The love of Marjorie Morningstar

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Movie
German title The love of Marjorie Morningstar
Original title Marjorie Morningstar
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1958
length 123 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Irving rapper
script Everett Freeman
production Milton Sparrow
music Max Steiner
camera Harry Stradling Sr.
cut Folmar Blangsted
occupation
synchronization

Marjorie Morningstar's Love is an American drama film directed by the Irving Rapper, starring Gene Kelly and Natalie Wood in the title role. The story is based on the novel of the same name (1955) by Herman Wouk .

action

The very young Marjorie Morgenstern comes from a widely ramified Jewish family of the New York middle class. She is the friend of the wealthy Sandy Lamm, but has not been so sure of her love for him for some time. When her mother Rose learns that Sandy has proposed to her, she is thrilled. Marjorie, who studies acting at Hunter College, promises her mother that she will consider marrying Sandy when she and her Jewish friend Marsha Zelenko go to a girls' summer camp in the Catskill Mountains this year . There is another holiday camp on the opposite shore of the lake, called South Wind, which has a magical attraction for some of the girls, because there are also young, adult, Jewish men there. One night, Marsha and the reluctant Marjorie sneak into that same resort. There Marsha immediately follows a handsome musician, while Marjorie meets Noel Airman, the director and coordinator of the local social activities. While the owner of the plant, Mr. Greech, wants to throw her out immediately, Noel, who like Marjorie has acting ambitions, assures the director to vouch for her. He wants to use Marjorie as an actress in the amateur performances within the framework of the leisure activities he has set up, in which Noel also participates. The pieces shown there are written by Wally Wronken, who immediately has a crush on Marjorie.

However, Marjorie only has eyes for the much older, a little sarcastic Noel Airman, who was originally called Ehrman and also has Jewish roots. Both begin a relationship, much to the annoyance of Marjorie's parents, especially since Airman / Ehrman Anglicized their last name, as they did with themselves, in order not to make their Jewish origin appear too obvious. Marjorie Morgenstern becomes Marjorie Morningstar, and Marjorie really likes this name change. Her parents are so worried about the unintended development of the events in the summer camp that they send the odd Uncle Samson to keep an eye on Marjorie. Samson takes a job in the kitchen to stay close to her. He is promptly on the alert when Noel invites Marjorie to a private dinner one evening. When he learns of Samson's concerns about Marjorie's moral integrity, Noel is deeply touched, and out of his own decency he wants to bring the young girl back to her own camp, but fails with this laudable intention. Finally, a family misfortune occurs when Samson, who is involved in the men's entertainment program as a clown, suffers a heart attack while performing and dies from it.

Marjorie returns to Hunter College. Noel Airman quickly seems to be forgotten and she begins a relationship with Dr. David Harris, who she quickly gives up when Noel contacts Marjorie again. His love for the young girl seems sincere because Noel tells her that he has now found a serious job in an advertising agency and that she wants to marry. Now that he has been invited to Passover by Marjorie's family, he is beginning to treat with more respect all those values ​​that he seemed to have liked to make fun of and that are so important to the Jewish Morgenstern family. Up-and-coming author Wally has never completely lost sight of Marjorie. He pursues a career as a playwright for Broadway, arousing Marjorie's interest. Noel becomes jealous and gradually withdraws from Marjorie's world. In turn, she doesn't understand his behavior and tracks down Noel. He got involved with a blonde named Imogene Noran, quit his job, and started drinking. Marjorie leaves Noel again, but her best friend ruffles her for it. How can you give up such a great love? Asks Marsha, near tears. Marjorie begins to rethink her decision.

During Marsha's marriage to a wealthy old man, which was due to financial calculations, Marjorie's reunification with Noel takes place. He tells her that his musical, which he had worked on for many years, is finally nearing completion. Noel pleads with Marjorie to come back to him. This time she decides in favor of Noah without any ifs or buts and can even persuade Marsha to let her new husband finance the performance of the play, "Princess Jones". The piece falls through with a crash and Noel disappears from Marjorie's field of vision again. He asks Marjorie in writing not to look for him, but she doesn't do it and goes to Europe to track him down. One day, Marjorie receives the information from Wally that Noel has returned to the South Wind Camp and found happiness there. Marjorie ignores Wally's warning to leave it at that and immediately travels to South Wind. When she sees through the window how satisfied Noel is performing his song "A Very Precious Love" in front of enthusiastic young admirers, Marjorie realizes that Noel has obviously found his "inner center" here and leaves it at that. She returns to the bus she took to get here. Wally is already waiting for them there ...

Production notes

The shooting of The Love of Marjorie Morningstar took place between mid-August and early November 1957. The world premiere took place on April 24, 1958, the German premiere took place on October 24, 1958, on German television the film was first shown on September 25, 1969 on ARD .

The film structures were designed by Malcolm C. Bert , the equipment by Ralph S. Hurst . Howard Shoup designed the costumes.

Awards / nominations (selection)

synchronization

role actor Voice actor
Noel Airman Gene Kelly Peter Pasetti
Marjorie Morningstar Natalie Wood Margot Leonard
Rose Morgenstern Claire Trevor Tilly Lauenstein
Arnold Morgenstern Everett Sloane Klaus W. Krause

Reviews

AH Weiler wrote in the New York Times : “Natalie Wood, who only played with dolls in films yesterday, has blossomed into a lively, beautiful brunette who is very likely as close to a personification of Marjorie as one could wish. But the character is barely complex, and while Miss Wood is competent in the role, it's rarely a glowing performance. (…) Although Mr. Kelly seems a little uncomfortable in his job, he plays it with understanding. And as a professional song-and-dance man ... he trills “A Very Precious Love”, the title number of the film. Carolyn Jones, as Miss Wood's best friend, designed her appearance briskly, which is only characterized by a really moving scene that reveals her essential loneliness. "

The Movie & Video Guide named Natalie Wood's performance as “only sufficient”.

Halliwell's Film Guide viewed the flick as a "cumbersome women's film" in which "all talents are somehow uncomfortable with their duties."

The lexicon of the international film found: "Routinely staged entertainment, which, however, does not convincingly reflect either the specifically Jewish background or the theater environment."

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The love of Marjorie Morningstar in the German dubbing index .
  2. ^ Complete review in the New York Times, April 25, 1958.
  3. ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 831.
  4. ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 657.
  5. ↑ The Love of Marjorie Morningstar. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed February 4, 2020 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 

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