Shrek - The daredevil hero

Movie
German title	Shrek - The daredevil hero
Original title	Shrek
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	2001
length	87 minutes
Age rating	FSK 0 JMK 6
Rod
Director	Andrew Adamson , Vicky Jenson
script	Ted Elliott , Terry Rossio , Joe Stillman , Roger SH Schulman
production	Aron Warner , John H. Williams , Jeffrey Katzenberg
music	Harry Gregson-Williams , John Powell
camera	Simon J. Smith
cut	Sim Evan-Jones , Michael Andrews , Christopher Knights
synchronization
chronology
Successor  → Shrek 2 - The daredevil hero returns

Actors dressed as Shrek and Fiona

Shrek is a computer-animated film by DreamWorks from 2001. It tells the story of an ogre of the same name who lives in a fairy tale world and accidentally gets into an adventure to rescue a princess. The story is based on the children's book Shrek! by William Steig . The word Shrek is borrowed from Yiddish and corresponds to the German word "Schrecken".

action

The film begins with the camera dipping into a fairy tale book that tells the story of a princess who is under a terrible, unspecified, curse. She is trapped in a tower and is guarded by a fire-breathing dragon - until a brave knight frees her and frees her from the curse with the kiss of true love.

The hero of the story, Shrek, is an ogre . Therefore, he is perceived by his contemporaries as tall, stupid, ugly and, above all, dangerous. He lives in a swamp and loves to be alone.

When Lord Farquaad, the ruler of the country "DuLoc", drives away all the mythical creatures and relocates them to the Shrek swamp, he makes a deal with the lord: he can have his swamp to himself again if he succeeds, the beautiful one Free Princess Fiona from her tower guarded by a dragon . Farquaad secretly promises to marry the princess, who would make him king.

On this mission, Shrek is accompanied by a talking donkey. The two very different creatures experience different adventures together. They manage to free Fiona from the tower and save them from the dragon. Fiona herself is outraged that Lord Farquaad sent Shrek as a henchman instead of heroically saving her. On the way back to DuLoc, Shrek initially has to wear her as she refuses to come along. The fact that Shrek and Fiona as well as Donkey and the dragon lady fall in love on the way doesn't make the journey any easier. At this point Shrek does not know that there is a curse on Fiona that will turn her into an ogre herself after nightfall.

The night before Fiona is supposed to meet Lord Farquaad, Donkey discovers that Fiona will transform into an ogre after sunset. Donkey tries to convince Fiona to stay with Shrek. Shrek hears through the door of the conversation only that Fiona says no one could love a monster. Shrek thinks Fiona is talking about him since he cannot know that Fiona calls herself a monster. Angry, he brings Farquaad to Fiona shortly after sunrise, who has again assumed human form. Shrek says goodbye to Fiona by saying that she is right and that no one could fall in love with a monster. Fiona, in turn, thinks he's talking about her, even though he's talking about himself.

Unhappy, Fiona decides to marry Farquaad. After donkey Shrek explained the misunderstanding, the two prevent the wedding with the help of the dragon. Farquaad, who wants to execute Shrek and lock Fiona back in the tower, is devoured by the dragon. The following kiss of true love between Fiona and Shrek lifts the curse on Fiona. She finally takes the form of an ogre woman and marries Shrek.

production

• At the time of its creation, Shrek was the most elaborate computer-animated film to date.
• Originally speaking, comedian Chris Farley Shrek spoke in the original English version . However, he died during the production of the film. Mike Myers then took over his position .
• For the figure of the donkey, the filmmakers searched for a real donkey via an Internet call in order to study its movements and facial expressions in detail and to transfer them to the computer figure. They finally found what they were looking for in the Californian dwarf donkey "Pericles".

music

English rock music is used as the soundtrack.

• All Star - Smash Mouth
• Bad Reputation - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
• Meditation - Antônio Carlos Jobim
• I'm On My Way - The Proclaimers
• Escape (The Piña Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
• My Beloved Monster - Eels
• You Belong to Me - Jason Wade
• Best Years of our Lives - Baha Men
• Hallelujah - John Cale (Originally by Leonard Cohen ; Cale's version was used in the film, but Rufus Wainwright's version is on the soundtrack CD.)
• I'm a Believer - Eddie Murphy and Smash Mouth (originally by Neil Diamond and made famous by The Monkees )
• Like wow! - Leslie Carter
• It is You (I Have Loved) - Sabina Halsey (originally by Dana Glover )

Allusions

Fairy tales and films

Since the producer Jeff Katzenberg left the Disney studios in a dispute in the mid-1990s , many of the fairy tale characters can be understood as parodies of successful adaptations of Disney. Films have also been parodied:

• Robin Hood (1973) - the ogre hunters at the beginning of the film wear exactly the same clothes as Robin Hood in the Disney film adaptation. There is also a Robin Hood with a French accent.
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - the seven dwarfs, together with Snow White, are looking for a new home in the coffin after they have been sold or driven away like the other fairy tale and mythical animals. Lord Farquaad also has a speaking mirror listing Snow White as the bachelorette of the kingdom for Lord Farquaard. In addition, Fiona sings at dawn together with a bird, which is also very reminiscent of the Disney film adaptation of the fairy tale.
• Pinocchio (1940) - Pinocchio is sold by its creator Geppetto. Pinocchio then became a member of Shrek's circle of friends and appeared in all Shrek films.
• Peter Pan (1953) - The fairy from the Peter Pan adventure “Little Bells” falls briefly on donkey, whereupon it can fly for a short time.
• The three little pigs - the three little pigs are also sold like Pinocchio and then also belong to Shrek's friends and appear in all Shrek films. In the original version they speak with a German accent.
• Little Red Riding Hood - the bad wolf from the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, in the disguise of Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother, is also looking for a home with Shrek. He later lives there and is one of Shrek's friends.
• Sleeping Beauty (1959) - the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty can be seen fleeing shortly before the ogre.
• Cinderella (1950) - Cinderella is listed by the mirror as a bachelorette of the kingdom. At the end of the film, the fairy godmother appears and conjures up a carriage.
• King Kong - the dragon pats itself on the chest and roars like King Kong.
• Matrix - Fiona jumps up, stands still in mid-air as the camera pans around her, and Fiona has time to sort her hair before continuing.
• Godzilla (1998) - the donkey searches for the dragon and finds it when it realizes that the dragon (eye) is staring at it through a hole in the wall.
• Highlander - There can only be one - after Fiona transforms into an ogre beauty and kisses Shrek, she experiences light and floating effects like Connor MacLeod after he beheaded his last adversary.

Further allusions

• Farquaad sounds like fuck-wad , which in English is an insult to a snooty or useless person.
• The representation of the city of DuLoc parodies Disneyland several times , z. B. The doll opening medley 'Welcome to DuLoc' is a parody of the attraction 'Its a small world'.
• There is a sign "You are parked in Lancelot" in the parking lot in front of Farquaad's Castle. This is a play on words derived from "parking lot", the American English word for parking lot, and Lancelot .
• Shrek mentions in the German dubbed version that an ogre is nicknamed " Blähboy ". This is a reference to the men's magazine Playboy .
• Several authors have speculated whether Shrek's appearance is inspired by the French wrestler Maurice Tillet, known as The French Angel , who suffered from acromegaly .

Sequels

• Before the appearance of the second Shrek cinema film, the first film was re-released on DVD in an “extended” version . The extension consisted of an additional 15-minute short film created in 3D . The DVD came with 3D glasses for viewing . In some countries, the 3D short film was also shown in IMAX cinemas.
• On July 1, 2004, the first sequel to the film, Shrek 2 - The Daredevil Hero Returns , was released.
• Shrek the Third was released in German cinemas on June 21, 2007 and is about the two protagonists looking for an heir to the throne to return to the swamp.
• In 2007, the 30-minute Christmas film Shrek - Oh du Shrekliche (Shrek the Halls) was released for television and was broadcast every Christmas on ProSieben from 2007 onwards .
• In 2009, a musical version of the first film established itself on New York Broadway with Brian D'Arcy James, Sutton Forster, Daniel Breaker and Christopher Sieber.
• In 2010 the 21-minute Halloween special Scared Shrekless was released for television (Er-Shrek you not!).
• A fourth part entitled Shrek Forever After, by director Mike Mitchell , was released in German cinemas on June 30, 2010. The film is also shown in 3D . The plans for a fifth part, which was announced for 2013, have since been dropped.

reception

Reviews

The film received mostly good reviews. According to the Rotten Tomatoes website , the film received a positive rating from 89% of film critics, based on 176 film reviews.

James Berardinelli described the film on ReelViews as "wonderful" and "quirky". The film can “grab” the children as well as their parents. Berardinelli strongly praised the animation technique.

Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times on May 18, 2001 that the film was "an amazing visual delight" and that the animation was both realistic and fantastic. The film thrives on its entertaining story and the amiable character of the ogre Shrek.

Mick LaSalle wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle on May 18, 2001 that the film was "visually elegant." He is "more honest" and "warm-hearted" than most cartoons. Shrek may live in a fantasy world, but his behavior and mindset are anchored in the real world. The film can therefore be described as the first truly modern animated film.

Awards

• Oscar for best animated feature film at the 2002 Academy Awards , the screenplay was nominated for another Oscar
• Nomination for the Golden Globe Award in the category of best film, comedy or musical in 2002
• Young Artist Award for Best Animated Film in 2002
• Nominations for the MTV Movie Award in 2002 for Best Picture , for Eddie Murphy, for Mike Myers and for the team consisting of Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers
• Nomination for the Golden Satellite Award for Best Animated Film in 2002
• Golden canvas in 2001
• Hollywood Walk of Fame (Shrek as an honored cartoon character)
• The German Film and Media Assessment FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the rating particularly valuable.

influence

As a result of Shrek's great success, ironic-satirical fairy tale parodies became popular in films. Other animated films with similar humor are, for example, It was never in Wonderland and The Little Red Riding Hood Conspiracy . Also feature films and TV series such as 7 Zwerge and Die Märchenstunde took on the ironic parody of classic fairy tales.

synchronization

The German synchronization was produced by Berliner Synchron AG, directed by Michael Nowka - who also speaks the magic mirror.

role	Original speaker	German speaker
Shrek	Mike Myers	Sascha Hehn
Fiona	Cameron Diaz	Esther Schweins
ass	Eddie Murphy	Randolf Kronberg
Lord Farquaad	John Lithgow	Rufus Beck
Pinocchio	Cody Cameron	Gerald Schaale
Gingerbread man	Conrad Vernon	Santiago Ziesmer
wolf	Aron Warner	Wolfgang Kühne
Magic mirror	Chris Miller	Michael Nowka
Monsieur Hood	Vincent Cassel	Michael Pan
Dragon	Frank Welker

Others

The film opened in theaters in Germany on July 5, 2001. It was first shown on German free TV on May 31, 2004 from 5:50 pm on ARD .

literature

• Margrit Frölich: "The first kiss of true love" - ​​wishes for love and salvation in SHREK. In: Thomas Bohrmann, Werner Veith, Stephan Zöller (Eds.): Handbuch Theologie und Popular Film . Volume 3. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2012, ISBN 978-3-506-77535-1 , pp. 223-234.
• Tobias Kurwinkel: fairytale media texts - media fairytale texts. How DreamWorks' Shrek updates and continues the fairy tale. In: Claudia Brinker-von der Heyde, Holger Ehrhardt, Hans-Heino Ewers (eds.): Fairy tales, myths and modernity. 200 years of children's and household tales. Part 1. Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2015, ISBN 978-3-631-64454-6 , pp. 517-529.

Web links

Commons : Shrek  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official "Shrek" homepage
• Shrek - The daring hero in theInternet Movie Database(English)
• Shrek - The daredevil hero atRotten Tomatoes(English)
• Shrek - The daredevil hero at Metacritic (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Age rating for Shrek - The daredevil hero . Youth Media Commission .
2. ↑ TV Movie , Edition 7/2007, page 57 → Film information
3. ↑ Oh you Shrekliche in the Internet Movie Database
4. ↑ Shrek forever. Internet Movie Database , accessed May 22, 2015 . 
5. ↑ Shrek Forever After: An IMAX 3D Experience Movie Overview . Fandango.com. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
6. ^ "When are Shrek 4 & 5 Coming?" , Comingsoon.net, June 6, 2007
7. ↑ Shrek 5: Part 4 ends the saga
8. ^ Film review , James Berardinelli, ReelViews
9. ^ Film review , Roger Ebert
10. ^ Film review , Mick LaSalle
11. ↑ Hollywood Walk of Fame - Shrek . hollywoodchamber.net. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. 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. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
12. ↑ Shrek - The daredevil hero. In: synchronkartei.de. German dubbing file , accessed on March 2, 2017 . 
13. ↑ OFDb.de and heute-im-fernsehen.de .