Macau (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Macau |
| Original title | Macau |
 | |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1952 |
| length | 80 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director |
Josef von Sternberg Nicholas Ray |
| script |
Stanley Rubin Bernard C. Schoenfeld Robert Mitchum based on a story by Robert Creighton Williams |
| production |
Howard Hughes Samuel Bishop Alex Gottlieb |
| music | Anthony Collins |
| camera | Harry J. Wild |
| cut |
Samuel E. Beetley Robert Golden |
| occupation | |
| |
Macau is a 1950 American drama directed by Josef von Sternberg and Nicholas Ray with Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell in the leading roles.
action
The film takes place in what was then the Portuguese colony of Macau . This is the haven of the stranded and gamblers, the dark figures and dropouts. This is where gangsters and their morally dubious brides, men who are on the run from the police or their failed lives, meet. Another ship from Hong Kong docks today. On board are the seedy, American adventurer and dropout Nick Cochran, a former soldier and proven cynic who left his home country for reasons that were initially not specified, and who was no less disappointed with life and who was also cynical but jobless bar singer Julie Benson, who also knows her best days are behind her. Both reach the Portuguese colony on the same ship on the same day. Also there is the alleged businessman Lawrence Trumble, who officially does in silk stockings, but is in truth probably working as a smuggler.
Nick was in trouble from the start: on arrival he confessed to the police inspector Ltnt. Sebastian that both his passport and his money had been stolen and that he only had his release papers from the "US Signal Corps " with him, which could identify him. Sebastian is a thoroughly corrupt cop who is on the payroll of the unscrupulous casino operator Vincent Halloran. Sebastian immediately informs him about the three American newcomers, as Halloran is expecting a US detective working undercover. When Halloran sees Nick's photo, he assumes it must be this undercover cop. Halloran, like so many other foreigners, was stranded in Macau while fleeing from the US authorities. When the casino gangster also sees a photo of Julie, he is instantly blown away.
Nick believes that only Julie could have stolen from him on board and confronts the hardened singer with his accusation, which she of course rejects. Then Sebastian shows up and wants to deport Nick (on behalf of his Mr. Halloran) for alleged vagabonding from Macau. Ltnt. Sebastian, also on behalf of his actual boss Halloran, promptly has a job ready for Julie: he says she can perform as a singer in Halloran's Quick Reward Casino. Nick has few qualms about asking the gangster king of Macau for a job. He wants to get rid of Nick, whom he doesn't trust, as soon as possible, so he tries to get him to leave Macau with money. With the offer of engagement to Julie, Halloran also connects the ulterior motive that this woman should spy on Nick a little to find out whether he is the camouflaged cop who is supposed to arrest Halloran. She, in turn, has undoubtedly cast an eye on the tough guy she likes, and so Nick and Julie go on a boat trip together on a sampan .
In turn, businessman and fender Trumble hires Nick to help him sell a collar stolen from Halloran's possession. Nick is said to receive $ 10,000 in the proceeds for his services. Halloran had previously given the extremely valuable collar to a fence in Hong Kong for sale. In order to get hold of Halloran, who desperately wants his jewelery back, according to Trumble, Nick must convince him to leave the three-mile zone that is safe for him and travel to Hong Kong himself. This makes it clear that in reality Lawrence Trumble, whose real name is Brian and is a US Police Lieutenant, works as an undercover cop. Nick then goes to Halloran with a gemstone from the collar that is said to be in a safe in Hong Kong and shows him the clunker. He immediately recognizes that the jewel must have come from the collar that was stolen from him. Now the casino operator is finally convinced that Nick Cochran must be the undercover cop, holds him tight to “question” him in his very own way.
Halloran's official friend Margie, meanwhile, sees with increasing displeasure that her guy has cast an eye on Julie and therefore ensures that Nick, Halloran's fiercest competitor for Julie's favor, is released again. Chased by Halloran's thugs, Trumble alias Brian gets into their line of fire. Instead of killing Nick, Brian dies. Lying dying, Brian advises Nick, whose problem - it turned out that he killed a man in New York, whereupon Nick fled the United States - to put the New York police back on its feet. Halloran absolutely wants his diamonds, which are now stored in Hong Kong, back and is now taking all precautions. He is ready to leave Macau, which is safe for him, to cross over to Hong Kong. Julie is supposed to accompany him on this trip. Nick puts everything on one card. With Itzumi he gets rid of the most dangerous killer on Halloran's payroll, smuggles himself onto the boat with Julies and Margie's help and takes the helm himself to steer the yacht with Halloran on board out to sea. There is a final fistfight between the two, in which Halloran temporarily goes overboard. Outside the three-mile zone, a police boat is already waiting to receive the wanted casino villain. Nick then jumps overboard himself to swim back to Julie and propose to her.
synchronization
Robert Mitchum was dubbed by Ernst Konstantin , the actress Gisela Trowe took over the German voice of Jane Russel.
production
Macau was made between August 22nd and October 19, 1950 and was completely shot in the studio; the Macau scenes were taken from old archive recordings. From April 30, 1952, the film was shown in New York. The German premiere took place on September 12, 1952, the German television first broadcast on May 15, 1971 on ARD .
The buildings were designed by Albert S. D'Agostino and Darrell Silvera was responsible for the furnishings . Constantin Bakaleinikoff took over the musical direction.
Jule Styne and Leo Robin wrote and composed the songs Ocean Breeze and You Kill Me , Harold Arlen composed One for My Baby to lyrics by Johnny Mercer . Mitchum took part in some script scenes in order to ensure logical transitions of some scenes in terms of content.
Josef von Sternberg began directing the film, but apparently left such a mess that producer Howard Hughes , who had created the Cold War drama Jet Fighter with Sternberg shortly before filming began, fired him and asked Nicholas Ray to view the film arrange and turn to the end. Mel Ferrer (unnamed) also shot a few additional scenes as did Robert Stevenson .
Reviews
“All of the other ingredients, including Miss Russell's famous body shapes, are pretty much the same glamor film standards with Jane and Bob. (...) Macau is frills and nothing more - a frills created for one reason only, namely to bring these two stars together. The story itself is simple - a routine and standardized retelling of a guy who ends up in a robber-and-gendarme story. And apart from one of Sternberg's well-positioned direction for some scenes, especially when hunting between nets and rowing boats, he did a conventional job. "
“Josef von Sternberg, the director of the Marlene Dietrich film 'The Blue Angel', staged a moderate 'thriller' about an American gambling gangster in the Portuguese colony. In the unkempt lead role of a white outcast who brings down the king of the gambling dens in the 'port of vice': actor Robert Mitchum, who has a criminal record in his private life for drug offenses. As an emancipated Schlager singer ('Paws away, little one'), Jane Russel proves that she does not owe her fame to singing and by no means to acting. But she is so wonderfully vulgar. "
"Flat story that takes place in the eponymous, gloomy harbor."
"A few gaudy, decorative approaches prove the hand of the director, otherwise this is a routine, dark story, where there is a lot behind the ears."
“' Macao ' showed some merits from the earliest Sternberg productions. It was an unpretentious, dark and extremely atmospheric drama with a perfectly harmonizing team of actors (Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell). The film, which only premiered in 1952, was to become a cult film for cineastes and established Mitchum Russell fans several decades after its creation. "
“Dozen of Hollywood items; Nicholas Ray staged some of the last scenes in place of the listless von Sternberg, who saw the film as a duty. "
Web links
- Macao in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- extensive review in the New York Times ( English )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Quick Reward = quick reward
- ↑ German synchronous index: German synchronous index | Movies | Macau. Retrieved September 13, 2017 .
- ^ Macao in the Lexicon of International Films