Night Figures (1929)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Night figures |
| Country of production |
Germany United Kingdom |
| original language |
German English |
| Publishing year | 1929 |
| length | 113 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK youth ban at the time |
| Rod | |
| Director | Hans Steinhoff |
| script |
Iris North based on a novel by Anthony Carlyle |
| production |
Georg M. Jacoby Sidney Morgan |
| music | Walter Ulfig (cinema music) |
| camera | Nikolaus Farkas |
| occupation | |
| |
Nachtgestalten (subtitle: Just a street girl ) is a German-English silent film from 1929 directed by Hans Steinhoff . The leading roles are cast with Mabel Poulton , Jack Trevor and Clifford McLaglen .
The film is based on a script by Joan Wentworth Wood based on Anthony Carlyle's novel The Alley Cat from 1923, on which Hans Steinhoff, although not explicitly named, collaborated. Anthony Carlyle was a pseudonym of Gladys Alexandra Milton.
action
While millionaire Corrin is murdered in his London office, not far from it, singer Melora Miller is inundated with storms of applause in a West End revue. Still electrified by her success, Melora asks her partner after the performance to take her to one of the notorious East End pubs. But contrary to Melora's ideas, the stay there becomes a terrible disaster. Her partner is tied up and robbed, and she is brought under his control by the felon Simon Beck, who has just been released from prison. When he tries to rape the young woman, she only escapes this hell because Polly, a cockney girl, courageously intervenes. Melora, who is still in shock, feels deeply in Polly's guilt and first gives the young woman her business card. The kind-hearted Polly does another good work this evening by helping a seriously injured man with a dog and taking him home with her. As it turns out later, it is the hit composer Jimmy Rice.
When Polly visits Melora in the Revue Theater, it is discovered that she has a funny talent, so that she is asked to an audition. The grateful Jimmy wrote a hit especially for Polly, which she is supposed to sing in the theater. Melora recognizes the handwriting of Jimmys in the song, the composer of her first successful numbers and whom she had completely lost sight of. So she looks for Polly in the hope of meeting Jimmy there and suggesting that he work for her again. Polly, who witnesses a conversation between them, realizes that she doesn't fit into Jimmy's world. Although she loves him, she decides to renounce this love. However, when Jimmy is suspected of having murdered the millionaire Corrin, because he played along badly to get revenge on the man, everything changes. The violent criminal Beck wants to secure the high reward for catching the perpetrator and is determined to hand over Jimmy to the police as the perpetrator. However, this does not happen because he can be convicted as a true perpetrator by means of a cigarette found on him. When they want to arrest him, a breathtaking shootout breaks out between him and the police, which he does not survive.
Production notes and background
It is a production by Orplid-Film GmbH, Berlin / British and Foreign Films, Ltd., London. The distribution for Germany was carried out by Messtro-Film-Verleih GmbH (Orplid Messtro), Berlin, the distribution by Orplid-Film GmbH, Berlin, for Great Britain by British & Foreign Ltd. The film was shot in the Grunewald studio, the outdoor shots were shot in London (from late September to mid-October 1928 in Docklands , Petticoat Lane and Chinatown in Limehouse ), Berlin and Dover . Regarding the filming location in Dover, Horst Claus from the Federal Archives noted that, if the film was actually shot in Dover, the storyline did not require and contain any passages that would take place there and might have been cut away. The film was shot in Berlin from mid-October 1928. The revue recordings were made at the beginning of November in the theater in the Admiralspalast during the presentation of the Haller revue Schön und schick . Claus noted: “In the Haller-Revue Schön and Schick , in addition to the 'often copied - never reached' Tiller Girls, Margarete Schlegel , Dela Lipinskaja, Edith Schollwer , Hans Brausewetter , Hubert von Meyerinck , Kurt Lilien appeared, who, however, appeared on the in The total recorded revue scenes on the editing table cannot be identified. ”The shooting lasted from the end of September to the beginning of November 1928. Franz Schroedter was responsible for the buildings in the film . The title graphic is by Karl Jaschob , the production manager was Conrad Flockner , the production manager Georg M. Jacoby. Walter Ulfig composed the title Rassig wie Du for the theatrical screening . Ulfig's musical arrangement was based on a screening frequency of 30 frames for the film. Orplid-Messtro published a special program booklet for the premiere.
The film had a length of 7 acts = 2,653 meters. The film was submitted to the censors under number B21284, of which 2,456.60 m was released after a youth ban. Under the number B.21552, another censorship test took place on January 31, 1929, again starting from 2,653 meters, with a youth ban for the opening credits and under the numbers B.21356 and B.31593 on January 8, 1929 for the 1 act 65 m fell under the youth ban and on February 2, 1929 another 72 m from the 1 act were banned from young people. One scene that fell victim to the decision of the film inspection agency and was no longer allowed to be shown, for example, was the sequence when a man's arm reaches through an open door for a lady who is standing next to a Chinese and pulls her through the door into another room whose door closes. The man then throws off his overcoat, reaches for the lady, who yells at what he tries to prevent her. The Chinese, listening at the door, leaves. The man in the room lifts the woman in his arms and tries to put her on a divan. The woman gets up again, but is followed by the man and thrown again on the divan, while he covers her mouth with his hand, which demonstrates a close-up. Furthermore, the close-up of a girl in the costume of a nurse, whose gaze is directed towards the sky, fell victim to the scissors (B.21552). The now available, restored copy of the film was made in 2001/2002 as part of a research project on Hans Steinhoff's films supported by the British Arts and Humanities. The resulting copy is based on an English and a German version from the British Film Institute , London, and the film archive of the Federal Archives , Berlin (with English and German subtitles). The restoration work was carried out there. During the construction of the film, two short shots were taken from the English version, which had been deleted by the censors in the German version.
At the time the film was made, Mabel Poulton was England's most popular film actress. Her career ended only a little later with the rise of talkies , as Poulton had a heavy Cockney accent.
The working titles of the film were Das Laufmädel and Nur ein Gassenmädel , alternate titles were A Girl of Race or People of Darkness . The film premiered on February 1, 1929 in the atrium of the Beba Palace in Berlin. In the United Kingdom he ran on March 22, 1929 on the occasion of the Trade Show in the Hippodrome in London under the title The Alley Cat , alternative title was The Nights of London . The film premiered in Vienna on May 16, 1930; a screening was previously held in the Haydn Cinema on January 31, 1929. In Portugal the film was first shown on January 2, 1930 under the title Noites de Londres , in Estonia on April 14, 1930 under the title Londoni ööde saladused .
criticism
At its premiere in Berlin, the film was received with enthusiasm by the audience. Hans Wollenberg explained in the Lichtbild-Bühne on February 2, 1929 that there had been “storms of applause that didn't want to end” in the atrium at the end of the film, and that the film was “one of the strongest hits of the season” . Also , the cinematograph from 4 February 1929 spoke of a "strong success" which had expressed in "big (and real) Cheers," and that the film had been made "extraordinary skill and alive." Sometimes there was even applause from the scene. The positive audience reactions were also mentioned by reviewers, who rated the film rather negatively. Practically all of the German trade press received a positive assessment.
In the Deutsche Filmzeitung of August 23, 1929 it was mentioned that “the viewer can never even grow a shadow of boredom” and Nachtgestalten proves that “a tear-off film does not have to be an inferior film, but an artistically high quality to be evaluated ”. In the Reichsfilmblatt of February 9, 1929, it was found that Steinhoff's directorial work had "above all style" "which he knew how to strictly adhere to when describing the various milieus". "In this way he does not place the life of the night and day characters, criminality and good society in stark contrast, as is usually done, but rather establish certain relationships between these classes of people, show, that on the one hand not everything is noble and good, on the other hand not everything is bad and rejected. [...] Everything that Steinhoff [gives] is of the greatest taste, animated and interspersed with humor. "
The film from February 2, 1929 called Steinhoff one of our "most capable directors" and said that his "love for quality work was well known", but complained that he made the story of this film "very clumsy, long-winded and slow and tiring" tell. The accusation was raised that Steinhoff's tendency to develop details with which he had helped many a film to be successful would be his undoing here, as these would overload the core of the plot. According to Film-Kurier, Hans Feld gained the impression on February 2, 1929 that this film was “apparently uncomfortable”. Feld also believed that the film was too much oriented towards English taste. The British trade press contradicted this view, however. There it was found that Alley Cat was considerably better than most English films in terms of detail, quality and finishing, but that a British atmosphere had not been captured, except for the Chinatown sequences filmed in the East End. Although the film was made technically excellent, the actors' leadership seemed artificial, according to the Cinematograph Weekly of March 28, 1929.
Both the German and English press agreed that Clifford McLaglen, as the criminal and murderer Simon Beck, was the film's outstanding figure. The late edition of Vorwärts No. 56 from February 2, 1929 certified McLaglen to be a “talented character player” who “knew how to die virtuously”. There was disagreement on Mabel Poulton's performance. On the one hand, her embodiment of Polly was perceived as exaggerated, artificial and artificial. So wrote Der Film on February 2, 1929, her “cheeky cheekiness [be] done, her constant disdainful mouth puckering and winking ... unnatural, her boldness ... wanted”. In the Film-Kurier of February 2, 1929, Hans Feld referred to Marie Ault and her portrayal of the landlady Ma, which Poulton should have used as a guide, since she is “moving at the limit when the drama begins to come to life become". In the Lichtbild-Bühne on February 2, 1929, however, Poulton was certified as having a "very strong talent" and in the Reichsfilmblatt of February 9, 1929 they were very impressed by the "liveliness of their facial expressions" and the "uncommon mobility of their bodies", which means but her ability is not exhausted, since she also acts in her game with a "rich nuance". The question was raised: “When did you see a little girl laughing so emotionally?” In the late edition of Vorwärts No. 56 of February 2, 1929, the opinion was that Mabel Poulton “was brilliant in her impulsiveness, with her spirited, lightning-fast movements ", but limited that there was" a lot of artistic work, a brilliant fireworks display, and less a design from the inside out ".
Jack Trevor's performance, who acted as Poulton's partner, was also rated differently. It was said in the Film-Kurier of February 2, 1929 that, as a shabby composer who had seen better times, he was "unintentionally funny" and "still twisted in misery, rigid in affect like a doll". In the Reichsfilmblatt of February 9, 1929, Trevor was certified that he was "one of the few real gentleman actors" that the "film not rich in such characters" had. In the late edition of Vorwärts No. 56 it was of the opinion that Jack Trevor “could not make depravity believable”, that he was “the always coolly correct and well-dressed gentleman”.
hc found for the Federal Archives that it was "undoubtedly Steinhoff's best silent film" and continued: "If Steinhoff had been able to implement his ideas in the course of the script development in late summer 1928, Nachtgestalten would possibly have become the first full-length European sound film." After the Federal Archives presented the reconstructed version at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival in 2002, Elliot Stein stated that for him the film was “ the discovery of the festival”. For the Village Voice on September 12, 2002, the film was “a surprise hit, an exciting, visually gorgeous thriller with attractive deco subtitles set in the London theater environment”.
Werner Bonwitt (bon.) From BZ am Mittag was of the opinion that Hans Steinhoff's "(directing) talent lies in a different area" and referred to his film Angst . Apparently, Steinhoff had "promised himself a lot through the contrast between the criminal and the living world, the cellar lamp and stage light, without precisely delineating both". Here, however, it is "very confused, but much could be saved if the badly cut film were re-edited". Among the cast, "Cliff McLaglen excels in every respect". Bonwitt was also of the opinion that Mabel Poulton was “not untalented”, but had to “put a rein on her temperament”.
Leo Hirsch from the Berliner Tageblatt (No. 58 of February 3, 1929) spoke of "nocturnal characters who had slipped away from an English detective novel" and were now "scurrying through London's East End with a ghostly routine". The whole thing has “swing and tension” and a “particularly dramatic tangle” spins around the usual fable, with the “solution” then being “as usual” again. Steinhoff knows that black stands out more sharply from gray than from white. The film has “something abrupt”, which benefits the material. Steinhoff gave the beginning and the end of the film with this abruptness "new dramaturgical opportunities".
Hans Wallenberg (Ha.Wa.) from the Vossische Zeitung focused on the beginning of the film, at which there was a furious scene and went on to explain: “Action without sentimental, soul-meaning additions! Antipodes of the social spirit stand opposite one another, ready to take up the fight against one another. Who will be the winner in the end? Corinn, the millionaire killed, or Rice, the pumped-out, the rejected? A wild physical fight between two who are too far to fight back with their brains is highlighted in the picture, gray and eerily captured, into a silent scene and breathless plot by the director Hans Steinhoff. "Wallenberg noted that the" The motivation for the criminal Beck "is of a romantic nature, in which" a slide of the film into the wrong district "lies, from which in turn a" wonderful description of human conditions, a sometimes cautious criminalistic penny novel story, in which divine coincidence plays a sadly large role ", emerge, from which, however, "a tired, rattled love story" emerges. Nevertheless, the film does not disappoint: because enough real colors are still brought together to reveal figures. The end of the film was "unhappy" and dismissed "with the whole immense tension that the Chinatown story of the criminal Beck triggered". An "ineradicable fear" remains "in place of a cheap solution". The criminal Beck is played by Clifford McLaglen "bloody, raw, unrestrained". “Almost a murderer by the grace of God, so outstanding in his drunkenness, in his meanness, so inferior when he receives an insane desire”. Wallenberg was of the opinion that Mabel Poulton, Margit Manstad and Jack Trevor would "pale" because they "would [only] mark misery".
Silent Film Concerts spoke of a “real rediscovery” and certified that the film was a “breathlessly staged German-English co-production, a fast-moving genre film. The fact that this routine work with strong scenes is remembered is due to the skill of Hans Steinhoff [...]. "
Web links
- Nachtgestalten in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Night creatures at filmportal.de