The damned of the islands (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The damned of the islands |
| Original title | Outcast of the Islands |
| Country of production | Great Britain |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1951 |
| length | 102 (original) 100 (German version) minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Carol Reed |
| script |
William Fairchild based on the novel An Outcast of the Islands (1896) by Joseph Conrad (almost of the same name) |
| production | Carol Reed Hugh Perceval |
| music | Brian Easdale |
| camera |
Ted Scaife John Wilcox |
| cut | Bert Bates |
| occupation | |
| |
The Damned of the Islands is a British fictional film from 1951 "about faithlessness and betrayal", based on the novel by Joseph Conrad . In "the story of an equally useless and ungrateful do-not-good", Ralph Richardson , directed by Carol Reed, plays the "imperious but always just merchant Lingard". His opponent is Trevor Howard in the role of "a devious, useless coward and character pig" named Peter Willems.
action
In the island world between the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia at the end of the colonial era.
Peter Willems is a failure in every way. Whenever the gambler tackles something, his own ego, his lack of honesty and his inability to get something done with discipline and diligence stand in his way. He recently had to flee Singapore head over heels because his frauds called on the police there. Stranded on a remote island, Willems hopes for help from the successful and extremely correct merchant captain Lingard, who has an excellent reputation. Lingard had met Willems as a twelve-year-old boy and, although his inner voice tells him otherwise, he feels obliged to give his compatriot a helping hand. He takes Willems with him on his ship and shows him the route in the coastal area of Batam , which is considered extremely difficult to navigate. At the trading center there, Lingard's beefy son-in-law Elmer Almeyer represents the captain and takes care of his business. When Lingard Almeyer asked to take Willems under his wing, he was not very enthusiastic from the start.
Almeyer's distrust of the lazy Willems with weak character should quickly prove to be correct. As soon as Lingard has sailed away on new voyages, Willems abuses Lingard's leap of faith in the worst possible way: He is lazy, starts an argument with Almeyer, whom he publicly humiliates and finally even tries to get out of the boat. Willems wants to go high quickly without doing anything. To make matters worse, he also seduces Aissa, the native chief's daughter. As the pinnacle of his ingratitude to his patron, Willems also reveals Lingard's top-secret navigation route through the island shallows to the fiercest competitor on the island. When Lingard returns, he is extremely upset about Willems' behavior and his unfaithfulness. The islanders also cast the hated man out; his dishonorable behavior brought too much shame over the place and the residents. Captain Lingard lets his protégé fall disappointed, and he then, with his hot-blooded bride Aissa at his side, degenerates more and more. The two outcasts, chained to each other in a kind of love-hate relationship, try to build their own existence away from the settlements. One day a huge storm comes up that hits Willems and Aissa in particular without protection ...
Production notes
The Damned of the Islands was filmed from November 1950 until the following year in the former British colony Ceylon , which had been given independence a few years earlier . The studio recordings were made in Shepperton Studios near London. The world premiere took place on November 15, 1951 in the Federal Republic of Germany. Further national premieres followed in Sweden, Denmark, Austria and France by the end of February. It was not until February 25, 1952, that the British public could see The Damned of the Isles .
The Filmbauten come from Vincent Korda , the costumes by Ivy Baker. Later famous cameramen were also involved in this film: Ted Moore was a simple cameraman, Freddie Francis and Gerry Fisher assisted Ted Scaife . The future Bond director Guy Hamilton ( Goldfinger , Diamond Fever ) was Reed's assistant director. Leading actress Kerima , a born Algerian who embodied the classy and as "sinful" -female allure of Willems into ruin, made her debut in front of the camera in The Damned of the Islands . Five-year-old Annabel Morley was Robert Morley's daughter . She also plays his daughter in the film.
Reed had previously worked very successfully with his main actors Richardson and Howard. Richardson played the leading role in the family melodrama Kleines Herz in Not (1948), and Howard played Major Calloway, the British occupation officer in Vienna, in the classic The Third Man (1949).
Reviews
“'Third Man' director Carol Reed shot an erotically explosive southern ballad based on Joseph Conrad's novel about the cowardly white man and his love - hate - relationship with the native princess' daughter (SPIEGEL No. 47/1950). Malay Venus Aissa (Kerima) loves, looks, strides, but doesn't say a word and leaves the question unanswered as to whether she is more than a precious specimen of an ancient Arabian race. Trevor Howard shines as a white villain. The camera makes music with light and shadow, the natives' characters look like lively Rembrandt sketches. With the exception of the expectations, which were exceeded by praise for the advance, still one of the strongest films of the season, if not a 'third man'. "
"After that, it is hard to understand that Conrad has hardly ever been made into a film before, because Reed also has far from all the usual exotic magic and yet the disenchanted images of the islands of the South Seas and their inhabitants, which the famous narrator so cool and incorruptible captured with all southern beauty, and he succeeded admirably in translating the epic work into a dramatic imagery. (...) But if we finally come to terms with the fact that the film can only be a weak interpretation of a literary work and if we forget as much as possible that we have read Conrad, then this clever and hard-earned film is still full of charms, if not one Comparison with the 'third man' who can withstand Reeds' last big throw. "
"His filthy misery was not blinded by the usual Hollywood exuberance."
"The most powerful film that has ever been made in this country."
"The script is so dominated by the narrative style that the characters and their relationships to one another cannot emerge ... while the handling is often intelligent and witty and has its momentous moments."
"Captivating adaptation of Joseph Conrad's story (...) consistently good performance."
Paimann's film lists summed up: “Once a realistic South Sea film, which vividly works out its incisively embodied characters and (native) marginal figures from the originally recorded background (Ceylon, Borneo), also shows the dark side of the 'dreamland' and at least touches on its problems: not romantic and cozy, but interesting. Extended, at times somewhat pathetic dialogue. "
"An interesting but not entirely successful attempt to dramatize a complex character study."
“In his typical films, Reed describes the fate of the outcast, the lonely and the persecuted. His heroes fall into the twilight, become guiltless and are no longer sure of themselves and their deeds. Reed designed this twilight to be visually impressive with sophisticated lighting effects. And tension often arises for him from a dense atmospheric description that surrounds the hero with mysterious threats. "
"Psychologically in-depth, compositionally masterful film adaptation of an early novel by Joseph Conrad."
Web links
- The Outcast of the Islands in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Kay Less : The large personal dictionary of the film . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 6: N - R. Mary Nolan - Meg Ryan. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 435.
- ↑ Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 6: N - R. Mary Nolan - Meg Ryan. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 515.
- ↑ Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 4: H - L. Botho Höfer - Richard Lester. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 81.
- ↑ “Reed seeks the sublime” in: Der Spiegel, issue No. 4/1951
- ↑ The damned of the islands in Paimann's film lists ( Memento of the original from February 15, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ The damned of the islands. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
