Rübezahl - the lord of the mountains
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Rübezahl - the lord of the mountains |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1957 |
| length | 70 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Erich Kobler |
| script |
Konrad Lustig Erich Kobler Carl Springenschmid |
| music | Ulrich Sommerlatte |
| camera | Heinz Hölscher |
| cut | Ilse Selckmann-Wienecke |
| occupation | |
| |
Rübezahl - the Lord of the Mountains (alternative title: Rübezahl - Lord of the Mountains) is a German color film based on old legends from the Giant Mountains , which was made in 1957 under the direction of Erich Kobler . Franz Essel plays the title role of Rübezahl . Other leading roles are occupied by Otto Mächtlinger , Monika Greving , Bobby Todd and Helmut Lieber .
action
The giant Rübezahl lives in the Giant Mountains. For 999 years he has not appeared among the people who live in a nearby valley. Bitter about their wickedness, he wants nothing more to do with them and has therefore withdrawn into the interior of the mighty mountain. One day, when Rübezahl has just announced that he will never go back down to the people in the valley, one of his dwarfs tells him that the bad people are gaining the upper hand and the good people are calling on him for help. Rübezahl doubts that there are good people, he does not hear their calls. The dwarf, however, insists that he has seen a lot of injustice down in the valley, there are thieves and robbers, spendthrifts, eaters and drunkards, animal torturers and poachers, stingy and haughty. The Berggeist thinks it has always been like this, for hundreds of years. He only sees that people have not gotten better. He wants to know whether at least the children are good. The dwarf replies that there are good children who follow their parents, but there are also those who are disobedient, who waste their pocket money on sweets and argue with their siblings. Rübezahl says he doesn't like to hear that, whether the children aren't at least afraid of him. The dwarf answers this question in the negative and tells his master that the children no longer believe in Rübezahl, that it is just a fairy tale with which the parents tried to intimidate them, that there is no mountain spirit. This information arouses Rübezahl's anger that he will show the people that the old man from the mountain is still there. So he leaves his cave for the first time in a long time to ensure peace and justice among the people. But above all, they should get respect for him again.
Glaser Steffen promises his wife and three children that he will make sure that the family will have a big pig to slaughter. His little son Karli reacts defiantly when his father doesn't want to take him with him. Steffen's wife believes in Rübezahl and, when her husband mocks the mountain spirit, says that one shouldn't do that. As soon as her husband has left, Karli is again naughty towards her mother, who then calls for the mountain spirit. When he suddenly appears in the room, she herself is shocked. Rübezahl insists on taking Karli with him. The mother and his sisters Anne and Lene pray for Karli. Rübezahl then makes the boy promise that he will always obey his parents and that he will no longer annoy his sisters. The mountain spirit praises the family's solidarity before disappearing again.
Glaser Steffen, meanwhile, is confronted with inexplicable events on his wanderings, whenever he expresses himself disparagingly about Rübezahl. Rübezahl, on the other hand, helps the fisherman's son Paule to catch a large carp after the boy has told him that he hardly catches anything anymore, but that he needs the fish to be able to help the sick mother by selling them. The mountain spirit puts a stop to a servant who beats his horse and harnesses him to the cart loaded with heavy logs until the man asserts that he will never torture an animal again in his life. Rübezahl makes it clear that he will now use his magical powers to punish everyone, the animal cruelers and the lazy, the deceivers, the spendthrifts and also the misers.
Now a true campaign of the mountain spirit begins. He punishes cold-hearted rich people who do not want to help others in need, like the rich cousin Klaus, whose gold coins he turns into stones, convicts thieves and misers. He teaches a voracious landlord who greedily eats the eggs and bacon he has ordered with a very special lesson, as does the thieving robbers Krips and Kraps. Rübezahl also shows the glazier Steffen once again that he does exist. In the end, however, he richly rewards him and his family as they have shown that real wealth lies in having each other. When Rübezahl is sure that people now know of his existence and hold back with casual speeches about him, he retreats back into the mountains.
Background, production and publication
At the beginning of the film, Rübezahl's voice can be heard, while the camera slowly shows corresponding landscape shots: “This is the Giant Mountains, my kingdom! And I am the lord of these mountains, these forests, the rocks and ravines, springs and rivers. I can control lightning and thunder, rain and wind. I protect the animals, the trees, the flowers and the fruits of the earth. I protect the healing springs, the roots and herbs that make the sick well. But even under the earth my realm extends infinitely far. Thousands of dwarfs cut gold, silver and precious stones out of the rock for me. I've stayed down here in my cave for 999 years. I haven't set foot on earth since then. I didn't want to see any more people. The people are wrong and ungrateful, they cheated and betrayed me, and they even gave me a mockery name: they call me Rübezahl . "
In schnabeline.wordpress.com states that a, if not be the central point of the film, that he was the first (West German), who had been shot in the Giant Mountains after the war, "that is, after the expulsion of the German population from Silesia ”. He said he was aiming “completely unveiled at the displaced people, their homesickness, their memories”, and showed them what the country and the mountains look like today and that at least that has stayed the same. Rübezahl offers itself as a role model for the Silesians. The many landscape shots shown, which may seem “superfluous to boring” to today's viewers who do not know the background, would certainly make sense in the context of the making of the film.
The film was produced by Schongerfilm . Buildings and furnishings were in the hands of Wolf Englert and Rudolf Remp. Ilse Dubois was responsible for the costumes .
The film also operates in the spellings Rübezahl, the Lord of the Mountains and Rübezahl, the Lord of the Mountains . It was subjected to a censorship test on October 3, 1957 under the number 15427 and released from the age of six with the addition of "holiday-free". Rübezahl - The Lord of the Mountains was premiered on October 6, 1957 at the Planie-Lichtspiele in Stuttgart .
Rübezahl was released on DVD on June 6, 2008, published by Studiocanal / Kinowelt. Icestorm Distribution released the film on September 7, 2015, also on DVD.
music
Silesian folk songs can be heard in this film. In the opening credits the melody of the Silesian song Und in dem Schneegebirge can be heard . In the final scene (party in the booth) the 1st and 4th stanzas of the old Silesian folk song are sung a cappella when we go to church on Sundays .
In the film, the glazier's children sing the song Schnitzer, strate, if my father were a tailor .
criticism
"The old folk tale was adapted for a very young audience in an entertaining way and with educational ulterior motives."
Kino.de found: “Exciting experiences with the mountain spirit Rübezahl. [...] Since this path leads through an impressive mountain landscape, the film offers, in addition to the didactic message, the enjoyment of beautiful landscape and animal shots. "
Cinema wrote: "A lot of landscape, Silesian costumes and a little education."
Web links
- Rübezahl - the Lord of the Mountains in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Rübezahl - the lord of the mountains in the online film database
- Rübezahl - the lord of the mountains at filmportal.de
- Rübezahl - the lord of the mountains on filmposter-archiv.de
- Rübezahl - Lord of the Mountains many pictures for the film at diethelm-glaser.net
Individual evidence
- ↑ schnabeline: I'll show you that the old man from the mountain is still there! at schnabeline.wordpress.com. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ↑ Rübezahl - Lord of the Mountains at filmportal.de
- ↑ Rübezahl - Lord of the Mountains DVD
- ↑ Rübezahl - Lord of the Mountains at icestorm.de. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ↑ Rübezahl - the lord of the mountains. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ Rübezahl, the Lord of the Mountains at kino.de. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ↑ Rübezahl, the Lord of the Mountains at cinema.de (with 10 pictures of the film). Retrieved August 12, 2016.
