Germinating life
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Germinating life |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1918 |
| length | 234 minutes (both parts 1918). Part 1 today: approx. 112 minutes, Part 2 today (fragment): approx. 12 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Georg Jacoby |
| script |
Paul Meissner Georg Jacoby |
| production | Paul Davidson for PAGU |
| camera | Theodor Sparkuhl |
| occupation | |
| |
Keimendes Leben is a two-part, German silent film drama from 1918 by Georg Jacoby . Emil Jannings plays different roles in both parts.
action
First part
The stockbroker James Fraenkel is married to the actress Marietta. In order to get the concession for a railway project, Fraenkel relies entirely on the beauty and knowledge of men of his seductive wife and invites the appropriate gentlemen, who are supposed to help him to do this, to a lavish party at home. Marietta has already lulled an important manufacturer by the name of Friedrich Wechmar, and another man, Count Moros' attaché, also lets herself be wrapped around her finger by her subtle art of seduction of looks and gestures. When the moment of truth approaches and the gentlemen are supposed to give their signatures, Wechmar receives a phone call. He is informed that the submitted calculations by Fraenkel are said to be incorrect. The manufacturer immediately leaves the document ready for signature and withdraws.
To make matters worse, Marietta confesses to her husband that she is pregnant and no longer wants to appear in public. Both become parents of a girl, but Fraenkel has been going downhill since then: first his bank denies him an urgently needed loan, then he is no longer allowed to work as a stockbroker. Feeling useless and dishonored, James Fraenkel ends his life with a revolver shot. But factory owner Wechmar is also following the misfortune: During his wife's visit to the opera, the in-house nurse takes care of her lover rather than the child Wechmar, who needs to be protected. It happens as it has to: the toddler falls out of bed and dies a little later. The news that Wechmar's lover, the worker Liese Bräuer, is also carrying a burgeoning life into her does not help him over this severe pain. Despite this good news, Wechmar is no longer able to feel happy.
Second part
Wechmar's son died in the first part and his family doctor made it clear to him that he could no longer father children. A legitimate fatherhood is becoming more and more important for the successful manufacturer, as he absolutely wants to have an heir for his steadily growing wealth. All that remains for him now is the illegitimate child with his lover Liese. Wechmar's engineer always reminds his boss, the construction lion, that he has to fulfill father duties towards this child too. But he has other things on his mind at the moment: he absolutely wants to land the contract for a large-scale construction project for an undersea tunnel, which he finally succeeds. One day Marietta Fraenkel returns from the USA, with engineer John Smith in tow. Marietta made a great artistic career as Marietta Mariotto in the States. She remembers her old seduction skills and tries steadfastly to wrap Wechmar around her finger so that he can involve John Smith in the large-scale construction project and implement the tunnel according to Smith's plans. Your endeavors are ultimately successful.
At a cozy get-together between Wechmar and Marietta, her little daughter, who feels neglected by her mother, unexpectedly joins her and surprises her mother with this strange man who is not her father. The child goes into shock and has severe attacks of fever. John Smith also joins them, first puts the little girl to bed and then notifies a doctor. However, the girl dies a little later. Mother Marietta is deeply desperate, but so is John Smith, because the construction project that he, the engineer, is leading turns out to be a disaster. When the tunnel is finally pierced, massive amounts of water enter and flood the entire construction project. Many of the workers drown miserably. Even Lise Bräuer, who was pulled out of the rubble in a badly injured state, did not survive the accident. With her last breath she agrees to leave her illegitimate child to the father, Friedrich Wechmar, so that he can take care of her and her upbringing from now on. He agrees, and Liese closes her eyes forever.
Production notes
Sprouting life emerged in the Ufa Union studio in Berlin-Tempelhof until mid-1918 . The two parts had a length of 2238 and 2569 meters, respectively, divided into six acts. After passing the censorship in August (Part 1) and November 1918 (Part 2), Keimendes Leben premiered on October 10, 1918 (Part 1) or at the end of 1918. The second part would be distributed in Austria under the title Becoming Life and performed on December 27, 1918. Both parts received a youth ban. Part 1 has been largely preserved with a length of 112 minutes, while part 2 only has about twelve minutes left.
With the co-author Dr. Paul Meissner was a senior staff doctor in the imperial army who was brought in several times in the late 1910s as a screenwriter for films with medical topics. At Keimendes Leben he had also taken on Jacoby's technical advice.
The main actors Emil Jannings and Hanna Ralph were married to each other, as were the two supporting actors Martha Angerstein and Adolf Edgar Licho .
A third part of the short series, which was no longer marketed under the heading Keimendes Leben , was released in 1919 as Morality and Sensuality and was also shot in the same year. This unofficial third part of Germinating Life is now considered lost.
Reviews
“It was reserved for the art of cinema to have a groundbreaking effect and to open up views that promise a better future. Everything that could be useful for the success of this unique company has been brought into the meeting here. Beautiful people and first artistic talent as actors, dazzling effects in the staging ... and excellent directing skills characterize this film and place it in the first place of the cultural documents of the time. (...) The term "monumental film" is fully justified. "
Paimann's film lists summarized in part 1: “The material was very exciting and just as excellent as the game, the photos and the equipment. (A hit of the first order.) "
Paimann's film lists summed up in part 2: “Material, game, photos and scenery were excellent. (A hit of the first rank.) "
Individual evidence
- ↑ Keimendes Leben, 1st part in Paimann's film lists ( Memento of the original from April 27, 2016 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.
- ↑ Keimendes Leben, 2nd part in Paimann's film lists ( memento of the original from March 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
- Germendes Leben, Part 1 at The German Early Cinema Database
- Germendes Leben, Part 2 at The German Early Cinema Database
- Sprouting Life, Part 1 at filmportal.de
- Sprouting Life, Part 2 at filmportal.de
- Germ end of life, the first part in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Germ end of life, the second part in the Internet Movie Database (English)