Congo Express
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Congo Express |
| Country of production | German Empire |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1939 |
| length | 88, 93 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Eduard von Borsody |
| script |
Ernst von Salomon , Eduard von Borsody based on an idea by Johanna Sibelius |
| production | Georg Witt |
| music | Werner Bochmann |
| camera | Igor Oberberg |
| cut | Elisabeth Neumann |
| occupation | |
and Erik Radolf , Manfred Meurer , Hans Schneider , Walter Schramm-Duncker , Kurt Hagen , Angelo Ferrari , Louis Ralph , Herbert Schimkat , Rudolf Vones and Hermann Meyer-Falkow as farmers. | |
Congo Express is an adventure movie and love story of German production in 1939. Under the direction of Eduard von Borsody play Marianne Hoppe , Willy Birgel and René Deltgen the leading roles.
action
Gaston Thibault works as an aviator in southern Africa. He's obviously fond of alcohol, which also affects his work. When the Frenchman loses his job, he sees no other way out than to break the engagement to his German friend Renate Brinkmann. When she received the bad news in distant Germany, Renate decides to travel to Thibault immediately. Once in Africa, she boarded the Congo Express, a train connection that is supposed to take her to Gaston. During the trip she meets the German emigrant Viktor Hartmann, an old-school gentleman who lives in the African bush, a little stiff but with iron principles. They become friends and Hartmann seems more and more interested in Renate as the journey progresses. Renate also finds him interesting and charming in his chivalrous appearance, but her heart still belongs entirely to Gaston.
Thibault is surprised when Renate suddenly stands in front of him in his little room at the airport. Only now does Renate realize how run-down her fiancé is. He has lost his pilot's license and with it the opportunity to earn a living, and appears bitter to her. His German fiancée knows how to rebuild it, and soon Gaston sees another streak of light on the horizon. He now also wants to marry his Renate and, in view of the new courage to live, immediately goes to the next town to ask an old friend to be available as best man. This is Viktor of all people. When Hartmann learns who Gaston's future wife is, he wants to retire nobly, but Thibault, who knows nothing of their fateful encounter on the train, insists that both get to know each other better. They want to meet at the Mollison farm, where a farewell party is to take place, since the owner who gives it his name wants to return to Europe. Gaston wants to come there later.
During the drive to the farm Viktor and Renate get closer and during a breakdown the young woman from Hamburg realizes that her compatriot Hartmann would be more suitable for her than the unstable and somewhat unstable Frenchman. Both plan to inform Gaston of their decision to build a future together at Mollison. Once there, Renate had to find out that her fiancé had only lost his flight license because he had once covered his mechanic in the event of a crucial mistake. He was drunk while on duty and died as a result of carelessness. If that fact emerged, his widow would no longer be able to benefit from financial support. Then Renate decides to remain silent and to revise her decision to part with Gaston. But on the very same evening, Thibault drinks excessively and starts a fight. Confused by all these incidents, Renate Brinkmann only wants to get out of Africa and back to Germany. At the train station she says goodbye to Viktor.
Renate boarded the Congo Express the next day. Hardly left when the station master learns that another train is also traveling along this route and is approaching on a collision course. There is no way to contact either train. When Viktor, who stayed behind at the train station, learns of this, he immediately notifies Gaston and tells him about the impending tragedy. Gaston, who now knows about Viktor's feelings for Renate, is nonetheless ready immediately to board his plane and warn the Congo Express. Viktor climbs in, but the train driver doesn't understand what the two men on the plane above him want. Viktor then undertakes a daring undertaking: he parachutes out of the plane in the hope of landing on the train. But a gust of wind drives him off and he falls with his parachute into a tree. Now it is entirely up to Gaston to use an act of desperation to prevent the catastrophe and thus save Renate's life. In kamikaze fashion, he crashes his plane onto the tracks. He dies in the process, but with the crash forces the Congo Express to stop. Renate and Viktor return to Germany, where they want to build a life together.
Production notes
Filming of Kongo Express began on August 11, 1939 with the exterior shots, which were completed at the end of September of the same year. In October 1939 the studio recordings followed. The premiere took place on December 15, 1939 in Berlin's UFA-Palast am Zoo . The production costs amounted to a moderate 786,000 Reichsmarks. By February 1941 the income amounted to 2.14 million RM. This made the Kongo Express a great box office success. Anton Weber designed the film structures implemented by Franz Koehn . The costumes come from Bert Hoppmann. Bruno Suckau was responsible for the sound.
A piece of music was played: Wilhelm Strienz sang the song “Behind this heavy gate” to Willy Birgel's lip movements.
The 26-year-old ideas supplier Johanna Sibelius made her film debut here.
useful information
A short section of the Celle – Hanover railway line served as the railway line of the eponymous “Kongo Express” that can be seen in the film. Over a length of 200 meters, tropical plants were draped to the left and right of the tracks, which were intended to give the environment an “African” touch. A historic steam locomotive drove up and down this short section of the route to simulate the train journey, which is an important aspect of the plot.
criticism
Boguslaw Drewniak found: “The viewer was mainly occupied with the stresses and strains of the main heroes in love ... but the film also addressed the longing for the distance that slumbers in many Germans. Willingness to make sacrifices and heroism were also compulsory. "
"Template-like love and adventure film with an exotic backdrop, wild drama and a lot of sentimentality."
“With her brittle, masculine manner, Marianne Hoppe recommended herself for film roles in which she has to be her husband. So also in the adventure film 'Kongo-Express'. "
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Ulrich J. Klaus: Deutsche Tonfilme 10th year 1939. S. 114 (059.39), Berlin 1999
- ^ Boguslaw Drewniak: The German Film 1938-1945 . A complete overview. Düsseldorf 1987, p. 298 f.
- ^ Congo Express. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed April 1, 2019 .
- ↑ Brief review on murnau-stiftung.de
Web links
- Kongo-Express in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Kongo-Express at filmportal.de