Catherine the last
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Catherine the last |
| Country of production | Austria |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1936 |
| length | 89 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Hermann Kosterlitz |
| script |
Felix Joachimson Karl Noti |
| production | Joe Pasternak for Universal-Film, Vienna |
| music | Nikolaus Brodszky |
| camera | Th. J Pahle |
| cut | Viktor Gertler |
| occupation | |
and the Comedian Harmonists | |
Katharina die last is an Austrian romance comedy made in 1935 in the Vienna Tobis-Sascha-Ateliers based on a literary model by the Hungarian Alexander von Hunyady and one of the last emigrant films in the country free of anti-Semitic guidelines - "A Cinderella story in the guise of the thirties, Virtuoso played by Franziska Gaal , congenially supported by Hans Holt in his first leading role. ”Directed by Hermann Kosterlitz , who emigrated to the USA with his screenwriter Felix Joachimson shortly after completing the filming and made a remarkable career in Hollywood as Henry Koster.
action
Katharina - type: unadorned peasant trampoline - is a very simple country girl who can neither write nor read. As a kitchen helper, she finds a job at the industrialist Sixtus Braun. Braun's daughter Sybill doesn't have it easy with her strict father, who watches over her with eagle eyes. Sibyll has fallen in love with Hans von Gerstikow, a young man from a family that is as good as it is wealthy, but who approaches his goals with a certain impudence and ruthlessness. The wet researcher Hans doesn't suit old Braun at all, and he gets information about him. As Braun von Gerstikow confronts, these are very negative. Sybill is now banned from going out, and the landlord obliges his employees to strictly watch over this ban and not to let Gerstikov into the house. Only the simple Katharina, who is treated like a Cinderella herself by the other brown lackeys , does not notice this instruction, so that she does not know anything about the verdict of the strict father.
Hans does not give up and absolutely wants to see his queen of hearts again. So he throws himself into a chauffeur's uniform and, as an allegedly “simple” young man, hooks up with the equally simple Katharina - all just to get closer to his Sybill via this detour. Thanks to his charming manner, the fake chauffeur soon inflames Katharina with affection, so that one day she even lets him into the Villa Braun. This is exactly what Hans aimed at, because this is the only way he believes he can arrange a reunion with Sybill. Hans' best friend Eduard finds out about this mean character of his friend and one day takes his double game to extremes with his own crazy idea. After Katharina slapped the pushy Eduard, which was very amusing to Hans, the regularly tipsy Eduard “dismissed” Hans in his role as his alleged chauffeur in front of Katharina's eyes, which deeply upsets the simple-minded girl with the heart in the right place. "Der Trampel", as Katharina herself is disparagingly called by Hans 'servant Tobby, believes that she is to blame for this development and thus for Hans' current unemployment and thereupon scrapes all her savings together. She buys Hans an old, rickety taxi with which he can pursue a new livelihood. With the scrap truck she bought, Katharina earned only ridicule and scorn in public.
In view of Katharina's noble deed from a pure heart, the aristocratic do-not-good with the snotty attitude and the tasteless crazy idea overcomes a guilty conscience, and he writes her a farewell letter in which he explains the reasons for his dissimilarities and the love farce that resulted from them. Now Katharina cannot read that letter and takes the newly acquired taxi to see Hans. Hans von Gerstikow is deeply affected by this entire development, and both go on a shore excursion with the taxi, which is gradually falling apart. In the green, Katharina confesses that she cannot read and asks him to read out the lines he wrote in the farewell letter. Without further ado, Hans improvises and turns the farewell lines into a love letter. He gradually realizes what a bad game he has played with Katharina up to now and how much he had instrumentalized her for his purposes.
Meanwhile, Father Braun gives up. His daughter gives him hell because he doesn't want to accept Hans as his future son-in-law. Gritting his teeth, he goes to Gerstikow and tells him that he can marry his daughter, even if he doesn't understand what Sybill thinks about him. But Hans is no longer sure about his feelings for Sybill. When Sixtus Braun learns from his secretary Steinschneider that he wants to see Gerstikow with the kitchen assistant Katharina, Braun doesn't believe his ears: he always knew: this Hans von Gerstikow is a snoop and greyhound! Sixtus plans to use this knowledge in its favor. He hears out Katharina and learns that she intends to marry the wrong chauffeur, Hans, Sybill's future groom. At an upcoming party, at which Katharina is supposed to hand over the alcohol, father Braun wants to confront Katharina with Hans and hopes that the kitchen help will make a scene.
But the dear girl rescues Hans from the unfortunate situation when she sees him very elegantly and nobly dressed at that very party and pretends not to know him. He is not the simple chauffeur she loves. Nothing will come of the scandal targeted by Sixtus. Hans runs after Katharina, who is leaving the hall, but she doesn't want anything more to do with him. Sixtus Braun, in turn, refuses to speak to Hans with his daughter. Katharina leaves the Braun house and goes to the train station to leave. There she is temporarily arrested by the police who are looking for an alleged watch thief. Hans von Gerstikow has once again instrumentalized someone - this time even the Kripo - to prevent Katharina from leaving in a hurry. Hans is now sure of his real feelings and finally makes it clear to her that class differences do not count in love, even if Katharina makes it clear to him that she does not want a "fine gentleman". Hans says, not entirely wrongly, that he isn't that either. Then both sink into each other's arms.
Production notes and trivia
Katharina die last is one of Austria's late emigre films that involved some of the most talented and sought-after film artists who have not been allowed to work in Hitler's Germany since 1933: director Koster (litz) and his permanent screenwriter Felix Joachimson (in Hollywood: Felix Jackson), screen diva Franziska Gaal (Kosters Small mom ) that after this film the scandalous emigrants comedy Miss Lilly turned before she moved likewise to Hollywood Szöke Szakall , the Vienna emigrants productions recently 4½ Musketeers and diary of his beloved had turned before he also went to America, and his “ musketeer ” partner Otto Wallburg , who tragically decided against continuing to Hollywood and had to pay for this wrong decision in 1944 with his violent death in a gas chamber in Auschwitz - they all united the fact that they were Jews. It was precisely for this reason that the showing of this film was banned in National Socialist Germany.
The film, which premiered in Vienna on January 23, 1936, marked Hans Holt's film debut. The buildings were designed by Erwin Scharf , the costumes by Gerdago . Alfred Norkus took care of the sound . The musical direction was Hans J. Salter , Fritz Rotter wrote the lyrics. The Comedian Harmonists sing the song "You fit me so well" . Producer Joe Pasternak also took over the production management. Immediately after the end of this production, he, director Koster (litz) and screenwriter Joachimson (in the USA: Felix Jackson) went to the American Universal parent company in Hollywood and played a major role in the follow-up production Three sweet girls , all three of them US debut Involved in saving this ailing film company.
Other US emigrants in this film were the actors Ernst Verebes , AE Licho and Adrienne Gessner, while Paul Morgan , who with Katharina die last shot his only film in emigration, was supposed to pay for his stay in Vienna with his death. Like colleague Wallburg, he died a violent death in a Nazi concentration camp.
Reviews
In its brief presentation of the film in its issue of January 31, 1936, the Austrian film newspaper certified Franziska Gaal's expressiveness, charm and “delightful humor”.
Paimann's film lists praised the performance of Gaal and noted a "cheerfulness" less than usual in her films, instead the artist would aim very much at the "sentiment". Otherwise, the critic located: "Sympathetic and humorous opponents, lively music ... clean presentation."
On film.at you can read: "No Austrian film of the time was so strongly oriented towards the fairytale and hardly anyone served the ascension fantasy in such pure culture."
The Pariser Tageblatt described the performance of the Gaal as "her most mature" and enthused: When she sings a song while she shines her shoes, "one sits entranced by these manifestations of a natural talent".
Individual evidence
- ↑ Title according to the introduction neither with commas nor with dashes
- ↑ Katharina die last on film.at
- ↑ Katharina die last in Österreichische Film-Zeitung
- ↑ Katharina die last ( Memento of the original from May 4, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Paimann's film lists
- ↑ Katharina die last on film.at
Web links
- Catherine the last in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Katharina die last at filmportal.de