Jakobowsky and the Colonel (film)

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Movie
German title Jakobowsky and the Colonel
Original title Me and the Colonel
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1958
length 109 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Peter Glenville
script Samuel Nathaniel Behrman ,
George Froeschel
production William Goetz
music George Duning
camera Burnett Guffey
cut William A. Lyon ,
Charles Nelson
occupation

Jakobowsky and the Colonel (original title: Me and the Colonel ) is a tragicomic black and white film from 1958. The plot is based on Franz Werfel's play Jacobowsky and the Colonel and thematizes the relationship between a Jew and a Colonel , both of which despite their initial dislike of each other Need to stick together to survive World War II .

action

In Paris in 1940, the Polish Jew Samuel L. Jakobowsky learned that France was about to be occupied by the Germans. He decides to leave Paris as soon as possible. The Polish Colonel Thaddäus Prokoszny and his companion Szabuniewicz also live in the inn where he is staying. Since the Germans are looking for the colonel, he has to travel to the north coast of Spain as quickly as possible. A submarine is supposed to pick him up from there and bring him back to Great Britain . Jakobowsky, who grew up with the colonel in the same small Polish town, offers him a mutual escape, which the colonel refuses. Through his position, he believes that he has to pretend to be anti-Semites . When Jakobowsky found the last car in Paris, a Rolls-Royce , and gasoline, he agreed and the three of them left Paris at the last moment.

It quickly becomes apparent that the colonel who drives the car is not taking the planned route via Orléans , but is making a detour to Reims to pick up his lover Suzanne. Since Reims is already completely occupied by the German army, this is a dangerous undertaking.

While the three dissimilar people are still on their way, Suzanne Roualet thinks she has already heard the colonel and opens her front door with joy. In front of it, however, is the German major von Bergen, who orders a meal in the (already closed) inn Suzannes. After the meal he becomes intrusive, but Suzanne can keep him at bay by telling him about her Polish friend, whom she claims to be a husband. Amazed at this, the major lets go of her and also has to leave the inn due to a sudden order from his superior.

A few minutes later, Jakobowsky's group reached the inn. Overjoyed, the Colonel and Suzanne embrace. However, there is no more gasoline in the car's tank, so you can't get back on the road right away. When a French tank drives by, Jakobowsky receives enough gasoline from the crew in exchange for Prokoszny's Polish vodka to continue driving.

The group now consisting of four people continues their escape. When the car had to stop briefly at a bridge, the colonel got a tip from a French police officer to take off his uniform, otherwise he would be too easy to identify. When Prokoszny refuses, there is an argument with Suzanne, who, like Jakobowsky, tries to get him to take off his uniform in order to continue to ensure the safety of the group.

The next morning, Prokoszny apologizes to his fellow passengers for his harshness from the previous day and thus takes the first step towards Jakobowsky. Suzanne and Jakobowsky get along better and better, which the Colonel observes with displeasure. In the evening the four do not know where to spend the night. Jakobowsky can "rent" an old castle by convincing the caretaker that he is from the government and instructs him to test the advantages of the castle. The somewhat old-fashioned administrator is convinced when he hears that the monarchy should become a form of government again in France and the castle the residence of the royal family .

As the group is having their dinner, Suzanne mentions that she loves Jakobowsky for his ingenuity, which the stubborn colonel interprets as an actual declaration of love and leaves the table angrily. Jakobowsky wants to bring him back, but Suzanne stops him and he confesses his love to her. Afterwards the two dance in the ballroom of the castle. Suddenly Prokoszny bursts into the scene drunk and challenges Jakobowsky to a fencing duel. He escapes into the cellar, where the two get along again over a glass from a 1792 wine barrel stored there.

Meanwhile, a German troop occupies the castle to use it as accommodation. Again the group of four can barely escape, but first they put on Jakobowsky's civilian clothes for the completely drunk colonel. Suzanne also sews the Colonel's papers into her scarf. As soon as they are back in their car, the colonel, who is the only one who can drive, rams into a car with German soldiers. The four are immediately arrested and taken to an office of the German occupying power . There, Suzanne meets Major von Bergen again, who assumes Jakobowsky is the Polish man she mentioned at the time. She agrees and Jakobowsky also plays the game. Jakobowsky is said to name his place of birth in Poland, which seems familiar to the major. After some research he finds the file with the search warrant for the colonel, who was born in the same place as Jakobowsky. Fortunately, the description does not fit Jakobowsky, so that von Bergen assumed a coincidence. He then asks the Colonel who he is. He does not answer and is paralyzed because Jakobowsky has pretended to be Suzanne's husband and he feels dishonored. Jakobowsky claims that Prokoszny is his cousin. The major sees this confirmed when he reads the name "Jakobowsky" in the lining of Szabuniewicz's jacket, which actually belongs to Jakobowsky. Szabuniewicz also claims to be Jakobowsky's cousin. To be on the safe side, the major has photos of the three men taken. Suzanne feigns sympathy for von Bergen and asks him to release her companion. He agrees and gives the group a horse to pull the car because the petrol tank is empty again.

Despite his release, the Colonel is very depressed because Suzanne obviously no longer needs his affection. This tries to comfort him. Jakobowsky realizes that it would be awkward to continue the journey together and sets off on foot to the Spanish border. He soon meets a car of friendly nuns who take him in their car. When Jakobowsky reaches the border, the Germans are already occupying the city. He is arrested and taken for an investigation. The officers are holding the photos from the previous day in their hands, on which the wanted colonel can be seen next to Jakobowsky. Jakobowsky is supposed to tell them where the colonel is and where he is going. Jakobowsky denies any knowledge of Prokoszny. He was threatened with torture, but had until eight o'clock that evening. Jakobowsky has barely left the German office when two German detectives hang on his heels. They hope that he will lead them to Colonel Prokoszny, but they are wrong. Jakobowsky sits down in a café. He tries to think of a way out. When the pointer is at five minutes to eight, he has a glass of water brought from the waiter, in which he dissolves a small poison capsule.

Meanwhile, Prokoszny learned of Jakobowsky's situation from the French Gestapo secretary. Since he has meanwhile become aware of his affection for the sympathetic Jew, he immediately gets into the car and drives to the small café . He can just stop Jakobowsky from drinking the poison. Instead, he gets Jakobowsky to get into his car. The detectives take up the chase, which Jakobowsky and Prokoszny are aware of. You drive to the monastery of the friendly nuns. When darkness has fallen, the gate opens again and the car drives away. The Germans pursued them until after a while they noticed that two nuns were sitting in the car.

Jakobowsky and the Colonel set out in a tandem to the beach, where the submarine will pick them up the next day. The next morning they arrive just in time, Suzanne and Szabuniewicz are already waiting for them. However, due to the addition of two other officers, the boat can only accommodate two people. Jakobowsky is about to say goodbye when Suzanne and the Colonel decide that Jakobowsky should accompany him. Suzanne and Szabuniewicz are not in mortal danger, so they want to wait in France for the two friends to return. Suzanne gives Jakobowsky her scarf as a goodbye and says goodbye to Prokoszny with a deep kiss.

On board the submarine, the colonel was scared to death: he forgot the papers with the information for his mission. But Jakobowsky can calm him down, since the papers are sewn into Suzanne's scarf. The two characters, which are so different, have become friends.

additive

Jakobowsky's motto in life runs through the entire film: “You always have two options in life!” In contrast to this, the fanatical colonel is convinced at the beginning of the film that there is always only one option for a man of honor. The comparison of the two statements takes place in the key scene in the café when Jakobowsky is not sure what to do and is afraid that the Germans might die soon. But as it turns out, even in this seemingly hopeless situation there are two options.

Reviews

The film received a largely positive reception. Most of the critics agreed that with the film , the director Peter Glenville had successfully walked a tightrope between a serious, tragic subject and satirical implementation. 6000 films wrote in 1963: “Franz Werfel's stage play in a masterful film adaptation that does justice to the seriousness of the statement and the cheerful comedy style. (...) Admitted to the 1958 annual best list by the Film League. Worth seeing from 16. “The lexicon“ Films on TV ” by Adolf Heinzlmeier and Berndt Schulz gave the film satire an average rating of two stars.

The lexicon of international films wrote: "The film adaptation of Franz Werfel's satirical comedy with a serious background owes it above all to Danny Kaye's, at the same time sensitive and funny portrayal of the Jew, that the line with sentimentality is hardly touched."

Oddities

Curd Jürgens ' first name is written in the film opening credits and on the video and DVD sleeves with "t", meaning Cur t . This was necessary because curd is an Anglo-American word and means quark.

Awards

literature

  • Franz Werfel : Jacobowsky and the Colonel. Comedy of a tragedy in three acts . 74th - 75th thousand. Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1995, 161 pages, ISBN 3-596-27025-1

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 6000 films. Critical notes from the cinema years 1945 to 1958 . Handbook V of the Catholic Film Critics, 3rd edition, Verlag Haus Altenberg, Düsseldorf 1963, p. 220
  2. ^ Adolf Heinzlmeier and Berndt Schulz in Lexicon "Films on TV" (extended new edition). Rasch and Röhring, Hamburg 1990, ISBN 3-89136-392-3 , pp. 415-416
  3. ↑ Jakobowsky and the Colonel. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed July 13, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used