Operation comeback
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Operation comeback |
| Original title | Love is forever |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1983 |
| length | 89 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Hall Bartlett |
| script | Hall Bartlett |
| production | Hall Bartlett |
| music | Klaus Doldinger |
| camera |
Andrew Laszlo , Underwater Photography: Al Giddings |
| cut |
Marshall M. Borden , Jay Cassidy |
| occupation | |
| |
Love Is Forever ( Love Is Forever ) is an American television film from the year 1983 . An autobiographical article by John Everingham in the magazine Reader's Digest serves as a literary model . Hall Bartlett directed and screenplayed . The production depicts the dramatic liberation action of a journalist who, despite his own risk, returns to communist Laos to save his native lover, whom he once had to leave behind under adverse circumstances.
Michael Landon , Jürgen Prochnow and Laura Gemser play the leading roles - the latter under the exotic pseudonym Moira Chen . The production is one of the few dramatic and serious films by Gemser, which is mainly known for its revealing roles. Priscilla Presley and Gemser's husband Gabriele Tinti play supporting roles .
action
In the mid-1970s, bitter power struggles raged in Southeast Asia . Units trained and led by Russian military experts dominate large parts of Indochina . Only Thailand is an exception. In terms of foreign policy, the kingdom leans towards the USA and thus becomes a magnet for millions of refugees. While the United States is waging a secret war in the region, many Laotians are trying to leave their communist homeland, a police state . However, the Mekong is an insurmountable obstacle.
The Australian John Everingham, a political journalist and photographer, is the only remaining Western reporter in Laos in 1977. Officially, he works on cultural reports, but in secret he writes highly explosive political articles, mostly based on inside information. He then has these smuggled out of the country to the West. The head of the Pathet Lao secret police , General Serge Kapler, a Russian of German descent, is trying to expose Everingham, who enjoys immunity , as a traitorous spy. The head of the secret service initially restricts the journalist's freedom of movement. He then recruited the 23-year-old medical student and head of the Keo Sirisomphone cultural center as a police spy. Though imposed duty makes the Lao beauty noticeably uncomfortable, she dutifully yields to her fate. John and Keo then work on a tourism brochure. They get closer and eventually fall in love.
One day, Everingham reveals to his astonished lover that he primarily observes the country's political life, culture and people merely serve as camouflage. Sirisomphone remains loyal and generally excludes denunciation. Meanwhile, the intelligence chief has amassed enough incriminating material to convict all traitors, including a senior military officer from the management staff. Everingham is then arrested and tortured. After refusing to sign an extortionate admission of guilt, he and friends are put on a show trial. The main actor is ultimately expelled from the country. Keo Sirisomphone is left alone. From now on, the attractive woman has to defend herself against the advances of the lovable, married general.
In exile in Thailand , Everingham immediately prepares for liberation. He secretly makes up the plan to dive through the border stream Mekong, to catch the great love - Keo is incidentally a non-swimmer - and to return together. After several weeks of training, Everingham finally succeeded in transferring his loved ones on May 27, 1978. At the end, an off-voice explains to the viewer that they both became parents of a son after their marriage . Furthermore, it is said that General Kapler tried several times to have John Everingham killed, ultimately in mid-1982 - during the making of this film.
background
The film adaptation of the material should actually find its way into the cinemas under the name Comeback . However, as there were repeated disputes between Executive Producer Michael Landon and director Bartlett, delays were the result. The production difficulties culminated in the idea of filming a television version under the name Love Is Forever - which then happened.
After the completion of the film, Landon and Bartlett tried to suppress Laura Gemser's name - she was preceded by the reputation of a soft porn actress - in all advertising campaigns. Finally, at Bartlett's behest, Gemser chose a stage name: Moira Chen
The original 150-minute version was later cut to 127 minutes and first released on US television on April 3, 1983; another cut resulted in a 100-minute version for syndication . In Germany, Operation Comeback was on video in December 1989 and was released on DVD on February 8, 2010 under the title Love is infinite . Another alternative title, In the Dark Tides of the Mekong , was used on television broadcasts.
Reviews
The lexicon of international film describes the production as a " tear-up that tries in vain for an authentic paint job and exploits contemporary history only for its own purposes ". “ The political misery of Indochina is only accessories for the duel between the two men. "
Web links
- Love Is Forever in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Hal Erickson , All Movie Guide , accessed on July 21, 2010 (English)
- ↑ cf. Peter Osteried in Simpel Movie portrait (brochure): Laura Gemser . Media, publication and advertising company Knorr Martens, 2007, ISBN 978-3-931608-79-8 , page 12
- ↑ cf. Entry in the IMDb , accessed on July 21, 2010
- ↑ a b Operation Comeback. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film Service , accessed July 21, 2010 .