannot decide on any of the models at the fur dealer. In front of the shop she meets Baron Felix, a bon vivant, with whom she goes flying as agreed. She is seen at the airfield by sculptor Preben Wells, who is her husband's best friend. He suspects that Irene and Felix are on a secret rendezvous.

In the evening Preben and the old Professor Sidonius appear at the Charpentiers' house, where Leo's niece Marte is staying alongside Irene and Leo. It is she who ties Leo's tie and they both flirt with each other. While playing the piano after dinner, Irene flirts with Preben by playing a love song. Meanwhile, Leo gives Marte sweets. Later in the evening Leo, Irene and Preben go to the opera and see a play about love, deception, jealousy and murder. Leo is not happy because he expects such stories to end happily. Felix is ​​also at the opera and comes to Irene and Leo in the box. Felix and Irene start flirting without Leo noticing them. Preben, however, reacts jealously and leaves the box. Leo suggests that Preben may be in love with Irene.

The next day Irene goes back to the fur shop that she had left undecided the day before. Here she notices that a young woman is buying a boa and has the bill sent to Preben. She is desperate because she believes that Preben has a relationship with the woman - in reality it is just one of his models. Irene walks home disappointed. Shortly afterwards, Preben believes that she sees Irene get out of Felix's car and disappear with him into a hotel. He sees himself confirmed when he drives to the Charpentiers and Irene only reaches the house shortly after him. He accuses her of having an affair with Felix because he has seen her, but she just laughs and says that she went to the fur trader, where his girlfriend also went shopping. Your behavior drives him to despair. In the end they both kiss, but Preben pushes Irene away after a short time. In reference to the opera that she has seen, Irene accuses him of absolutely wanting a tragedy that she will now offer him. She dramatically confesses to Leo that she cheated on him, and Leo is irritated. Preben soon had enough of the situation, but Irene leaves it up to him to ensure that Leo’s preferred good ending.

Preben explains to Leo that Irene is cheating on him with Felix and makes him want to duel with Felix. He goes to bring Felix Leo's card. Marte, in turn, who loves Leo, sends Sidonius a letter to Felix in which she asks for mercy for Leo. After all, Irene has had enough, packs her bags and moves in with her mother. At Felix's place Preben sees the woman he thought was Irene. He recognizes his mistake and now wants to make up for his mistake. However, Leo insists on his rights as a betrayed husband and begins a relationship with Marte. Irene, in turn, wants a divorce from Leo because she wants to remarry. It is only after a little desperation that Preben realizes that Irene has chosen him as her new husband. After the phone call with Leo, in which Irene wishes him all the best for the future with Marte, Irene and Preben fall into each other's arms.

production

Mauritz Stiller shot the comedy Erotikon between the two serious subjects Fiskebyn and Johan . He was based on American salon comedies, which were very successful in Swedish cinemas at the time. At the same time, he took up a narrative technique that he had already rudimentarily implemented in his comedies Thomas Graals bästa film and Thomas Graals bästa barn : The plot does not become humorous through the way it is played, but rather through the context. Film scenes are also introduced by subtitles, which in some cases divert the viewer's expectations in the wrong direction.

Erotikon had its premiere on November 8, 1920 in Sweden. It was a hit with critics and audiences and sold in 45 countries. In Germany, the film opened in cinemas on August 4, 1921 and was first seen on German television on September 18, 1974 on WDR .

Stiller's comedy style, which he had perfected in Erotikon , influenced numerous international directors, including Ernst Lubitsch , Billy Wilder and René Clair . They recognized that the film “can tell 'between the pictures', that it can suggest erotically colored relationships or express emotionally complex contexts, that it enables the director to work with insinuations or ambiguities - all in one witty and witty manner. "

criticism

Reclam's film guide called Erotikon an “ironic-frivolous comedy that was a great success at the time. Stiller's production was lively and elegant. ” Georges Sadoul found that Erotikon was too“ under the influence of the Danish sophisticated drama and the lavish expansion of Hollywood. Swedish film won nothing if it fell into the cosmopolitanism of hotel palaces and sleeping cars, which could only be useful for an Ernst Lubitsch. "

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gösta Werner : The history of the Swedish film. An overview. Deutsches Filmmuseum, Frankfurt am Main 1988, ISBN 3-88799-022-6 , pp. 28-29.
  2. Erotikon (1920): Release dates Svensk Filmdatabas, accessed on May 7, 2012.
  3. ^ Gösta Werner: The history of the Swedish film. An overview. German Filmmuseum, Frankfurt am Main 1988, ISBN 3-88799-022-6 , p. 29.
  4. Erotikon (1920): Commentary . Svensk Filmdatabas , accessed May 7, 2012.
  5. Erotikon. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  6. ^ Gösta Werner: The history of the Swedish film. An overview. German Filmmuseum, Frankfurt am Main 1988, ISBN 3-88799-022-6 , p. 8.
  7. ^ Dieter Krusche, Jürgen Labenski : Reclams film guide. Reclam, Stuttgart 1973, ISBN 3-15-010204-9 , p. 110.
  8. ^ Georges Sadoul : History of the cinematic art. Extended German language edition. Schönbrunn-Verlag, Vienna 1957, p. 146.