Movie crazy
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Movie crazy |
| Original title | Movie crazy |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1932 |
| length | 98 (USA 1932), 84 (Germany 1950) minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director |
Clyde Bruckman Harold Lloyd (anonymous) |
| script | Vincent Lawrence |
| production | Harold Lloyd (anonymous) |
| music | Alfred Newman |
| camera | Walter Lundin |
| cut | Bernard W. Burton |
| occupation | |
| |
Film Crazy (Original title: Movie Crazy ) is an American slapstick comedy from 1932 with Harold Lloyd in the lead role.
action
Harold Hall, a friendly young man with horn-rimmed glasses, is a typical American provincial. He has long dreamed of one day making a career in film in Hollywood. After a misunderstanding regarding the application photo he had attached, Hall actually received an invitation to test shoots in a film studio. As soon as he arrives, Hall turns out to be a real unlucky fellow and clumsy, who soon makes the studio managers' hair stand on end. Hall can neither pack a bag properly nor does he understand that the phone has to ring before you pick up the receiver. When he then mistakenly puts on the “magic cloak” of a magician in order to invite himself in this outfit to the party of Mrs. Kitterman, the wife of a film producer, everything finally goes wrong.
Harold Hall proves to be a "party crasher" of the highest order. While dancing with the hostess, he accidentally presses the button for a fake flower, supposedly a gardenia , from which a jet of water promptly spurts out. When a little white mouse crawls out and makes itself comfortable on the fur collar of Harold's coat, all women present immediately start screeching, especially since the cute little animal finds it much cuddly on Mrs. Kitterman's neck. Harold does not understand all the excitement and is calm in the whole hubbub. In order not to cause even more excitement, he immediately grabs the next creature from the rich fund of the magic cloak by the ears. It's a rabbit, but where should it go? Well, Harold Hall believes it would be best to hide Meister Lampe right on the table under a dish warming bell. A drunken party guest immediately thinks he can't believe his eyes when the little animal crawls out with a lettuce leaf in its mouth. Another party guest is already delirious and is no longer surprised by anything about his alcohol levels.
Soon other mice appear, and the chaos seems perfect as they hit the dance floor and scurry between the legs of the hysterical ladies. Harold himself then discovers a few chicken eggs, which he wants to get rid of as a makeshift without considering the consequences. Finally, the magician turns up and angrily demands his magical cloak back. Harold is right about that, as this idiosyncratic piece of clothing brought him nothing but trouble. As much as Harold Hall threw this party in the truest sense of the word and everyone agrees that he is out of the question for the film role originally intended for him ... Producer Kitterman is absolutely certain after Harold's contributions in the studio and at the party that this awkward country girl, who cannot be disturbed by anything, has a gifted talent as a comedian. And so Harold Hall can still take off in Hollywood, albeit differently than hoped.
Production notes
Movie Crazy was released in American cinemas on August 12, 1932. At a production cost of about $ 675,000, the film grossed over 1,439,000 in the United States alone. The film could be seen in Germany from November 11, 1932. The West German post-war premiere was on April 8, 1950. Here the strip was also shown under the title Harold Lloyd, film crazy . In 1980 a newly dubbed version was produced.
The buildings were created by Harry Oliver and William MacDonald.
The basic idea of the film was reused in 1967 in the British comedy Der Partyschreck with Peter Sellers in the Lloyd role.
Reviews
“A great comedy full of laughs that come out of your stomach. A sure-fire success. "
"Mr. Lloyd isn't far from his very best in ' Movie Crazy '. (…) Mr. Lloyd is, there is really no need to mention it anymore, a completely mechanical comedian. He has neither the subtle nonsense of Groucho Marx nor the tragic humor of Charlie Chaplin. His gags are physical, obviously made in Hollywood's better gag factories ... "
“Loaded with gags, some of which may be old or fairly obvious (…) The film is de facto a string of slapstick adventures with sound, and Mr. Lloyd has a keen sense for having these experiences with a serious attitude, he reaps but his reward in the form of diaphragmatic laughter. "
Paimann's film lists summed up: “Film America makes a little fun of itself in the humorous, punchy subject, parodies the world of the studio without falling into convulsive comedy. The direction doesn’t lose the smallest nuance of his jokes and puns, doesn’t tolerate any dead spots. For Harold Lloyd, who still has his strength in the silent parts, the excellent dubbed dialogue offers new possibilities. Selected ensemble, technically high standard. "
In the lexicon of international films it says: "Lloyd's best sound film comedy, which cleverly makes his foolishness, which is dominant in sound film, the fulcrum of his comedy and makes proven sequences from earlier successes (e.g. ' The Sports Student ') appear in new splendor."
The Movie & Video Guide wrote: "Lloyd's best sound film recaptures the spirit of its silent film comedy successes".
Halliwell's Film Guide characterized the film as follows: "The silent comedian is not quite up to par with this early sound comedy, but it contains his last standout sequences, but this likeness of Hollywood is both amusing and nostalgic."
Web links
- Movie Crazy in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- full review in the New York Times
- full review in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Individual evidence
- ↑ Film crazy in Paimann's film lists ( Memento of the original from May 1, 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.
- ↑ Movie crazy. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide , 1996 edition, p. 882
- ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide , Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 698
