The stars shine

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Movie
Original title The stars shine
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 1938
length 83 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Hans H. Zerlett
script Hans H. Zerlett
production Helmut Schreiber (production group) for Tobis-Filmkunst GmbH, (Berlin)
music Leo Leux
Paul Lincke
Matthias Perl
Ernst Kirsch
Franz R. Friedl
camera Georg Krause
cut Ella Ensink
occupation

and as self-playing guests in alphabetical order:

The stars shine is a German revue film from 1938 by Hans H. Zerlett with a star cast led by the dancer La Jana .

action

Mathilde Birk has - as long as she can remember - a big dream: She absolutely wants to become an actress and make it big in film. So far, she has only made it as a stenographer. But now she wants to take off. She quits her job, separates from her boyfriend and goes to Berlin, where she hopes to be "discovered". Arriving at the film studio, where the film is currently being shot, she introduces herself to the production manager Knutz and immediately asks to be given a role. But not just an appearance in the extra series, no, rather it should be something bigger from the start. However, this tooth is extracted from her very quickly and Mathilde realizes that she too has to start from the bottom up. Right at the beginning she met Carla Walten and her friend Werner Baumann, who were also employed here as extras. Like Mathilde, the hope of becoming stars once drove the two to film. But this dream has long been over, and the couple is happy to have at least a little film experience.

On set , there are many problems. In one scene, the director Hans Holger is not satisfied with the performance of his leading actress Lisa Marven. He thinks she is too old for the role and not versatile enough either. Quite a star, the Marven then creates a huge scene for her director on the set, as she is not used to being ruffled and criticized in such a way. For the ambitious Mathilde, this seems to be the chance of a lifetime, and she takes all courage and speaks to director Holger. She thinks she is the right person for the role, and gets him to promise to make test recordings with her. But when Holger sees Mathilde in conversation with Carla, he is immediately on fire for the unknown extra and gives her the lead role after a brief appraisal. Carla Walten lives completely with the feeling that the breakthrough is finally within reach and then neglects her friend Werner, who feels rejected.

Werner believes that there is more than just a professional development between his Carla and her discoverer and director, especially since Carla sits down with him evening after evening to go through the scenes for the next day. Werner then seeks direct confrontation with Hans Holger at the upcoming film ball. In the following fight, Holger breaks his forearm. Carla then explains to Werner that their relationship is over and takes Holger's side. But he makes it clear to her that his whole and only love is the film.

Meanwhile, Mathilde has made friends with the gaffer Brandt and begins to look at the world of the film more realistically. The simple and honest man is in love with her and proposes marriage to her. Mathilde replies that she doesn't believe that someone who works in film can be loyal. Brandt wants to prove the opposite to her, and they both visit the family man of three, Knutz, at home. Mathilde realizes that a cozy home by the side of an honest husband is worth much more than any intoxicating film career, and she says I do with Brandt.

Production notes

The stars shine , a remake of the early sound film from 1930 The Great Desire , is considered the epitome of the German revue film and, thanks to the participation of around three dozen celebrities from the Third Reich from entertainment and sports, has a star density that has never been seen before or since could see more again. Shooting began on November 27, 1937, the last flap on January 22, 1938. Shooting took place in the Tobis studios in Berlin-Johannisthal . The premiere of the film took place on March 17, 1938 in the Berlin Capitol. The enormous commercial success of the strip led to it light up the stars was shown shortly after the German premiere in many other countries (for example, on 20 May 1938 in the US).

The 17-year-old Berlin debutante Vera Bergman , who plays the leading female role of Carla Walten, emigrated to Italy a little later and has appeared there in an abundance of films since the Second World War . The stars are shining should remain their only German production. The Norwegians Fridtjof Mjøen and Paal Roschberg, largely unknown in Germany, were actors and singers and dancers, respectively. Rosita Serrano , known in Germany as “the Chilean nightingale”, made her film debut here. Leo Leux , who composed the core music for this film, can also be seen in one scene as the composer at the piano. The dances were rehearsed by the native Poland Anthony Nellé, once the first solo dancer in Warsaw and dance partner of Anna Pawlowa . The music texts were provided by director Zerlett, who worked as a copywriter under the pseudonym Hans Hannes, and the long-time songwriter Michael Jarys , Bruno Balz . The orchestra Corny Ostermann played . The production line took Helmut Schreiber and Carl W. Tetting true. The entire equipment was supervised by the Reich set designer Benno von Arent , whose last film activity was this. The film structures were designed by Karl Machus and executed by Bruno Monden . Maria Pommer-Pohl created the costumes, Hans Rütten took care of the sound. Max W. Kimmich and Alfons von Plessen assisted director Zerlett, Heinz Ritter worked as a still photographer on this production.

Rosita Serrano and Rose Rauch sing , La Jana, Paal Roschberg, Ursula Deinert , Fred Becker, Hedi and Margot Höpfner and the Hiller Ballet dance. The London-based Dagenham Girl Pipers , an all-female bagpipe combo, have another appearance .

The idea of ​​using numerous film stars with guest roles as a framework for a story from show business was implemented again and again, especially in Hollywood productions of the 1930s and 1940s, such as We're Switching to Hollywood , Star Spangled Rhythm , Hollywood Canteen or A Great Feeling .

The German television premiere was on 25 October 1982 at the DFF first

Music numbers

  • This is Berlin! (Music: Leo Leux / Hans Hannes (HH Zerlett), text: B. Balz)
  • The sun meant it so well (music: Leux / Hannes, text: Balz)
  • The stars shine (music: Leux / Hannes, text: Balz)
  • Have you seen Miss Molly's new hat? (Music: Leux / Hannes, text: Balz)
  • Hands up! (Music: Leux / Hannes, text: Balz)
  • Little mom, how is your baby? (Music: Leux / Hannes, text: Balz)
  • Dear, esteemed grandmother (music: Matthias Perl / Hannes, text: Balz)
  • It has to be night (music: Ernst Kirsch / Hannes, text: Balz)

Of these pieces of music, the title song Es die Sterne shine , in particular, became a veritable hit. The songs were published by Beboton-Verlag, Berlin.

criticism

“Watched the film. The stars shine ... A generous revue with beautiful women, dances, chansons. No art, but good entertainment. "

- Joseph Goebbels. Diary entry from March 11, 1938

On the occasion of the Vienna premiere on June 24, 1938, the Neue Freie Presse wrote: “A film from the film - as it has never been there! Here you can watch a great film revue develop. Here you will get to know all the details of the film studio business. Here you can experience everyone from the film that you normally do not see: director, production manager, cameraman, lighting technician, assistants and extras at their strenuous work. Here you can see everything that goes into making a great film. You will experience the discovery of a star in a dramatic storyline and gain insights into the wonder of film that will captivate you in an extraordinary way. "

Paimann's film lists found: “The life of filmmakers is shown in not always motivated enough, but characteristic episodes that end loosely and quite abruptly. Fairly generous revue pictures are cleverly built in, but often tear apart the purely action-oriented and become very ends in themselves ”.

“The film The Stars Shine was not conventional, its title made just as much a career as the young extra in the film scene. (...) With all the variety of subplots and impressions, a solid framework of plot held it all together. [...] By the way, the film could have a rather depressing effect on hundreds of unemployed "career aspirants". "

- Bogusław Drewniak: The German Film 1938–1945

Hal Erickson called the strip in the AllMovie Guide a “star-studded musical revue” and a “glorified vaudeville show”.

“Insignificant framework for a revue film in which numerous stars of the German film of the 30s can be seen and heard. A lush self-portrayal of the Nazi entertainment industry. "

The film's large personal lexicon was reminiscent of the flick's big box office success. There it says about director Zerlett: “Soon he was considered a guarantor for big screen entertainment suitable for the masses; In particular, the white coat novel “Doctor from Passion”, the circus flick “Truxa” and the star-studded revue classic “The stars shine” - the last two films made the dancer La Jana the new cinema idol - were extremely popular with the audience. "

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. "The stars shine". In:  Neue Freie Presse , June 24, 1938, p. 11 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / nfp
  2. The stars are shining ( memento of the original from March 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Paimann's film lists @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / old.filmarchiv.at
  3. Bogusław Drewniak: Der deutsche Film 1938–1945 , p. 468. Düsseldorf 1987
  4. "The stars shine" in the AMG
  5. The stars shine. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  6. Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 8: T - Z. David Tomlinson - Theo Zwierski. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , (section The stars shine).