Regeneration (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | regeneration |
 | |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1915 |
| length | 72 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Raoul Walsh |
| script |
Carl Harbaugh , Raoul Walsh |
| production |
William Fox for 20th Century Fox |
| camera | Georges Benoît |
| occupation | |
| |
Regeneration is a 1915 American drama film directed by Raoul Walsh . It is based on the autobiography My Mamie Rose by Owen Kildare (1864-1911), a gangster who eventually turned away from crime with the help of a good woman and became a well-known writer. Regeneration is one of the first gangster films.
action
Owen, the son of Irish parents in New York, grew up in harsh conditions in poverty. After his caring mother dies, 10-year-old Owen is adopted by the neighboring Conway family. However, the couple is constantly fighting, the stepfather Jim is a flogging alcoholic. To avoid the quarrels, the actually kind Owen hangs around on the street and soon comes under the influence of criminal circles. At age 25, he became the leader of a gang that spends most of their time stealing, gambling and drinking. One evening he meets the good-hearted Marie Deering from good company in one of these seedy bars. She is accompanied by the public prosecutor, who finally wants to put an end to the criminal machinations in the neighborhood and has an argument with Owen. Owen falls in love with Marie, who is so shocked by the poverty that she then works as a social worker. Owen learns to read and write with the help of Marie. Slowly and with the help of Marie's support, he breaks free from his criminal milieu. When Skinny - a member of Owen's gang - kills a police officer, Owen hides him because he owes Skinny a favor. However, Skinny tries to rape Marie. When the angry Owen comes back, Skinny shoots him but hits Marie and kills her. Marie's death wish is that Owen doesn't take revenge. Skinny is killed while trying to escape, while Owen manages to break out of crime and prays at Marie's grave.
backgrounds
Regeneration was the first feature-length film by Hollywood veteran director Raoul Walsh, who directed almost 140 films by 1964. He had learned the craft of directing from David Wark Griffith , America's leading director at the time - Walsh had been assistant director on Griffith's controversial film classic The Birth of a Nation . Griffith's handwriting can also be seen in the subject matter of the film as well as in the then progressive film techniques that were used. Walsh shot regeneration in New York at the original locations of the plot. Real prostitutes, gangsters and the homeless made up part of the extras.
reception
The film was a hit with critics and audiences when it was released. After that, however, it was somewhat forgotten and was long thought to be lost. In the 1970s, a copy of the film was finally rediscovered. Today it is considered to be one of the "most impressive films" from the 1910 film era, and significantly as one of the first and style-defining gangster films. The Lexicon of International Films writes: “Based on the autobiography of Owen Frawley Kildare, silent film melodrama that comes across as a gangster film, but dramatically works more as a social drama. Aesthetically strong playing with graphic light and shadow effects, the film, which ends with a spectacular showdown, is an early example of ambitious entertainment cinema. "
Awards
Regeneration was included in the National Film Registry in 2000 .
Web links
- Regeneration in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ "Regeneration" at Turner Classic Movies
- ↑ regeneration . ( filmdienst.de [accessed on January 27, 2018]).