Orpheus in the Underworld (film)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
Original title Orpheus in the underworld
Country of production GDR
original language German
Publishing year 1974
length 88 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Horst Bonnet
script Horst Bonnet
production DEFA , "Johannisthal" group
music Jacques Offenbach
camera Otto Hanisch
cut Thea Richter
occupation

Orpheus in der Unterwelt is a German DEFA musical film by Horst Bonnet from 1974. It was based on the operetta of the same name by Hector Crémieux and Jacques Offenbach .

action

A Parisian Thebes in modern and ancient times: while music professor and violinist Orpheus is having fun on a trip with his young music students, his wife Eurydice actively celebrates charity with a shepherd who has just arrived in the city. Orpheus and Eurydice have nothing more to say to each other; divorce, however, is out of the question because of the high costs that Eurydice would also want to impose on Orpheus in full. Orpheus is all the happier when the supposed shepherd and honey producer turns out to be Pluto, Prince of Darkness, and abducts his unloved wife into the underworld. Eurydice is also pleased to finally be able to leave the small town of Thebes.

Jacques Offenbach observes the scenery from a hot air balloon and is horrified: Orpheus does not set out into the underworld to save his wife! This does not correspond to the process written down in mythology, so he forces the husband to fly with him in a balloon to Olympus to ask the gods to save the woman. Orpheus grumpily agrees, but Jacques can convince him that the fathers would hardly send their willing daughters to a widowed music teacher.

There is a hangover mood on Mount Olympus: The Olympics ended the day before and everyone is tired. The house blessing hangs crookedly between the gods Jupiter and his wife Juno, as she has once again found out about several of her husband's affairs. She also regards the kidnapping of Eurydice as an act of her husband, who however knows himself innocent. The other gods, on the other hand, increasingly refuse to obey Jupiter, as they no longer feel like nectar and ambrosia and the eternal Berlin blue of the sky. Pluto announces himself promptly, whom Jupiter asks about the kidnapping of Eurydice. He has long since learned from Mercury that Eurydice has arrived in the underworld, but Pluto pretends not to know anything about Eurydice. He invites all of Olympus into the underworld to get an idea of ​​the situation, and the gods follow him enthusiastically. Jacques and Orpheus also join the group.

The underworld is filled with beautiful women who, however, live alone in individual compartments. Eurydice, too, who is being courted by Styx, lives alone and is terribly bored. Under no circumstances does she want to go back to her husband, and he later refuses decidedly to take Eurydice with him as his wife again.

The gods reach the underworld and a lavish festival begins. Jupiter transforms into a fly to get to Eurydice and thus convict Pluto of the lie. Eurydice asks him to free her, and Jupiter takes a liking to her. The party reaches the cell, and Jupiter rejoices: Since Pluto lied, the beautiful Eurydice is now his. But Pluto consults mythology: It says that Orpheus has to leave the underworld with Eurydice without turning around. If he doesn't succeed, Eurydice belongs to Pluto. Of course, Orpheus fails the test, even if Pluto helps a little with a flash. Nevertheless, Eurydice does not become Pluto's playmate: Jupiter, who would have liked to call her his own, decides that she should become one of the Bacchantes , with which everyone is satisfied.

production

Orpheus in der Unterwelt was the second and last directorial work by Horst Bonnet, who had previously staged the operetta for the stage. At the same time, Orpheus was one of DEFA's last 70mm films in the underworld . The film premiered on February 7, 1974 in the Berlin cosmos .

The singing of the performers was synchronized in most cases:

Other singers in the film were Elisabeth Ebert , Ingrid Eickstädt , Sigrid Schild , Gudrun Wichert and Jochen Arndt . Gerry Wolff, Achim Wichert and Fred Düren took on their vocal parts themselves. The film was supported vocally by the choir of the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin .

Members of the Berlin Metropolitan Theater and the ballet of the Komische Oper Berlin were involved in the dance scenes . The choreography was done by Tom Schilling . The dramaturgy was in the hands of Maurycy Janowski . Werner Schulz and Christiane Dorst created the elaborate costumes . The film's musical director, Robert Hanell , had a cameo as an organ grinder in the film .

criticism

Contemporary critics praised the film. Renate Holland-Moritz wrote in Eulenspiegel : “Bonnet and his first-class team added what Offenbach lacked for the perfect music filmmaker: wonderful colors […], time-related, sometimes cabaret dialogues, economical costumes, magnificent decorations and modern musical arrangements. It is as if years of inability or abstinence in music film production should be forgotten in one fell swoop. "

The evaluation of the Lexicon of International Films in the online version that is currently available (as of 2016) has changed compared to the print version from 1990. While the film at that time was referred to as a "feature film from the GDR, which lacks both the wit and the verve of the original" and only "Moderate entertainment" was attested, he now offers, according to the online review, "dignified entertainment" and "comes close to the wit and verve of the original, especially in the scenes in Olympus and Hades".

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Renate Holland-Moritz. In: Eulenspiegel , No. 13, 1974.
  2. ↑ Klaus Brüne (Ed.): Lexicon of International Films . Volume 6. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1990, p. 2856.
  3. ↑ Orpheus in the Underworld. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed October 14, 2016 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used