Gold earrings
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Gold earrings |
| Original title | Golden Earrings |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1947 |
| length | 95 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Mitchell Leisen |
| script |
Frank Butler Helen Deutsch Abraham Polonsky |
| production | Harry virtue |
| music | Victor Young |
| camera | Daniel L. Fapp |
| cut | Alma Macrorie |
| occupation | |
| |
Golden Earrings is a 1946 American drama directed by Mitchell Leisen with Marlene Dietrich and Ray Milland in the leading roles. The story is based on the novel of the same name (1946) by Yolanda Foldes .
action
Great Britain in the autumn of 1946, shortly after the end of World War II. In a London club, the British Major General Ralph Denistoun receives a message with a pair of gold earrings attached. He takes the next plane and during the flight tells his story to the war correspondent Quentin Reynolds, who noticed his ears pierced.
It began six years ago when England declared war on Germany in 1939. Denistoun, then Colonel, and the young officer Richard Byrd are emissaries of a secret operation in their country and are being held captive in a farmhouse in Germany by a few Nazi agents under the leadership of Gestapo man Hoff. They want to get from their prisoners a formula for a novel poison gas developed by the German professor Krosigk. Denistoun and Byrd manage to overpower their guards. They put on their German uniforms so as not to attract attention in this gulf when they flee, and they part on the way. Everyone should try on their own to track down said professor so that he does not fall into the hands of the enemy. After their (hopefully successful) mission, Byrd and Denistoun agree on a specific meeting point near Freiburg, where Krosigk lives.
When Ralph tries to bury his German uniform in the forest, he hears a gypsy singing. She is in the process of preparing a fish. The heavily made-up and draped woman is called Lydia and lives alone. Since Lydia is well versed in the Black Forest and knows about stealth paths on which one can move largely unnoticed by Denistoun's pursuers, the British agent-colonel sees a good chance to continue his journey in order to track down Professor Krosigk. Lydia, who immediately shows interest in the Englishman, helps him by first removing everything rigidly English from his appearance and completely redesigning him into a southerner or gypsy. She dyes Ralph's face with a dark stain, pierces his ears and gives him a pair of glittering gold-colored earrings and a brightly colored jacket, which the men in Lydia's clan usually wear. She also teaches Ralph things that one should be able to do in her social environment: like reading the future. Colonel Denistoun joins her clan at Lydia's side.
Now the Englishman has the perfect camouflage. But other problems arise: Zoltan, the leader of the Gypsy clan, challenges Ralph to a duel. Lydia demands that the English prove themselves to their clan members. Zoltan also owns the jacket Ralph is wearing. Lydia, Denistoun, and the others camp near the sign where Ralph had arranged to meet with colleague Byrd. Since the main connection road to Freiburg is under the control of the Germans, it is currently impossible to meet Professor Krosigk in the Swabian city. Soon Byrd arrives in funny alpine clothing - he wears knickerbockers and a Tyrolean hat - at the agreed place on the signpost. He does not recognize Denistoun immediately, as Denistoun appears again in his costume. When a formation of Hitler Youth march along the way, "Gypsies" Denistoun reacts quickly and pretends to read Byrd's future from his hand. Ralph thinks to his horror that he can read his compatriot's near death in the lines of his hand. Then the two English separate again. Byrd wants to try again to meet Professor Krosigk.
Lydia tells Denistoun that there is nothing more he can do for his friend, because "doom rules the fate of the man". In fact, Byrd dies a violent death, he is murdered. Before he breathes out the light of life, Byrd Denistoun, who in turn shoots Byrd's murderers, can make it clear that he could not get hold of the poison gas formula. Now it is up to Denistoun to try what he can. He can actually track down Professor Krosigk, but the latter turns out to be suspicious of the British. Since he had contact with the enemy, the scientist was arrested by the Gestapo soon after. Before he disappears behind prison walls, Krosigk gives Denistoun a five-mark note on which the secret formula is written. With Lydia's help, the British Colonel reaches the Rhine in order to escape to France. When they both say goodbye, Ralph, who gives her back the gold orrings he has worn, promises to return to Lydia after the war.
That was six years ago. Denistoun explains war correspondent Reynolds that he is now on his way to Germany to keep his promise. Ralph Denistoun climbs the same mountain on which he separated from Lydia. There she is already waiting for him. Together they continue in the gypsy covered wagon.
Production notes
Golden earrings were turned off between early August and mid-October 1946. The film premiered on August 27, 1947. The film was not shown in cinemas in Germany. The television premiere was on July 6, 1993 on West 3. Here, Golden Earrings was shown as the original with subtitles.
Hans Dreier and John Meehan created the film structures, Sam Comer created the equipment. Gordon Jennings and Farciot Edouart created the visual special effects. Wally Westmore was responsible for the heavy makeup of Marlene Dietrich. Murvyn Vye as the head of the clan Zoltan made his film debut here.
The “Black Forest” scenes were shot in the woods near Portland and Bend (Oregon) before the actual shooting began in July 1946.
Reviews
Almost all of the reviews reacted to this “cinematic robber pistol” with rejection or at least with strong astonishment at how Marlene Dietrich could do such an outrageous story to herself. Below are several examples:
Bosley Crowther wrote in the New York Times : “The fairytale legs of Marlene Dietrich and the remarkable charm of this lady, who we last saw in“ Kismet ”three years ago, can be seen in the Paramount film“ Golden Earrings ”(... ) under bear fat and a pile of gypsy rags. A strangely suicidal impulse apparently drove the studio to want to hide the positive qualities of Miss Dietrich in this film at all costs and to turn her into a dirty scarecrow that the audience should hardly be curious about. (...) And frankly, Miss Dietrich has become the victim of negligent sabotage here, because she is pushed into a role that shows as little of her real advantages as a grandmother role. It is neither attractive nor does it have anything to do with art to see how Dietrich, a prototype of graceful elegance, hops around in dirty rags, smeared with an oily dark ointment. "
“Golden Earrings” is not a super-class art film, but as an entertainment film you don't take it too seriously, great fun. Melodramatic wartime spy films may have gone out of fashion now, but enough exciting incidents and amiable sillinesses have been built into the usual story to make it amusing enough. (...) “La Dietrich” bridges boring moments by strumming on the zither and singing longingly with her deep alto voice (or is it a bass?), Which in a cinema-tested audience in the Paramount cinema is sometimes involuntary laughter, sometimes (with the more susceptible people) provokes wistful sighs. "
The Movie & Video Guide wrote: "Incredible, if still entertaining escapism."
Halliwell's Film Guide called the film "one of the stupidest stories of all time."
In the lexicon of the international film one could read: “War adventure told in flashbacks, in its improbability already ridiculous. Marlene Dietrich hides under dingy costumes and thick make-up. "
Individual evidence
- ^ The New York Times, December 4, 1947
- ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 505
- ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 412
- ↑ Gold earrings. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 1, 2020 .
Web links
- Golden Earrings in the American Film Institute catalog
- Gold earrings in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Golden earrings at filmportal.de