Uncle Harry's strange affair
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Uncle Harry's strange affair |
| Original title | The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry Uncle Harry |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1945 |
| length | 80 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Robert Siodmak |
| script |
Stephen Longstreet Keith Winter |
| production | Joan Harrison |
| camera | Paul Ivano |
| cut | Arthur Hilton |
| occupation | |
| |
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (AKA The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry or Uncle Harry ) is a in black and white twisted American film drama and film noir of Robert Siodmak from the year 1945 .
action
Fashion designer Harry Quincey, despite his advanced age, is still a bachelor and is only called "Uncle Harry" by the residents of the small town where he lives. He lives with his sisters, the widowed Hester and the also unmarried, possessive Lettie, on the family estate, the only remaining property of the once wealthy Quinceys. When the young, attractive Deborah takes her job at Harry's workplace, she messes up the bachelor's life. Harry falls in love with the young woman. When he learns that she is going on a business trip with her mutual employer, John Warren, he proposes to her, which she accepts. While Hester is delighted with Harry's marriage plans, the jealous Lettie tries everything to break the connection. Harry and Deborah realize that the only way to be happy together is to move to another city. As a result, Lettie seems to become seriously ill; When Deborah gives Harry an ultimatum, forcing him to choose between living with her and his sister, he chooses Lettie. Deborah leaves him disappointed and angry.
Soon after, Harry learns that Deborah and John Warren have married. When Lettie suddenly recovers, he realizes that he was betrayed by her. He decides to poison Lettie, but by mistake Hester drinks the drink made for her sister and dies. Lettie is charged with murder, charged and sentenced to death. Harry confesses that he is responsible for Hester's death, but no one believes him as everyone assumes that Harry selflessly wants to save his doomed sister. During a visit to the prison, Lettie confesses that she will accept her execution with the full knowledge that Harry will suffer from his guilt for a lifetime and will always be bound to her.
After what appears to be a prison visit, Harry wakes up in his room. Deborah enters the room, she has decided against marrying John Warren and has returned to him. Hester comes in after her, and her death and Lettie's conviction were only a dream.
background
The film is based on the 1942 first performed the play Uncle Harry by Thomas job . The material was objected to by Joseph Bree's Production Code Administration, which monitored compliance with the censorship guidelines dictated by the Hays Code , because the main character Harry was not punished for what she did. According to Siodmak expert Joseph Greco , in order to avoid conflicts , the production company Universal had Roy William Neill film an epilogue that identifies Harry's poisoning as a dream. Producer Joan Harrison and Robert Siodmak turned down the happy ending, and Harrison left Universal in protest. In his autobiography, however, Siodmak states that the idea of depicting the event as a dream came from him. Both sources agree that the film was recut several times before it was released.
Uncle Harry's strange affair began in the United States on August 17, 1945. In the FRG the film was not shown in the cinema, but first broadcast on television on July 11, 1983.
criticism
“A colorless, monotonous series of routine episodes. […] Robert Siodmak's direction is strangely lame and wooden. In addition, George Sanders is completely miscast as a murderous wimp. "
“Although not as feverishly“ noir ”as Siodmak's best works ( Witness Wanted , Avenger of the Underworld , Scream of the City ) , this rather Hitchcock 's small-town thriller is a usual impressive study of all kinds of obsession."
“Hollywood psychodrama that impresses above all with its intense acting. The compromising happy ending (the murder attack turns out to be a dream fantasy) came about under pressure from the producers and defused the latent social criticism of the material. "
Web links
- The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Uncle Harry's Strange Affair on Turner Classic Movies
Individual evidence
- ^ Joseph Greco: The File on Robert Siodmak in Hollywood, 1941-1951. Dissertation.com, 1999, ISBN 1581120818 , pp. 61-62; Robert Siodmak, Hans C. Blumenberg (ed.): Between Berlin and Hollywood. Memories of a great film director. Herbig, Munich 1980, ISBN 3-8004-0892-9 , pp. 111-114.
- ↑ Uncle Harry's Strange Affair in the Internet Movie Database .
- ↑ a b Uncle Harry's Strange Affair in the Lexicon of International Films .
- ↑ […] a drab and monotonous succession of routine episodes. […] Robert Siodmak's direction is curiously slow and stiff. Furthermore, George Sanders is badly miscast as the murderous Milquetoast […] - New York Times review on August 24, 1945, accessed January 7, 2013.
- ↑ "Though less deliriously noir than Siodmak's best work (Phantom Lady, The Killers, Cry of the City) this rather Hitchcockian smalltown thriller [...] is a typically impressive psychological study in various forms of obsession." - Time Out Film Guide, Seventh Edition 1999. Penguin, London 1998, p. 863.