Knickerbocker Holiday (film)

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Movie
Original title Knickerbocker Holiday
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1944
length 82-85 minutes
Rod
Director Harry Joe Brown
script David Boehm ,
Rowland Leigh ,
Harold Goldman
production Harry Joe Brown
for United Artists
music Werner R. Heymann
camera Philip Tannura
cut John F. Link
occupation

Knickerbocker Holiday is an American comedic musical film directed by Harry Joe Brown from 1944. The leading roles are starring Nelson Eddy , Charles Coburn and Constance Dowling as well as Ernest Cossart and Shelley Winters .

The adapted by Thomas Lennon template of the same name comes from Maxwell Anderson (book and lyrics) and Kurt Weill (music), in turn, on the satire A History of New York by Washington Irving resorted. The play was first performed on October 19, 1938 by The Playwrights Company in New York.

The film was nominated for an Oscar in the category “Best Film Music” .

action

While Tienhoven, the chairman of the New Amsterdam City Council, called a meeting in 1647 to see the arrest of Crusading Newspaper editor Brom Broeck, who accused the council of being "made up of rogues and thieves", they await Citizens of the city the arrival of their new governor Peter Stuyvesant. When Tina, Tinhoven's daughter and the woman who loves Brom, hears about it, she rushes to him to warn him of an imminent arrest and says that it would not have come to that if they were already married. Not long afterwards, Brom was actually arrested and imprisoned. Tina is now trying to mobilize Brom's supporters to demonstrate in front of the prison. Tina also manages to get the new governor to go to the scene. Stuyvesant is a shrewd and beneficial politician who quickly realizes that Brom is being martyred here and orders his release. The new governor, who wears a silver prosthetic leg, which he understands as a symbol of his power and authority, immediately takes advantage of the situation and promises the assembled people to abolish bribery and corruption, thereby bringing the population to his side. In order to silence Brom, too, Stuyvesant offers him the post of secretary with far-reaching powers. Brom is in good faith and accepted, although it is not insignificant for him that the position is well paid and that he can earn enough money to finally make Tina, whose father is against a connection with the have-nothing, his wife.

Stuyvesant cooks his own soup, however, largely eliminates the city council, and has already come up with another plan, he wants Tina to himself and therefore decides to get his rival out of the way. Idealistic as Brom is, he lets Stuyvesant persuade him to leave New Amsterdam and travel to the colonies in order to promote unity there. He is postponing his wedding plans with Tina for the first time for the good of the country. As soon as Brom is gone, Stuyvesant insistently advertises Tina, who is not very impressed by it. When Brom is back, she makes it very clear to him what she thinks about the fact that he left her behind.

When Tienhoven announces his daughter's wedding to Stuyvesant at the governor's ball, Tina, who blames Brom for the predicament in which she now finds herself, storms away in horror. Brom now reacts and insists on Stuyvesant that he must undo his engagement to Tina. He underscores this demand by waving a razor in front of Stuyvesant's face, who is about to be shaved. A little later, Stuyvesant tries to get Tina to agree to a quick wedding date, which she tries to block. Suddenly, Brom and Tiehoven rush into the room. Brom kisses Tina, who happily forgives him, but is sentenced by Stuyvesant to five years in prison the same minute.

Tina secretly sneaks into the prison and presses through the bars, tearing her skirt. With the help of his Indian friends, who have also come to the prison, Brom ties a rope from the torn fabric, ties it around the bars and asks his strong friend Big Muscle to use it to bend the bars apart. After this was successful, Brom took refuge in the forest. At the same time, Stuyvesant urges Tina's father to agree to an immediate wedding.

At the same time, Brom and his assistant Tenpin are campaigning against the governor's tyranny and calling for a meeting of the colonists to resolve the overthrow of the government. However, Stuyvesant finds out about it and arranges a mass in which he announces that whoever delivers bromine to him will receive a great reward. However, Brom and Tenpin have not remained idle, handing out leaflets in disguise opposing the governor's policies and practices. Tina sneaks into Stuyvesant's villa at the same time and steals his silver prosthetic leg, without which Stuyvesant cannot leave his domicile. After further incidents, an angry mob mobilized, which only Stuyvesant's slippery manner can calm down, as Brom realizes. He then visits the governor and offers him the chance to become an honest man through the establishment of law and order and with democratic means. Then he hands him his now no longer silver leg prosthesis and Stuyvesant actually welcomes the colonists as partners in the Union. A new political era is heralded as Brom and Stuyvesant bury the past and shake hands.

production

Production notes, cast

The film begins with the words: “Little Old New York in 1647, when it was ruled by the Dutch and called New Amsterdam for short. Any resemblance between the two cities is purely coincidental and unintentional. ”This was the Producers Corporation of America's first production. The distribution was with United Artists . The shooting lasted from mid-September to mid-November 1943. Julia Heron was responsible for the set design, and Walter Plunkett for the costumes .

According to the film industry magazine Hollywood Reporter , Walter Huston , who had already appeared in this role on Broadway , was originally supposed to play Peter Stuyvesant and Marta Eggerth to play the leading female role.

Music in the film

  • September song by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson, sung by Charles Coburn
  • There's Nowhere to Go But Up by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson
  • It Never Was You by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson
  • The One Indispensable Man by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson
  • Love Has Made This Such a Lovely Day by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne
  • One More Smile by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne
  • Jaile Song (Oh Woe!) By Kurt Weill
  • Holiday by Theodore Paxson and Nelson Eddy
  • Let's Make Tomorrow Today by Werner R. Heymann and Forman Brown
  • Sing Out by Franz Steininger and Forman Brown
  • Be Not Hasty, Maiden Fair by Theodore Paxson and Forman Brown
  • Zuyder Zee by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne

publication

The film premiered in the United States on March 17, 1944. It was performed for the first time in Sweden in November 1944, in Portugal in January 1946, in Mexico in March 1946 and in Spain (Madrid) in November 1946. A year later, in November 1947, it was performed in Denmark. The film was also released in Brazil.

reception

criticism

For the Bishops' Conference of the United States (USCCB), the film presented itself as a lightweight version of the Kurt-Weill-Maxwell-Anderson musical, in which, under Brown's direction, the pace of the story, which is actually dizzying, is slowed down. The result is worth seeing because of the bizarre humor and enjoyable music, with Coburn's September song standing out. The film contains funny assaults and romantic entanglements.

On the Miss Liberty's Film & Documentary World page it is said that, despite serious political issues, Knickerbocker Holiday is primarily a light musical comedy with lots of songs and gags. Even the rebellion - if it is there - is musical. Much of the story, however, has a strong flavor when it comes to anti-corruption. Nonetheless, this light, optimistic comedy should have a special appeal for fans of the film music genre.

Variety said that although Brown only partially used the original Maxwell Anderson and Kurt Weill play in his screen production, he did a lot to ensure that the humor, the cheerfulness and the songs of the film in a fast-paced plot had the meaning that they are entitled to.

Award

Academy Awards 1945

Aftermath

On November 17, 1950, NBC aired a televised version of the Maxwell-Anderson musical directed by William Brown Jr., starring Dennis King , John Raitt and Doretta Morrow.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Knickerbocker Holiday (1944) see screenplay info at TCM - Turner Classic Movies (English)
  2. ↑ The 17th Academy Awards | 1945 see oscars.org (English)
  3. ↑ a b c Knickerbocker Holiday (1944) see notes at TCM (English)
  4. ↑ Knickerbocker Holiday (1944) see original print info at TCM (English)
  5. ↑ Knickerbocker Holiday see archive.usccb.org (English). Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  6. ↑ a b Knickerbocker Holiday see missliberty.com (English). Retrieved February 5, 2019.