Quick (1932)

Movie
Original title	Quick
Country of production	Germany
original language	German
Publishing year	1932
length	95 minutes
Rod
Director	Robert Siodmak
script	Hans Müller based on a play by Félix Gandéra
production	Erich Pommer for UFA , Berlin
music	Werner Richard Heymann ; Hans-Otto Borgmann ; Gérard Jacobson
camera	Günther Rittau ; Otto Baecker
cut	Viktor Gertler
occupation
	Hans Albers : Quick, the music clown; Lilian Harvey : Eva Praetorius; Willy Stettner : Mr. von Pohl, called Dicky; Albert von Kersten : Prof. Bertram, spa doctor; Paul Hörbiger : Lademann, Quicks Manager; Carl Meinhard : Director of Henkel; Paul Westermeier : Clock; Genia Nikolajewa : Marion, a dancer; Käthe Haack : Mrs. Koch; Flockina von Platen : Charlotte; Fritz Odemar : head waiter; Ernst Behmer : Father Schmidt, host in the variety theater; Max Wilmsen : lifeguard;

Quick is a German feature film from the year 1932. Directed by Robert Siodmak play Hans Albers (title role) and Lilian Harvey the lead roles.

action

The 21-year-old Eva Prätorius, divorced at an early age, resides in the noble Sonneneck sanatorium, which is medically run by the respected Prof. Bertram. She is only interested in the music clown Quick, whom she admires every evening in the variety show at the Apollo Theater. There he sings and performs all kinds of acrobatic tricks. Soon the white make-up entertainer also begins to be interested in the young, capricious woman who adores him every evening from her box. Although neither of them have ever exchanged a word, Quick, like Eva, develop an unspoken affection for one another. The looming liaison is viewed with great discomfort by another spa guest, Mr. von Pohl, whom everyone just calls "Dicky", as he himself has his eye on Eva. He finds support in Professor Bertram, who is also interested in Eva. In order to at least beat his competitor Dicky out of the field, he treats him with all sorts of medical measures.

The perky Fräulein Prätorius now wants to take the next step and is looking for Quick in broad daylight in the “Apollo” variety theater. But she doesn't recognize him when he happens to be standing in front of her - without make-up, as she has never seen him before. The elegantly and “civilly” dressed man introduces himself as Henkel, director of the establishment. Eva shows complete disinterest in him, she is completely fixated on her idea of Quick made up. Quick as "Theater Director Henkel" even believes that Eva feels downright reluctance and rejection of him. When the chance arises to appear in the sanatorium in the mask of Quick, he accepts. Eva is immediately on fire again, and her feelings cool just as quickly when she meets the wrong director Henkel again in the theater the next day. Quick then uses a ruse and persuades his constantly drunk friend Clock to pretend to be Quick in order to destroy Eva's fixation on the clown. Horrified, she runs away after the first encounter with the wrong Quick and meets the real director Henkel. Now she doesn't understand anything anymore. During another performance, Quick clears up the mess on stage and tells her that she will marry him.

Production notes

Quick is sometimes called Quick - King of the Clowns .

Filming began on March 10 and was completed on April 30, 1932. The premiere took place on August 9, 1932 in the Ufa-Palast am Zoo , and on December 8, 1933 Quick was also sold in the USA. On June 25, 1977, the film was first broadcast in the afternoon on German television by ARD .

Erich Kettelhut created the film structures, Fritz Thiery provided the sound. The lyrics to Madam, Come and Play with Me were written by the screenwriter Robert Liebmann . Max Pfeiffer was production manager; Film editor Viktor Gertler also served Robert Siodmak as assistant director.

A French version of the same name was also produced from this film. While Harvey repeated her German role (under the name Christine Dawson this time), Jules Berry played the eponymous music clown there.

criticism

Oskar Kalbus ' Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst said: “An interesting subject: the little blonde, playful woman falls in love with the juggler' s mask, she does not recognize him with her make-up removed and does not want to know anything about him. […] This direction in 'Quick' is smooth and conventional, but nothing more. The direction was success mathematics: Albers pulls, Harvey, pulls, we have to move Hans and Lilian together first. The bill was right for the audience, but it didn't quite work out for the art of film. "

In the lexicon of international films it says: Tailored entirely to the charmer Hans Albers and the lively Lilian Harvey, Siodmak's 1932 stage film is ultimately lacking in dramatic momentum; the attempt to copy American role models in the show scenes fails miserably.

For Kay Less it was a matter of "pure star clothing", and he described Quick in Robert Siodmak's biography as a "failed Lilian Harvey film (...) with a completely miscast Hans Albers (who has to speak an accent and appears in white clown paint) ".

Individual evidence

^ Oskar Kalbus: On the becoming of German film art. Part 2: The sound film. Berlin 1935. p. 53
↑ Klaus Brüne (Red.): Lexikon des Internationale Films, Volume 6, S. 3026. Reinbek near Hamburg 1987.
↑ Kay Less : "In life, more is taken from you than given ...". Lexicon of filmmakers who emigrated from Germany and Austria between 1933 and 1945. A general overview. ACABUS Verlag, Hamburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86282-049-8 , p. 460.

Web links

Quick on the Internet Movie Database (English)
Quick at filmportal.de

[1] Oskar Kalbus: On the becoming of German film art. Part 2: The sound film. Berlin 1935. p. 53

[2] Klaus Brüne (Red.): Lexikon des Internationale Films, Volume 6, S. 3026. Reinbek near Hamburg 1987.

[3] Kay Less : "In life, more is taken from you than given ...". Lexicon of filmmakers who emigrated from Germany and Austria between 1933 and 1945. A general overview. ACABUS Verlag, Hamburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86282-049-8 , p. 460.