Your twelve men
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Your twelve men |
| Original title | Her Twelve Men |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1954 |
| length | 91 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Robert Z. Leonard |
| script |
William Roberts , Laura Z. Hobson |
| production |
John Houseman , Jud Kinberg |
| music | Bronislau caper |
| camera | Joseph Ruttenberg |
| cut | George Boemler |
| occupation | |
| |
Your Twelve Men (Original Title: Her Twelve Men ) is an American comedy film with Greer Garson from 1954.
action
Jan Stewart is hired as the first female teacher in a private school for boys. Although she has no educational experience whatsoever , she became Dr. Avord Barrett, the school principal, recommended by an influential family. Barrett is now preparing Jan for her new job by informing her about her twelve future protégés and their family background. Another teacher, Joe Hargrave, points out that most boys are homesick early in the school year and are neglected by their wealthy parents. In her first lesson, Jan clearly finds it difficult to assert himself as an authority in her class. When she finds out one evening that her students are hiding a little puppy in their bedroom, she promises them that she will work to ensure that they can keep the little dog. However, Joe explains to her that it is not right to win the affection of her students by making such concessions. The next day, however, Jan catches her colleague helping the boys to build an enclosure for the puppy in the stable.
After Bobby, one of the boys, received a call from his parents, who are currently on vacation on the French Riviera , telling their son that he should spend Christmas alone at boarding school again, Jan tries to comfort him. When several months passed and Bobby did not receive a single message from his parents, Jan wrote a letter, signed it on behalf of Bobby's mother and presented it to the sad boy. Meanwhile, widower Richard Y. Oliver Sr. has his spoiled son Richard Jr. enrolled in school. His aggressive behavior alienates his new classmates. When one night out of boredom he set off the fire alarm and the entire class was punished by Headmaster Barrett, the other boys despised him all the more.
When Richard breaks his leg as a result of a prank by the boys, his father has him taken out of school. Principal Barrett assigns Jan to escort Richard home. On the way to Houston , Texas , Jan tries to talk Richard into conscience. When they arrive in Houston and Jan is preparing to travel back, Richard begs them not to leave him. His father finally cancels an upcoming business trip to spend more time with his son. Jan also agrees to stay with them in Texas for a few days. When Jan returns to school with the Olivers, Richard makes a genuine effort to get along with the other students. Meanwhile, Joe is jealous of Richard Sr., who openly expresses his affection for Jan. When it comes to an argument between Jan and Joe, Jan resigns from her position as a teacher. That same evening Richard Sr. made her a marriage proposal, which she promptly accepted. Headmaster Barrett then received the news that Bobby's parents would not show up for his graduation ceremony, so that Jan was again forced to read Bobby a supposed letter from his mother. Joe hears her reciting the loving lines to the boy and notices that she is improvising and is actually holding another piece of paper in her hands. Joe then gives her a kiss and tells her that she has proven herself to be a good teacher.
While Jan is preparing for her departure with the Olivers, "her twelve men" give her a parting present. At the same time they try to persuade her to stay. Overwhelmed by her feelings, she decides to continue her work as a teacher in the private school. She also makes a new decision for her private happiness: She runs after Joe and takes him in her arms.
background
Her Twelve Men , Greer Garson's last film under her long-standing MGM contract, is based on Louise Baker's story Snips and Snails , which was published as a series in several issues of the American magazine Ladies Home Journal . In 1952, MGM acquired the film rights for $ 35,000. Writer William Roberts and Laura Z. Hobson then wrote Baker's story into a script.
The film premiered in New York on August 11, 1954 . However, neither the critics nor the audience were impressed with the comedy. With grossing $ 1,418,000, your twelve men made a loss of approximately $ 863,000. In Germany, the film was first shown on TV on September 12, 1992 by ARD .
Reviews
At the time, Bosley Crowther of the New York Times found that Greer Garson's "special trademark, that sun-like aura" was "so artificial" in your twelve men that it "burns you instead of warming your heart". The screenplay by William Roberts and Laura Z. Hobson was "an absolutely flimsy matter that shows no understanding for the problems of boys and their teachers." The fact that the film was shot in color makes “its inadequacies all too clear”.
Craig Butler of the All Movie Guide was of the opinion that your twelve men were “certainly not a bad movie”, but still “a second-rate […] flick” that “rarely” had surprises to offer and “with a little too much Sentimentality ”. Greer Garson appreciates the film, however, "just by her sheer presence" and is able to "breathe life into her role". The production, including Joseph Ruttenberg's camera work, was "impressive as always". In retrospect, film critic Leonard Maltin criticized the film's “maudlin script”, which ultimately was “a failed attempt”, “the success of goodbye to repeat Mr. Chips ”.
For the lexicon of international film , your twelve men was a "medium-sized comedy about a widowed teacher who is made difficult by a class of 12". Cinema simply found the film “[z] u shallow”.
Web links
- Your twelve men in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Your twelve men at Turner Classic Movies (English)
- Pictures of the film on cinema.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Michael Troyan: A Rose for Mrs. Miniver. The Life of Greer Garson . The University Press of Kentucky, 1999, pp. 257-259.
- ↑ “The particular brand of golden sunshine that Greer Garson is called upon to shed in Her Twelve Men […] is so obviously manufactured and falls on such artificial ground that it scorches rather than nurtures […]. The William Roberts and Laura Z. Hobson script is a work of most specious contrivance, without a shred of solid understanding of the problems of boys or their teachers. [...] The picture is filmed in color, which only highlights its tinsel qualities. " Bosley Crowther : 'Her Twelve Men' Is at 60th St. Trans-Lux . In: The New York Times , August 12, 1954.
- ↑ “ Men is certainly not a bad film, but it's a derivative […] picture that rarely surprises and lays on the sentiment a tad too thickly. [...] Garson helps matters, of course, simply by her mere presence, and she makes the part come alive [...]. The production, including Joseph Ruttenberg's cinematography, is dependably impressive. " Craig Butler, cf. omovie.com
- ↑ “Maudlin script […]. A failed attempt to repeat the success of Goodbye, Mr. Chips . " Leonard Maltin : Leonard Maltin's 2005 Movie Guide . Plume 2004, p. 616.
- ↑ Your twelve men. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 2, 2019 .
- ↑ cf. cinema.de