Mademoiselle Docteur
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Mademoiselle Docteur Spies of Salonika |
| Original title | Mademoiselle Docteur |
| Country of production | France |
| original language | French |
| Publishing year | 1937 |
| length | 89 (Germany 1956), 116 (original 1937) minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | GW Pabst |
| script |
Irma von Cube Leo Birinski Herman J. Mankiewicz Jacques Natanson (only script adaptation and dialogues) |
| production | Romain Pinès |
| music | Arthur Honegger |
| camera | Eugen Schüfftan |
| cut |
Mark Sorkin Louisette Hautecoeur |
| occupation | |
| |
Mademoiselle Docteur , also known as Spione von Saloniki , is a 1936 French spy film drama directed by GW Pabst with Dita Parlo as "Miss Doctor" Annemarie Lesser, inspired by true events of a German master spy in the First World War .
action
Anne-Marie Lesser is a young German with a doctorate who was hired by the domestic secret service during the First World War to scout out allied opponents - in this case the French. In the last year of the war, 1918, of all places , she was sent to Saloniki in northern Greece, far from the turmoil , where she was supposed to capture important French plans. Your fiercest opponent is the Deuxième Bureau , the French foreign intelligence service. And he sends his best people to get hold of the German agent. Between duty and inclination, “Mademoiselle Docteur”, as the French call Anne-Marie Lesser, threatens to get caught between the wheels of high politics. Your teammates (opposing as well as allies) in the fight for the success of your mission are the seedy Simonis, the upright captain Georges Carrère, the double agent Grégor Courdane and Colonel Matthésius. In the end, the smart spy can evade access by the enemy and escape home.
Production notes
For Georg Wilhelm Pabst, who had lived in France since 1932, Spies von Saloniki was his first French film since his highly unfortunate Hollywood excursion in 1934. The film was made in the second half of 1936 at the Pathé studios in Joinville-le-Pont and was released on First performed April 13, 1937. The German premiere took place after the war, on March 9, 1956.
The film structures designed by Serge Pimenoff were carried out by Robert Hubert . The costumes are by Georges Annenkov . Maurice Jaubert conducted the orchestra.
Edmond Gréville shot an English version under the same title almost at the same time, in which Dita Parlo again took on the role of the German spy. Since this story was produced for British moviegoers, it was rewritten in such a way that this time a British officer as the opponent and lover of Miss Doctor is at the center of the action.
Historical background
The “Fräulein Doktor” in the film, Anne-Marie Lesser, was actually called Elsbeth Schragmüller (1887–1940), had graduated in political science, and was the head of the German espionage department against France in the intelligence service of the Supreme Army Command during the First World War been. The film, not a biography in the strict sense of the word, only touches passages of her life very freely, because the amorous connections shown in Mademoiselle Docteur are pure speculation, and unlike in historical reality, Miss Doctor Schragmüller never stayed in Saloniki. Rather, her field of activity from 1914 to 1918 was exclusively Belgium and France. In her agent function, Elsbeth Schragmüller was also Mata Hari's command officer .
Further film versions of this material
- Stamboul Quest , US-American film from 1934 with Myrna Loy as "Miss Doctor"
- Mademoiselle Doctor , aka Under Secret Orders , again with Dita Parlo
- Miss Doctor , 1968 Italian-Yugoslav film with Suzy Kendall
Reviews
“One of GW Pabst's least rewarding endeavors, this espionage drama was made long ago, when Viviane Romance and Jean-Louis Barrault were minor names in the French film world and other now upscale personalities such as Louis Jouvet and Pierre Blanchar played supporting roles. (…) There are shortcomings in photography by today's standards, and the story that takes us back to 1918 is an old-fashioned affair of the adventures of a seductive German spy uncovering the secrets of the French army in Salonika. Miss Parlo, as a clever agent, and Mr. Fresnay as a spy who works for both sides, obviously don't seem to have received too much directorial assistance from Mr. Pabst. Pabst's artistry can only be guessed at in a gloomy café scene. "
“Slightly dusty spy film, but designed by Pabst with great art as a chamber play of emotions; the plot motifs are set in an excellent relationship, and the tension comes entirely from the dialogues and the performances of the great actors. "
Individual evidence
- ↑ In the original: “One of GW Pabst's least worthy efforts, this spy drama was made long, long ago, at a time when Viviane Romance and Jean-Louis Barrault were minor names in the French movie world and such other now elevated personalities as Louis Jouvet and Pierre Blanchar were playing featured roles. (...) The photography is deficient by present standards and the story, which takes us back to 1918, is an old-fashioned affair about the adventures of an alluring German spy ferreting out French Army secrets in Salonika. Miss Parlo, as the ingenious agent, and Mr. Fresnay, as a spy who plays along with both sides, apparently did not receive much directorial assistance from Mr. Pabst. Only in a murky café scene is there any suggestion of Pabst's artistry. "
- ^ Mademoiselle Docteur in the Lexicon of International Films
Web links
- Mademoiselle Docteur in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Mademoiselle Docteur at filmportal.de
- extensive film review in the New York Times