Dangers of the bridal period

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Movie
Original title Dangers of the bridal period
Country of production German Empire
original language German
Publishing year 1930
length 89 (1930), 81 (1998) minutes
Rod
Director Fred Sauer
script Walter Wassermann
Walter Schlee
production Arthur Strauss
camera László Schäffer
occupation

Dangers of the Bridal Time is a German silent film comedy from 1929 by Fred Sauer with Willi Forst and Marlene Dietrich in the leading roles

action

The young Baron van Geldern is a charmer and womanizer like he is in the book. The ladies he charms are at his feet. In doing so, however, he also incurred the stalking and violent anger of so many men from whom he spurned his fairies. In order to protect himself from their jealous desire for revenge, van Geldern always uses the same trick as, for example, with the beautiful Yvette: If the husband or lover turns up, the young lady is quickly expedited through the back door and any maid at hand instead put in the still warm lotter bed. If the mad, jealous man storms into the bedchamber and looks under the blanket, of course the wrong person is in it, and the suspicious man disappears as quickly as he appeared ashamed. So Baron van Geldern has so far cheated his way through love life without even getting a scratch. But he made a mistake with Yvette: Her garter belt was still in the room, and this time the husband belonging to Yvette tried to blow the light of life out of the fleeting understanding of women in a wild chase over hill and dale. That would already be the end of Baron van Geldern, if the participant in a hunt, an American named McClure, did not suddenly appear, who thanks to his courageous intervention - he knocks the gun out of the hand of the furious deceived person - prevents the sex addicted baron from his life exhales.

Shortly afterwards, van Geldern's life is again in danger. In order to help his new friend, he checks the origins of a light-hearted lady named Florence Miller, with whom he immediately starts dating. Florence is a member of a band of robbers who are only after McClure treasures that are stored in his safe. Van Geldern is able to prevent the worst, the robbery, but this time too McClure rescues him from the greatest mortal danger. From then on, van Geldern and his lifesaver McClure became very close friends. When the American was relaxing in Scheveningen in the Netherlands, he invited the baron to visit him. He even advises van Geldern of a real surprise. The baron is happy to answer his call. On the way he once again met a charming young lady, with whom he fell hopelessly in love at first sight. A landslide on a railway line forces train passengers to spend the night in a small train station. The following night, von Geldern and the beautiful stranger, Evelyne Carstens from Hamburg, fall in love. She tells the Womanizer a heartbreaking story, namely that in order to save her father, who was in dire financial straits, she had to marry an (unloved) man - as a thank you for having promised her his help. The next morning van Geldern's romantic acquaintance has disappeared. The baron is deeply saddened because he could have imagined a future together with her. But that's the way they are, the "dangers of the bridal season".

When van Geldern and McClure meet again, the nobleman is amazed: The beautiful train is none other than McClure's “surprise”, namely his future bride (who actually doesn't want him). When McClure is absent for a moment, the two lovers have a discussion. Van Geldern tells Evelyn that he could never do it to his two-time lifesaver to relax his bride and therefore wants to leave immediately. Evelyne, in turn, asks her lover, van Geldern, to tell McClure the whole truth, because they would love each other! McClure, of all people, bursts into this debate. Evelyne manages to hide with difficulty. With a smile, McClure suspects that one of van Geldern's little girls is hiding here again. But then his features slip away when he sees a lorgnon lying around that he had just given to his bride! Knowing what an unscrupulous “greyhound” van Geldern is, the madly jealous man draws completely wrong conclusions, pulls out a revolver and shoots the alleged rival. The baron is badly injured, but pretends to be unhurt. Evelyne and McClure leave the room excitedly. With the last of his strength, van Geldern dragged himself to the revolver that had been left behind and took it in his hand in order, lying dying, to fake a suicide as the last service of friendship to McClure. Meanwhile, Evelyne explains the whole story to McClure: How she met van Geldern and that she fell in love with him and that McClure only wanted to marry out of gratitude for the help for her father. The American has an understanding and then releases Evelyne. He leads her back to van Geldern's room, but he has died in the meantime.

Production notes

The shooting took place from September to October 1929 in the studios of Staaken and in Scheveningen (exterior shots). The premiere was on February 21, 1930 in Berlin's Roxy Palace. 68 years later, the film was shown again in a restored (and somewhat shorter) version on July 2, 1998 in Weimar.

Producer Arthur Strauss also took over the production management. Max Heilbronner designed the film structures, Robert Leistenschneider was the production manager.

useful information

Marlene Dietrich's second film collaboration with her Austrian colleague Willi Forst was already dangerous during the brewing period . They both stood together in front of the camera in Vienna in 1927 in the film Café Elektric . Dietrich's last silent film was also dangers of the bridal period . Immediately after filming was finished, on November 4, 1929, she began working on her first sound film The Blue Angel , which heralded her breakthrough as a world star.

Reviews

“It is only towards the end of the film that you discover why it is called“ The Dangers of Bridal Time ”. Baron Geldern's love affair would have been a more appropriate title. This stereotypically smiling, young baron (Willi Forst), who seems to have nothing else to do in the world than adventure and collect art treasures on the side, almost fell victim to the bullet of a rival, almost fell victim to the love affair with an elegant impostor Forfeited jewels and fortunes and then really ends up being shot by the best friend from whom he almost stole the bride. Even if the careless cavalier's gimmicks become serious, his fate, constructed by Walter Wassermann and Walter Schlee all too improbably, leaves us cold. "

“After all, Fred Sauer took on this magazine story, obviously put a lot of care and effort into it, and cleverly put a few good average actors in front. Above all Willy [sic!] Forst, who surprises with his discreet, finely pointed game. Marlene Dietrich is very delicate, very reserved, but only an outline, not a person. Stahl-Nachbaur reveals its “rich American” cliché. Elza Temary plays a gifted impostor. ”

“The… whole film… resembles one of those D-Zug novels that you read out between departure and arrival, a story-rich book without background or problems, resembles, as I said, good, pleasant travel reading. The screenwriters Walter Wassermann and Walter Schlee did a good job. Sure connoisseurs of the public's taste, they have come up with an exciting fable. (...) A very useful material that will be liked everywhere. Fred Sauer transformed it into a good film. The nice, talented, still far too little busy Willi Forst and the beautiful, expressive Marlene Dietrich play the main roles. "

“Walter Wassermann and Walter Schlee tried to construct a manuscript around Marlene Dietrich, with a certain reference to The Woman One Longs for . (...) An attempt to create a framework for Marlene Dietrich's art. But an attempt that occasionally slips into the cumbersome and contrasts with the fluctuating beginning of the amours of the then converted to serious love. But Fred Sauer makes something out of this filming process with rhythm. He brings this easy beginning with the women, who pass quickly by in turns, fluently and easily, and then puts his emphasis on the turn to the tragic, on the game of the three people. Willi Forst has become astonishingly mature. Excellent how he finds the transition, how he understands how to cover up the break in the manuscript when designing his role. "

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Vossische Zeitung, Berlin, No. 91, of February 22, 1930
  2. ^ Neue Berliner Zeitung - 12-Uhr-Blatt, Berlin, Volume 12, No. 45, from February 22, 1930
  3. ↑ rn. in Lichtbildbühne, Berlin, Volume 23, No. 46, from February 22, 1930
  4. ^ Film-Kurier , Berlin, Volume 12, No. 47, from July 22, 1930

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