Nine children and no father

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Movie
German title Nine children and no father
Original title The Amazing Mrs. Holliday
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1943
length 98 minutes
Rod
Director Bruce Manning ,
Jean Renoir (no credit)
script Frank Ryan
production Bruce Manning for Universal Pictures
music Charles Previn ,
Hans J. Salter ,
Frank Skinner
camera Elwood Brendell
cut Ted J. Kent
occupation

Nine Children and No Father (Original title: The Amazing Mrs. Holliday ) is an American film from 1943 about the rescue of Chinese orphans by a courageous missionary. The main role is played by Deanna Durbin . Directed by Jean Renoir , who was pulled by the studio shortly before completion, and Bruce Manning , who got screen credit alone. The film marked Deanna Durbin's return to the big screen after a good 12 month argument with her studio about better roles.

action

Ruth Kirke, a young, courageous missionary, has saved eight orphans from the chaos of war in China and accompanies them on their way to the USA. As soon as she arrived, Ruth had to find out that the children were only allowed to stay in the country if she provided a guarantee of 500 US dollars per head. With the help of Timothy Blake, Ruth tries to raise the total of 4,000 US dollars. Without her knowledge, Timothy claims that Ruth is the widow of Commodore Holliday. When Tom Holliday, the Commodore's nephew, tries to uncover the hoax, Ruth tells him the whole story of the rescue and what role the Commodore played in it. Then it turns out that the Commodore did not fall, as everyone thinks, but alive and in the company of another orphan. In the end, the hoax dissipates to the satisfaction of everyone involved and Ruth marries Tom.

background

Deanna Durbin had risen to the greatest and only star of the Universal Pictures studio since 1936 until the appearance of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello . The transition to the adult subject had succeeded over the years without any problems, but Durbin was increasingly dissatisfied with the same role stereotypes that she had to play. The actress asked for dramatic roles, while the producers use her again and again as "Miss Fixit", as a courageous young woman who solves all problems with a smile and a song on her face. The smoldering conflict finally erupted in the late summer of 1941 when Durbin refused to accept the script for her next film, a light romance with vocal parts. It wasn't until a year later that Durbin came to an agreement with the studio and, in addition to a higher fee, was also given a say in terms of script and director.

The next project was to go into production under the title Forever Yours and with Jean Renoir as director. The original conception of the film was more drama against the backdrop of the war in China and was intended to give Durbin the opportunity to establish himself as a serious actress. The problems started when the studio decided to add a bunch of songs to the plot and change the entire script towards comedy. The exchange of Jean Renoir by Bruce Manning was officially justified with Renoir's slow pace of work and an alleged illness. Manning shot the film almost entirely from scratch. When the film was finally released as The Amazing Mrs. Holliday , it did not meet with the unanimous approval of its fans or critics.

Songs

In the course of the plot, Deanna Durbin sings the following songs:

  • "Mong Djang Nu" - traditional Chinese lullaby
  • "The Old Refrain" (Fritz Kreisler, Alice Mattullath)
  • "Mighty Lak 'a Rose" (Ethelbert Nevin, Frank L. Stanton)
  • “ Vissi d'arte ”, aria from Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
  • "Rock-a-bye Baby" (Effie I. Canning)

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1944 , the film received a nomination in the category:

  • Best Film Score (Drama / Comedy) - Hans J. Salter, Frank Skinner

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