Never love again
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Never love again |
| Country of production | German Empire |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1931 |
| length | 88 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Anatol Litwak |
| script |
Irma from Cube Anatol Litwak |
| production |
Gregor Rabinowitsch Noé Bloch for UFA |
| music | Mischa Spoliansky |
| camera |
Franz planner Robert Baberske |
| cut | Alexander Uralsky |
| occupation | |
| |
Never again love is a German comedy film from 1931 by Anatol Litwak with Lilian Harvey and Harry Liedtke in the leading roles. The story is based on the novel "Dover-Calais" by Julius Berstl .
action
The wealthy US playboy Sandercroft is fed up with women, too often he has been disappointed with women in recent years. Therefore, the motto “Never love again” should apply for the next five years. His no less wealthy friend Jack bets that he will never hold out, whereupon both men bet half a million dollars. Since Sandercroft does not want to lose under any circumstances and the temptation of women on land would be too great, he decides to go on great sailing trips with like-minded friends, including his loyal servant Jean, on his luxury yacht "Odysseus". Jean is also given the special task of his boss to keep him away from women under all circumstances, should he ever need to go ashore.
Everything is going well for four years, then slowly but surely the renegade's front is softening. Some of the sailors would like to hold a woman in their arms again, but Sandercroft has no intention of bucking. Sandercroft's crew, a collection of rascals, grows morose, a hint of mutiny in the air. Chance gets in their way when they fish a shipwrecked woman out of the English Channel between Dover and Calais . The soaking wet young lady wears a swimsuit that heats up the spirits of the guys and calls herself Gladys. Since that British woman represents a high degree of temptation for the sexually starved sailors but also for him, Sandercroft would like to push Gladys over the railing to the fish immediately and knows his loyal Jean on his side. The guys on board, however, have long since got peep eyes and this time refuse to obey their boss.
Gladys stays on board according to the will of the crew and with her fairy sex appeal and shimmering charm she confuses everyone and everything on board. Sandercroft also has to use all his willpower in order not to succumb to Gladys' attempts at seduction. One day the young lady disappeared and with her Sandercroft's cash fortune. The American millionaire immediately assumes that the Englishwoman, who has meanwhile been suspected of being an impostor, could have long fingers. Sandercroft meets Gladys again at the luxury hotel “Negresco” in Nice. Now her mysterious disappearance is also cleared up: Servant Jean had brought her off board at night and in fog to save his boss from further temptations. Sandercroft, who in the meantime has fallen in love with the lovely Gladys, would like to hug her in his arms, but then she escapes again. When the American catches up with the mysterious stranger and hugs him, Jack who is present believes he has finally won the bet. The rascal had hired Gladys so that she might seduce friend Sandercroft. But at this exact moment the five years are over.
Production notes
Love Never Again was filmed from March 12th to April 1931 in Nice and on the Côte d'Azur (southern France). The world premiere was on July 27, 1931.
Noé Bloch also took over the production management. The film structures were created by Robert Herlth , Walter Röhrig (design) and Werner Schlichting (execution). Hans-Otto Borgmann took over the musical direction, the lyrics were written by Robert Gilbert . Max Ophüls served as assistant director or dialogue director: he had staged the play “Dover-Calais” at a Frankfurt theater as early as 1927. Fritz Klotzsch served as the unit manager.
The water scenes were filmed in a wave pool.
At the same time, a French-language version of Never Again Love was produced under the title Calais-Douvres . It was shown on September 18 or 20, 1931 at the Palais Rochechauart cinema in Paris. Lilian Harvey also took on the female lead here.
Reviews
The film met with a largely friendly reception at home and abroad, with a few restrictions. Here are four examples:
“Carnival and flower parade in Nice, car races over dangerously winding mountain roads, much laughed at happy ending, summery spectator hearts, what more could you want! There are three star names on the evening menu: Lilian Harvey, Harry Liedtke, Felix Bressart. Lots of popular names next to it. (...) After the deepening of the technical, after the rediscovered beauty of the picture, the most urgent command is: Care for the spiritual. Yet this story of a bet between two millionaires, which forces one not to look at a woman for five years, could have been brought up to speed with a few little tricks; just make the all-too-improbable more probable, and give the audience every opportunity to go along, and a harmless, nice dozen plot would have turned into a tingly and exciting story. (...) Anatol Litwak succeeds in depicting the ship's atmosphere. Together with the music by Mischa Spoliansky and the fresh texts by Robert Gilbert, it is shown to the delight of the female cinema-goers present how easy it is for men to imagine life without women and how miserable they feel when the fifth year of the so easily imagined celibacy dawns . "
“This little insignificance… was so stretched and stretched by the scriptwriters, so laden and overloaded with legal audiences that the little story and often also the good presentation has lost a lot of lustful tempo. Litwak, co-author (next to I. von Cube) and director, had quite a few nice ideas that received strong applause. Harry Liedtke plays the love-weary Sondercroft with noble restraint, while Lilian Harvey dances, sings and plays in all conceivable costumes (from bathing suit to car dress) in the most cheerful grace. The large crowd of her admirers will be quite delighted by this new role of the graceful Lilian. Deliciously and very cleverly tamed, Bressart plays a concerned servant. But the artistic experience of the film is Margo Lion. The way she puts down a chanson in the sailors' bar, do one after her! (...) Mischa Spoliansky couldn't ask for a better interpreter for his songs. "
When the film premiered in the USA (New York) on January 15, 1932, Variety praised Never Again Love with the following words: "Another amusing idea from his [Litvak's] latest German musical". The reviewer also complained about the slowness of the plot for American viewing habits and recommended: "Cut out 20 minutes and increase the tempo accordingly, and this film would be a first-class musical comedy farce".
The New York Times saw in Never Again Love "a happy German version of the old story of don Juan who wants to renounce all women for years to come".
Individual evidence
- ↑ Furthermore, Fritz Falkenstein , Curt J. Braun and Felix Joachimson were involved in the script.
- ↑ Contrary to what is sometimes read, the film title does not have an exclamation mark at the end
- ↑ Never again love on murnau-stiftung.de
- ↑ Ulrich J. Klaus: Deutsche Tonfilme 2nd year 1931. p. 226 (129.31), Berlin 1989
- ↑ Variety, January 19, 1932
- ^ The New York Times, January 16, 1932
Web links
- No more love in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Never again love at filmportal.de