Holidays like never before (1950)

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Movie
German title Holidays like never before
Original title The Last Holiday
Country of production United Kingdom
original language English
Publishing year 1950
length 95 minutes
Rod
Director Henry Cass
script JB Priestley
production Stephen Mitchell
A.D. Peters
J.B. Priestley
music Francis Chagrin
camera Ray Elton
cut Monica Kimick
occupation
synchronization

Holiday as never before is a satirical-inspired, British comedy film from the year 1950 by Henry Cass with Alec Guinness in the lead role.

action

The British George Bird is an average citizen through and through, inconspicuous and absolutely inconspicuous. As a young traveling salesman he tries to sell agricultural equipment to the farmers. One day when he went to his family doctor for a routine check-up, he received shocking news: an inoperable tumor was discovered in his abdomen , and this disease has a name: Lampington's disease. According to him, George only had a few weeks to live. His doctor advises him to use the remaining time as best as possible and to enjoy life in luxury. Bird has no relatives or friends, and is also a bachelor. And so he withdrew all his savings from his account and rented an elegant, chic coastal hotel. Otherwise only the "top ten thousand" spend their time on site.

The proverbial “little man” soon attracts the attention of those around him, because although he seems to be wealthy, nobody knows him. After all, the ominous spa hotel guest wears tailor-made suits and his suitcases are full of stickers that show that he must have traveled widely. How are the other guests supposed to suspect that Bird had just bought these two suitcases with the perfectly fitting clothes, the estate of a recently deceased lord, in a second-hand shop? So who is this apparently wealthy gentleman? Since it is not possible to reveal George Bird's true identity, speculations about his origin and his social class are in the air. Does this gentleman with the noble diction and the impeccable tailor-made suits come from the nobility ... but nobody knows anything about it? Mrs. Poole, the hotel's housekeeper, soon discovers the truth, and Bird shares his secret with her. Coming from a small family, the traveling salesman quickly made friends and influence, fell in love with a young admirer and was offered lucrative deals. But these successes only lead George to ponder the bitter irony that he won't have time to enjoy his new fortune.

During a hotel workers' strike, Bird met the old doctor Sir Trevor Lampington, who gave his fatal illness its name. Both gentlemen start a conversation and Bird confides in him. The doctor insists that George couldn't possibly have the disease since he showed no symptoms and contacts the hospital to review the diagnosis. In fact, the hospital was wrong with its diagnosis. George Bird has every reason to be relieved and happy beyond measure. Now at last the little man can make something really big out of his life - thinks George. Bird finally has a woman by his side whom he loves, and big bucks beckons too! On the way back to the hotel, he takes a shortcut through a sleepy village and is killed in a car accident. In the hotel and the surrounding area, where one has meanwhile learned of the "dizziness" about Bird's origins and the lack of wealth, the gossipers are now starting to tear their mouths apart. When one learns of Bird's death, however, the blasphemers fall silent.

Production notes

Holidays like never before was created in 1949 in Luton and Torquay, among other places, and was premiered on May 3, 1950. The film had its German premiere on television on February 21, 1961 on ARD .

Duncan Sutherland designed the film structures, Ann Wernyss the costumes.

David McCallum (1897-1972), who briefly appeared in one scene, was a well-known British violinist and the father of the actor of the same name and US series stars ( solo for ONCEL ) .

The film experienced a smoothed American remake in 2005 with Once Again Holidays , which, however, took the sting of the first film with the Hollywood-like happy ending.

synchronization

role actor Voice actor
George Bird Alec Guinness Wolfgang Borchert
Sheila Rockingham Beatrice Campbell Bettina Schön
Derek Rockingham Brian Worth Götz Clarén
Mrs. Poole Kay Walsh Tilly Lauenstein
Sir Trevor Lampington Ernest Thesiger Ernst Stahl replica
Chalfont Wilfrid Hyde-White Otto Matthies
Joe Clarence Sidney James Hans Emons
Daisy Clarence Jean Colin Edith Schollwer
Lady Oswington Muriel George Berta Drews
Inspector Wilton Bernard Lee Heinz Giese
Miss Mellows Helen Cherry Agi Prandhoff
Gambini Coco Aslan Curt Ackermann
Sir Robert Kyle Moultrie Kelsall Paul Wagner
Dinsdale Lockwood West Bruno W. Pantel
Minister Bellinghurst Campbell Cotts Axel Monjé
Prescott Brian Oulton Erich Fiedler
Dr. Pevensey Ronald Simpson Hans Zesch-Ballot
Mr. Wrexham Eric Maturin Kurt Waitzmann

Reviews

Bosley Crowther wrote in the New York Times that a vacation like never before is "an amusing and touching little film" that is "simple and humble in its presentation and wonderfully rich in its texture."

The lexicon of the international film judges: “Snappy comedy full of humor, which is well aware of the seriousness of life and death; especially convincing Alec Guinness. "

The Movie & Video Guide located a “funny, snappy script” and “proven portrayals of everyone”.

Halliwell's Film Guide found the film to be "lightweight, amusing and moving" at the same time.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Holidays like never before in the German dubbing index
  2. ^ The New York Times, November 14, 1950
  3. ↑ Holidays like never before. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 1, 2020 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  4. ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 727
  5. ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 580

Web links