Manolescu's memoir
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Manolescu's memoir |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1920 |
| length | 114 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Richard Oswald |
| script | Richard Oswald |
| production | Richard Oswald |
| camera | Max Lutze |
| occupation | |
| |
Manolescu's Memoirs is a German silent film drama from 1920 by Richard Oswald , based on the memoirs of the homonymous marriage swindler, hotel thief and impostor published by Langenscheidt in Germany in 1905 .
action
The Romanian Georges Manolescu, a life artist and bohemian, has made a name for himself as a thief, impostor and noble villain. Wherever the urbane and thoroughly amiable charmer turns up, he makes fat prey. In the fashionable hotels of Europe, its name alone causes fear and horror. With his accomplice and occasional lover Diane von Montignan - sophisticated in appearance, seductive in habit, unscrupulous in nature and ice cold in action - he has already targeted a new victim. The old but very rich Russian Countess Anastasia Worutzky.
But then things change suddenly: Manolescu meets a blonde, young woman under dramatic circumstances. Her name is Cecilia and she saves him in every way. The police were already on Manolescu's heels when he quickly sought refuge in any room of the hotel in which he was once again hunting for prey. There the master thief encounters this same Cäcilie, in whom he developed deep trust in a very short time. Manolescu confesses his true identity to her. The young woman promises to take care of him from now on and to accompany him on his way back to righteousness. Ultimately, deeply felt love develops from this basic trust. For the sake of Cäcilie, Manolescu gives up his criminal activity and puts himself in the hands of the judiciary. After his release from prison, the two plan to live together.
Production notes
Manolescu's memoir is occasionally referred to as “Prince Lahovary, the King of Thieves”. The seven-act (2346 meters) film passed the film censorship on September 25, 1920 and was premiered on October 1, 1920 at the Richard-Oswald-Lichtspiele. Since the film project was reported back in 1919, Manolescu's memoir could have been shot in that year.
Georges Manolescu (1871–1908) actually existed. At the turn of the century he made a name for himself in Berlin as a sophisticated hotel thief.
The film structures come from Hans Dreier .
Other versions
This popular film material was filmed several times in Germany;
- 1929 as Manolescu by Viktor Tourjansky with Iwan Mosjukin in the title role
- 1932/33 as Manolescu, the prince of thieves by Willi Wolff with Iván Petrovich in the title role; Ellen Richter's last feature film
- 1972 for German television as Manolescu - the almost true biography of a crook by Hans Quest with Michael Heltau or Hans Söhnker (as old Manolescu) in the title role.
criticism
Hanns Wollenberg writes in the Lichtbild-Bühne : “Richard Oswald has processed motifs from the life of the famous adventurer into a prelude and 5 acts in his new film. The categorization of this work is therefore given from the start: An adventurer film. But an adventure film in which Richard Oswald shows that this genre need not be exhausted in external sensations; one could speak of a refined adventure film. This judgment does not only refer to the brilliant performance that the director succeeded in picturing with the support of an excellent photograph and shows RO as a skilled veteran with a sure eye for beauty and sculpture; Rather, this designation aims primarily to reflect the excellent psychological structure of the whole. (...) The combination of never-ending tension, a humorous element, magnificent images and excellent presentation gives this film a leading position. "
In the film states: "Cinema art ! was my first thought when I came out of the Richard Oswald Theater. What Oswald has created in this film is fabulous, a sign of the most genuine artistry. He calls it motifs from the life of an adventurer. It is not a film adaptation of the artistically insignificant novel. It is real film poetry. For him, Manolescu's memoirs actually only became the motif after which he recreated while preserving his poetic freedom. As well as as an author, as well as a director. Because only through the interaction of both in one person is such a film work of art possible. (...) Conrad Veidt is an internalized, spiritualized Manolescu, as only Conrad Veidt can be. A wonderful achievement. "
Web links
- Manolescus memoirs in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Manolescu's memoirs at filmportal.de
- Manolescu's memoirs at The German Early Cinema Database