Friendly Enemies (1942)

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Movie
Original title Friendly enemies
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1942
length 95 minutes
Rod
Director Allan Dwan
script Adelaide Heilbron
production Edward Small
music Lucien Moraweck
camera Edward Cronjager
cut William F. Claxton ,
Grant Whytock
occupation

Friendly Enemies (German friendly enemies ) is a American film drama by Allan Dwan from the year 1942. Charles Winninger and Charlie Ruggles play to the USA emigrated friends whose friendship during the First World War has to prove itself. James Craig and Nancy Kelly are cast in leading roles . The script goes back to a piece written by Aaron Hoffman and Samuel Shipman, which ran from July 1918 to August 1919 on Broadway under the same title . It was first filmed in 1925.

Jack Whitney was nominated for the film at the 15th Academy Awards in 1943 in the category "Best Sound" for an Oscar .

action

World War I: Karl Pfeiffer, a native German, disapproves of American President Woodrow Wilson's decision to send American troops to Europe. He fears for the people in his fatherland who could be killed by the Allied troops. Pfeiffer, who got rich in the brewery industry in America, is still proud of his German fatherland. The idea of ​​how he could best contribute to peace is growing in his head, which makes him open to the manipulations of the saboteur Anton Miller. Miller introduces himself to Pfeiffer as George Stewart and finds it easy to convince Pfeiffer to donate $ 50,000 to what he says is a propaganda campaign aimed at ending the war. He orders the swindler to come to his apartment on the Upper East Side for the next day , where he will hand him a check.

The evening before the handover, Maria, Pfeiffer's wife for 30 years, and June Block, his future daughter-in-law, prepare a dinner to which June's father, Henry Block, is invited. Henry Block is a German-American who has integrated well into his new home country and holds political views that are in contrast to those of his friend Karl Pfeiffer. It also follows that once the two men are together, an argument between them can hardly be avoided. Since Karl rarely holds back with his opinion and his explosive temperament is known to everyone who has anything to do with him, his family has so far kept from him the fact that his son William has joined the American army. The secret can no longer be hidden, however, as William talks to his family about an earlier wedding date that evening due to an early departure of his regiment. Karl Pfeiffer is so shocked by this fact that he leaves the apartment without a word. The next day he tries in vain to influence his son to reconsider his decision.

When the fake Stewart picks up the check for $ 50,000 from Karl, he realizes that Karl is a friend of Henry, who is even wealthier than Pfeiffer. He asks Karl to enable him to meet Henry.

William is on his way to Europe on a ship with his troops when Karl is instructed by Miller what he has used his money for. He proudly reports that the ship on which the American soldiers, including William, are, is being sunk. Karl is shocked by his mistake and that he believed Miller to want to do something for peace. He swears revenge and is determined to kill Miller. When he talks about it with his friend Henry, he keeps a cool head and together they make the decision to arrest the saboteur Miller. When Miller appears at Karl's house to meet Henry, the men trick him into revealing his true identity, whereupon the police appear and arrest him.

Fortunately, it turns out that Karl's son did not fall victim to the ship tragedy. He returns safely to his homeland. The luck of being able to embrace his son again makes Karl rethink his previous political convictions, which even goes so far that his family is only supposed to refer to the beloved apple strudel as Applepie. Karl celebrates his new patriotic attitude with his family and together with them he joins in when a choir sings the song My Country, 'Tis of Thee .

production

Production notes

The film was produced by Edward Small Productions and distributed by United Artists . Filming began on February 5 and lasted until mid-March 1942.

background

Edward G. Boyle was responsible for the film construction. Sharon Douglas was featured on the cast list of the film industry's magazine The Hollywood Reporter . The film was preceded by a foreword by American President Woodrow Wilson , who was in office in World War I , which is said to have been a novelty. The promotional material for the film pointed out the difficulties Ken Walton had had in getting a German-language newspaper as a prop for the film at a time when the FBI was strictly monitoring printing bans for German publications. The film was first adapted for the screen in 1925 by George Melford .

reception

publication

On June 19, 1942, the film premiered in New York. On June 21, 1942, the film ran generally in the United States. On December 10, 1943 it was published under the title Enemigos amistosos in Mexico, on December 3, 1946 in London and on July 17, 1953 under the title Vaarallinen asiamies in Finland. It was also shown under the title Inimigos Amistosos in Brazil and under the title Amichevole rivalità in Italy.

criticism

TS critic saw the film for The New York Times . Above all, he criticized the fact that the film set in World War I was now overtaken by another war and the endless arguments of a couple of hot-headed old German immigrants, one fully behind his new home and the other still in love with his fatherland, namely the Generation 1918 may have plunged into a rosy mood, but the whole thing seems synthetic today and makes the comedy as difficult as a German dumpling. What gave rise to tears in one way or another in 1918 seemed simply artificial in 1942, even if Charles Winninger and Charles Ruggles, as choleric sparring partners, did their best to breathe a little life into the old story. The performance of Ilka Grüning as 'Mama' Pfeiffer and James Craig and Nancy Kelly is said to be hectic, and the romantically minded children are almost as colorless as the script suggests. This story may have made a leisurely comedy twenty-five years ago, but is now just strangely sentimental and monotonous.

Award

Academy Awards 1943 :

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Friendly Enemies sS ibdb.com (English)
  2. ↑ Friendly Enemies Screenplay Info sS TCM (English)
  3. ↑ a b Friendly Enemies Notes sS TCM - Turner Classic Movies (English)
  4. ↑ The 15th Academy Awards | 1943 sS oscars.org (English)
  5. ↑ Friendly Enemies Overview sS TCM (English)
  6. ↑ TS: "Friendly Enemies", With Ruggles and Winninger, Opens at the Rivoli
    In: The New York Times , June 22, 1942 (English). Retrieved February 27, 2018.