Dodo scandal
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Dodo scandal |
| Country of production | Austria |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1958 |
| length | 92 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Eduard von Borsody |
| script |
Hugo Wiener Eduard von Borsody |
| production | Eduard Hoesch |
| music | Heinz Neubrand |
| camera | Willi Sohm |
| cut | Hermione Diethelm |
| occupation | |
| |
Scandal about Dodo is an Austrian fiction film made in 1958 with satirical swipes at social circles by Eduard von Borsody with the black US singer Olive Moorefield in the title role. At her side, Harald Juhnke , Karin Dor , Fritz Tillmann and Oskar Sima can be seen in other leading roles. The story is based on a play by Franz Arnold.
action
The story takes place in the so-called "better" and aristocratic circles and targets the arrogance of class as well as the subliminal racism of that time. At the center of the plot is Helga von Pritzelwitz, who comes from the so-called upper class. Helga, however, does not have the arrogance of her aunt Countess Agathe, who is anything but enthusiastic when Helga intends to marry her bourgeois friend Toni. In an effort to ensure that the aristocratic relatives should finally give his future family some peace, Toni comes up with the idea of buying a title of nobility. When the wedding celebration is approaching, a great chaos is looming, in which the bourgeois, conservative high society threatens to lose almost all composure, because the black revue dancer and singer Dorine Noiret, dodo for short, appears there completely unexpectedly. What no one knows yet, she is the illegitimate daughter of the incorrigible racist Prof. Baldur von Dieringen, a racist who once wrote the book White Man in Africa , which is now to be given to poor Toni as a wedding present. The shock over all the following and unexpected developments is so great that Countess Agathe von Pritzelwitz, befitting her class, has in the meantime suffered a fit of weakness. Dodo doesn't even think about submitting to the usual norms and conventions, and provides further shock moments when she provokes the invited guests with sensual dance interludes.
Agathe von Pritzelwitzen's brother, the “Africa connoisseur” Baldur von Dieringen, turns out to be the most hypocritical and hypocritical racist in the group of piqued snobs from the bourgeoisie and the nobility, who on the one hand goes to the dim “Sansi-Bar” at night in his lustful way around Dodos To let the dances heat up sexually, on the other hand the next day in a social circle about the alleged inferiority of the "black race" and the "keeping the white master race" clean. In order not to let his own horniness become evident, he plans no less than to advertise with his club for the preservation of morality and decency for the prohibition of Dodo's appearances and the attractive black woman, who he doesn't even suspect is his daughter could be to be expelled from the country. But Dodo sees through his duplicity and confronts him face to face: “You are a filthy bitch, I know the kind.” When things are outraged and want to contradict, she dismisses the reactionary professor briefly and decisively: “You act like that as if you were blind when you see beautiful naked women. You hold your hand in front of your eyes, but you blink through your fingers! "
When Dodo also intends to marry Count von Pleitenstein, who is just as much older and bankrupt, the situation threatens to turn into a madhouse. The marriage is only thwarted by the fact that Count Udo does not appear on the wedding date. A photo of Dieringen, which Dodo's black mother always cherished, now finally makes it clear that the professorial racist of all people must be her father. The deeply dark Topsy, who accompanies Dodo on her tour and is passed off by her as a maid, is none other than her mother. Topsy and the professor had met around 20 years ago in Germany, during the Nazi period of all places, when Topsy was exhibited as the epitome of the “negro” in a colonial exhibition. The fact that Topsy of all people is depicted in Dieringen's race book White Man in Africa only makes the constellation even more spicy. A memorable conversation ensues between the down-to-earth Gustav Pietsch and Prof. von Dieringen. Pointing to the picture with Baldur and Topsy, Pietsch asks: “So that's you”. Dieringen replies: “Undoubtedly. I have always enjoyed studying the racial differences on the living object, ”whereupon Pietsch gives the pointed reply“ In this case, probably particularly thoroughly ”. While the professor indignantly denies having ever got involved with a “negress”, Topsy is brought in, the things are hugged and kissed warmly. It is only now that the evidence is overwhelming that the racist begins to reconsider and question his position. As a result of the general rethinking, Aunt Agathe now also begins to question her social conceit and no longer has anything to object to Helga's marriage to the middle-class Toni. All in all, the “Dodo scandal” was consistently good.
Production notes
The Dodo scandal originated in 1958 and was premiered on January 15, 1959 in the Hanoverian Regina cinema.
Gerdago designed the costumes, Julius von Borsody the film structures; it was his last architectural contribution to cinema.
useful information
Leading actress Olive Moorefield was already known in Austria before her engagement with the Dodo. First she made a name for herself as an opera and musical singer.
The film that reveals racism has recently been accused of racism itself due to various passages of dialogue; a fact which, however, was meaningless at the time of production (1958).
reception
On filmreporter.de it says: “Eduard von Borsody pokes fun at the aristocratic circles in 'Scandal about Dodo'. The comedy is one of the first German-language films in which a dark-skinned leading actress plays a leading role. "
In the film service it was said: "At that time criticized for his 'frivolities', today the racism in this supposed comedy is more conspicuous."
Individual evidence
- ↑ cf. in addition: Gisela Angelika Ewe: healing the home. Race and gender in selected German-language films from the post-war period. Allitera Verlag, June 2019. Chapter: Healing through encounter with the foreign, p. 76 ff.
- ↑ Dodo scandal on filmreporter.de
- ↑ Dodo scandal. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed December 24, 2019 .
Web links
- Dodo scandal in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Dodo scandal at filmportal.de
- "Scandal about Dodo" on Boocks.google.de