Motherless Brooklyn (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Motherless Brooklyn |
| Original title | Motherless Brooklyn |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2019 |
| length | 145 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Edward Norton |
| script | Edward Norton |
| production | Edward Norton, Bill Migliore , Gigi Pritzker , Rachel Shane , Michael Bederman |
| music | Daniel Pemberton |
| camera | Dick Pope |
| cut | Joe Klotz |
| occupation | |
| |
Motherless Brooklyn is a crime film directed by Edward Norton who also stars as a detective with Tourette syndrome . The film in the style of a film noir premiered on August 30, 2019 at the Telluride Film Festival and was released in US cinemas on November 1, 2019. A theatrical release in Germany took place on December 12, 2019. The film is based on the novel Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem .
action
The film is set in New York in the 1950s . Lionel Essrog works alongside Gilbert Coney, Danny Fantl and Tony Vermonte in a detective agency . Their boss, Frank Minna, rescued them as children from an orphanage where they were abused. Lionel, nicknamed "Motherless Brooklyn" by Frank, has Tourette's syndrome , which often alienates him from people, but his excellent verbal and photographic memory makes him a good detective.
Frank Minna is working on a secret case and asks Lionel and Gilbert to go unnoticed with him to a meeting with his client, a man named William Lieberman, where Lionel can overhear the conversation in a neighboring phone booth . Lieberman has come with his assistant Lou and an extremely large bodyguard, to whom Frank gives the requested documents he has procured. They are obviously of great value to Lieberman. When Frank tries to negotiate an even higher price for getting these documents, the men force him to take them to the originals. Lionel and Gilbert follow in their car, but lose sight of the car with Frank at the entrance to the Queensboro Bridge , and then arrive just as Frank is gunned down on an empty lot. They heave him into their car to drive him to the nearest hospital, before Frank asks them to pick up his hat and take it with them. When Frank arrives at the hospital, when asked about the background to the mysterious assignment, he can whisper: "For Moses." Then he dies.
Frank's widow Julia Minna leaves Tony Vermonte to run the office. Lionel begins wearing Frank's hat and coat, and a matchbox in Frank's pocket leads Lionel to a jazz club in Harlem . He realizes that Frank's last assignment had to do with Laura Rose, who works for Gabby Horowitz and is fighting with her against urban renewal. Alleged “slums” with inexpensive apartments are bought up, demolished and their residents driven out, in order to then build high-quality new buildings. Lionel attends a public hearing where Moses Randolph, chairman of several construction and development agencies, is vocalized by Gabby Horowitz and the audience. Lionel steals a reporter's ID and then speaks to a man named Paul, who also asked Moses Randolph critical questions at the meeting. He says that this embodies the real power in the city administration, not the mayor.
Under the pretext that he wants to uncover the truth about the alleged “urban renewal” in the press, Lionel becomes closer to Laura Rose. She takes him to the jazz club where Frank did his research. Assuming Lionel was one of Moses Randolph's men, he is eventually kicked out of the club and knocked unconscious by Laura's father Billy, who owns the club. Rescued by a jazz trumpeter , Lionel discovers that Paul, whom he met at the hearing, is Randolph's brother and a gifted architect . He also notes that William Lieberman has received bribes on many housing deals and that the moving programs are fraudulent. After leaving a small office that supposedly collects and processes the applications in the evening, he sees the employee there throwing all the applications into a garbage can standing outside. Paul Randolph, on the other hand, has drawn up extensive urban renewal plans that would really and sustainably improve the quality of life in New York.
Billy Rose calls Lionel, apologizes for the attack in his jazz club and offers him a meeting and new background information. When Lionel comes to the club, he finds Billy shot dead, his death being staged as a suicide. Lionel spends the night with a disturbed Laura in her house and reveals his true identity. He also believes she is in danger. The next day, Lionel finds photos of a meeting Paul Randolph with Billy Rose, with which he then confronts Laura, who explains that her "uncle" Paul is really her real father. Paul later denies this to Lionel and explains that Frank Minna and Billy Rose intended - contrary to Paul's protests - to get more money out of his clients.
Lionel is brought to the house of Moses Randolph by two men, who suggests that he join his team and do not investigate any further. He gives him 24 hours to decide. Shortly thereafter, Lionel finds the key to a locker in the Pennsylvania Station in Frank's hat, which he has had since he was murdered . It contains a title deed to a house that belonged to Frank and several documents pertaining to the birth of Laura Rose, showing that her father is not Paul but Moses Randolph. Lionel entrusts the key to Paul and meets with colleague Tony Vermonte, who admits that he was the lover of Julia Minna, Frank's wife, and that he currently works for Moses Randolph. He tells Lionel to accept Moses' deal, especially since Laura will be killed anyway. Lionel knocks Tony down and immediately flees to Laura, who is on her way home, and at the last second can prevent her from entering her apartment, where the same two men are waiting for her who shot Frank Minna. During a scuffle on the fire escape, one of the two leans downwards as a result of a blow from Laura. The other is incapacitated by the suddenly appearing jazz trumpeter with his trumpet. At Lionel's request, he then drives Laura out of town to Frank's former estate, where she is to stay for a while until the matter has grown somewhat.
Lionel meets again with Moses Randolph, who admits that he raped Laura's mother, who was one of his employees, but was otherwise always "good" to her. His brother Paul was recorded as the father on the birth certificate, but the disclosure of this secret has threatened Moses ever since. Lionel warns Moses to finally leave Laura alone, otherwise he would publish the information. He also informs Moses that William Lieberman is a danger to him and asks him - if Moses kills Lieberman because of it - to tell him that he learned this from Frank. Moses asks Lionel to inform his brother Paul that his plans for the city will be realized.
In truth, however, Paul receives a rejection of his plans, so Lionel now sends the information to the reporter whose ID he has stolen. Then he drives to Frank's former house, where Laura is already waiting for him.
Literary template
The film is based on the novel Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem , which was published in 1999. His protagonist, the first-person narrator Lionel Essrog, suffers from Tourette's syndrome , an obsessive - compulsive behavior which, in his case, leads to uncontrollable counting, nonsensical twisting of words, touching things and people, and verbal abuse. Because of these tics , he grew up in the orphanage as an outsider until he and three other orphans were recruited by a petty criminal from Brooklyn. When the crook named Frank Minna, who has now become his mentor, is murdered, Lionel begins his own investigation.
Karsten Kredel writes in his review of the novel in the taz that Lionel's tics are the engine of a story full of linguistic miracles that capture a world that has become strange. In a criticism of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung it is said that the novel pulls the paradoxes out of its obviousness like a magician rabbit out of a hat. Motherless Brooklyn is the family novel of an orphan boy, the linguistic work of art of a speech impaired and a tough crime thriller , which nevertheless stands in the tradition of classically modern storytelling.
production
Staff and cast
Directed by Edward Norton , who also adapted Lethem's novel for the film. While the novel begins in the early 1970s, Norton sets the story in New York in the 1950s. It's all about faith! from 2000 for the second Norton directed film. In addition, Norton can be seen in the film in the lead role of the private detective Lionel Essrog. Other roles have been cast with Willem Dafoe , Bruce Willis , Alec Baldwin , Gugu Mbatha-Raw , Leslie Mann , Bobby Cannavale , Fisher Stevens and Cherry Jones .
Filming
The shooting took place from February 2018 in New York, so in Harlem and Washington Square Park . A firefighter had an accident while filming. Dick Pope acted as cameraman .
Film music and publication
The film music was composed by Daniel Pemberton . The recording was orchestrated by Wynton Marsalis . The film also uses a song by Thom Yorke , the singer of the rock group Radiohead . The soundtrack, which comprises a total of ten pieces of music, was released as a download by WaterTower Music on October 25, 2019. On the same day, an album with all the film music was released.
Warner Bros. presented the first trailer in August 2019. The film premiered on August 30, 2019 as part of the Telluride Film Festival . From September 10, 2019, the film was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Special Presentations and celebrated its international premiere here. On October 11, 2019, it was shown as a graduation film at the New York Film Festival . The film was released in US cinemas on November 1, 2019, it was shown as a surprise film at the Viennale on November 3, 2019 and was released in German cinemas on December 12, 2019.
reception
Age rating
In the USA, the film received an R rating from the MPAA , which corresponds to a rating of 17 and over. In Germany it was approved by the FSK from the age of 12, but is allowed from the age of 6 if accompanied by the parents. The statement of reasons for the release states that the film deals with topics such as power, corruption and racism , and that there are occasional scenes of violence that are, however, very cautiously staged. The sympathetic protagonist often uses fecal expressions and insults, but for 12-year-olds these are clearly due to his Tourette's disease , so on in the justification. In addition, these “seizures” would also be experienced as negative and stressful by himself.
Reviews and grossing results
Michael Meyns remarked on programmkino.de, the website of the Gilde deutscher Filmkunsttheater , that the antagonist Moses Randolph was unequivocally modeled on the legendary and infamous New York city planner Robert Moses , who shaped the American metropolis like no other, implemented radical changes and demolished entire districts to make space for new buildings. It is unquestionably impressive that Edward Norton even managed to get this complex project off the ground, to get countless outstanding actors in front of the camera and to capture the atmosphere of New York in the 1950s so convincingly, Meyns continues. However, he has pressed so many individual elements in two and a half hours that he always threatens to lose his bearings: "You may admire Motherless Brooklyn for its ambition, as a well-rounded film the result is only partially successful in the end." Martin Schwickert rates in The Rheinische Post rated the film as “good” and said: “With“ Motherless Brooklyn ”, Norton has succeeded in creating a modern film noir with astonishing artistic coherence. The exquisite retro setting, the elegant camera work by Dick Pope, the offbeat rhythm of the narrative and the excellent jazz soundtrack interlock here incredibly smoothly. "
The film's worldwide revenue from theatrical screenings is $ 18.47 million, and production costs are estimated to have been around $ 26 million.
Awards
At the 2020 Academy Awards , the song Daily Battles from the film was shortlisted in the Best Song category . Further nominations follow.
Camerimage 2019
- Nomination for the Golden Frog ( Dick Pope )
- Nomination for Best Score ( Daniel Pemberton )
Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2019
- Nomination for Best Score - Fiction Film (Daniel Pemberton)
- Nomination for Best Song - Feature Film ("Daily Battles", Thom Yorke and Flea)
London Critics' Circle Film Awards 2020
- Nomination for the Technical Achievement Award (Daniel Pemberton for the film music)
- Nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay ( Edward Norton )
- Nomination for Best Cinematography (Dick Pope)
- Nomination for Best Production Design (Michael Ahern and Beth Mickle)
synchronization
The German synchronization was based on a dialogue book by Tobias Neumann and the dialogue direction by Antonia Ganz on behalf of Interopa Film GmbH, Berlin.
| actor | Voice actor | role |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Norton | Andreas Fröhlich | Lionel Essrog |
| DeShawn White | Anne Düe | Betty |
| Bruce Willis | Manfred Lehmann | Frank Minna |
| Ethan Suplee | Michael Iwannek | Gilbert Coney |
| Leslie Mann | Bianca Krahl | Julia Minna |
| Gugu Mbatha-Raw | Yvonne Greitzke | Laura Rose |
| Willem Dafoe | Pure beauty | Paul |
| Alec Baldwin | Klaus-Dieter Klebsch | Moses Randolph |
literature
- Jonathan Lethem: Motherless Brooklyn . Translated from the American by Michael Zöllner. Tropen Verlag, Cologne 2001. ISBN 9783932170485
Web links
- Motherless Brooklyn in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Motherless Brooklyn in the German dubbing file
- Motherless Brooklyn in the program of the Toronto International Film Festival (English)
- Motherless Brooklyn - Official Trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures on YouTube
Individual evidence
- ↑ Release Certificate for Motherless Brooklyn . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF; test number: 194128 / K).
- ↑ Karsten Kredel: Resonance surface restlessness. In: taz, March 26, 2002.
- ↑ Investigation of Babel. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, November 24, 2001, No. 274, page V.
- ^ 57th New York Film Festival Main Slate Announced. In: Film at Lincoln Center. August 6, 2019, accessed September 4, 2019 .
- ^ A b Brent Lang: Edward Norton's 'Motherless Brooklyn' to Close New York Film Festival. In: Variety, August 2, 2019.
- ^ Karen Butler: Edward Norton filming 'Motherless Brooklyn' in NYC. In: upi.com, February 6, 2018.
- ↑ NYC Fireman Died On Edward Norton Film Set. In: ultimedia.com, March 23, 2018. (Video)
- ^ AJ Caulfield: Edward Norton's Motherless Brooklyn cancels filming after on-set firefighter death. In: looper.com, March 24, 2018.
- ↑ Nick Newman: Dick Pope on 'Peterloo,' Drones, 'The Favorite,' and His Distaste for Celluloid Projection. In: thefilmstage.com, April 3, 2019.
- ↑ https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2019/daily/57th-new-york-film-festival-main-slate-announced/
- ↑ 'Motherless Brooklyn' Soundtrack Album Announced. In: filmmusicreporter.com, August 22, 2019.
- ↑ 'Motherless Brooklyn' Score Album Details. In: filmmusicreporter.com, October 24, 2019.
- ↑ Dave Trumbore: First 'Motherless Brooklyn' Trailer Shows Off Ed Norton's Direction and a Star-Studded Cast. In: collider.com, August 22, 2019.
- ↑ Gregory Ellwood: Telluride 2019: 'Ford v. Ferrari ',' Judy '&' Uncut Gems' Are Official World Premieres. In: theplaylist.net, August 29, 2019.
- ↑ Kate Erbland: TIFF Reveals First Slate of 2019 Films, Including 'Joker,' 'Uncut Gems,' 'Knives Out,' and More. In: indiewire.com. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ↑ Jan Hestmann: Viennale surprise film: “Motherless Brooklyn” by and with Edward Norton. In: orf.at, November 4, 2019.
- ↑ Start dates Germany In: insidekino.com. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ↑ Motherless Brooklyn (2019) - Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 4, 2019 .
- ^ Reasons for Approval for Motherless Brooklyn . In: Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ↑ Michael Meyns: Motherless Brooklyn. In: programmkino.de. Retrieved December 12, 2019 .
- ^ Martin Schwickert: New York Noir. In: Rheinische Post. December 12, 2019, p. D6. Online version , accessed December 13, 2019.
- ↑ https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1426687489/?ref_=bo_da_table_37
- ↑ Erik Anderson: 2020 Oscar Predictions: The Shortlists. In: awardswatch.com, December 15, 2019.
- ^ Carolyn Giardina: Camerimage Cinematography Festival Unveils Main Competition Lineup. In: The Hollywood Reporter, October 21, 2019.
- ↑ http://beta.blickpunktfilm.de/details/444908
- ↑ Erik Anderson: 'The King', 'Marriage Story', 'Parasite' earn 2019 Hollywood Music in Media Awards nominations. In: awardswatch.com, November 4, 2019.
- ^ Andrew Pulver: The Souvenir leads nominations for London critics' circle film awards. In: The Guardian, December 17, 2019.
- ^ Karen M. Peterson: 24th Satellite Awards Announce Nominations, 'Ford v Ferrari' Leads the Way. In: awardscircuit.com, December 3, 2019.