Storms of passion
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Storms of passion |
| Country of production | German Empire |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1932 |
| length | approx. 113 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Robert Siodmak |
| script |
Robert Liebmann Hans Müller |
| production | Erich Pommer for UFA , Berlin |
| music | Friedrich Hollaender |
| camera |
Günther Rittau Otto Baecker |
| cut | Viktor Gertler |
| occupation | |
| |
Storms of Passion is a 1931 German crime drama directed by Robert Siodmak with Emil Jannings and Anna Sten in the leading roles.
action
Because of good conduct, the convicted crook Gustav Bumke was released from three months of his sentence and he was allowed to leave the Plötzensee correctional facility early. His first path leads him to his girlfriend Anna, who is only called Russian Anna because of her origins , because he is sure of her loyalty and love for him. Bumke, a rather simple-minded person, does not notice that his flirtatious and easy-going, seductive and superficial Anna is a false snake who cheats him down the line. Her current lover is the photographer Ralph Kruschewski, who also took Anna's nudes.
Bumke's old buddies want to persuade the newly released man to do a new bank robbery, but Bumke strongly advises them against it, as he is not particularly keen on being behind bars again. But you ignore your concerns, and the crooks get caught in a tight spot that only Gustav can get them out of. In order to get himself an alibi for the time of the crime, he immediately went to the festival of the so-called “Sparverein” in Berlin-Treptow , an alibi event of the Berlin half- and underworld. A raffle is also held there. The first prize in a raffle is an ermine coat , which Anna is very keen on. But Russian Anna is unlucky, the animal skin goes to another lady. Thereupon the spoiled Russian made her Gustav so hot that he feels compelled to go on a thief tour in order to "organize" another fur for her. While Gustav is on the way to steal the good piece, Anna has nothing better on her mind than to cheat on him again with Ralph.
The young Willy Prawanzke, once a welfare child whom Bumke took care of some time ago, observes the couple and tells Bumke about Anna's cheating as soon as they return. He now wants to tackle Kruschewski immediately. On a viewing platform of the inn there is a violent tussle in which the photographer falls into the depths and dies. Now Bumke is considered a murderer. The police are currently busy with the theft of fur, and so the experienced detective Goebel, who knows his Pappenheimers, wants to ask Bumke about it. Of course, he immediately believes that the "Schmiere" is approaching because of Kruschewski's death and immediately flees over the roofs of his city. Gustav found temporary quarters in a hiding place, looked after by his loyal protégé Prawanzke. But he is only a man and soon cannot resist Anna's seductive arts, which are now focused on him. Anna decides that this would only interfere with a future together with Willy Gustav and reveals his hiding place to the police. There was a trial at the end of which Gustav Bumke was awaiting 16 years in prison. Anna and Willy now believe they are safe from him.
Contrary to expectations, Gustav, who escaped during the prisoner transport, appears in front of the new couple, furious with anger and jealousy, badly hit by the double breach of loyalty and betrayal. Bumke and Willy start to fight, but before there can be another accident, the police appear and knock the two fighting cocks around each other. Deeply disillusioned and convinced of Anna's bad character, Gustav Bumke suddenly becomes very calm and lets himself be led away without resistance. He realized that a life in jail is still better than at the side of this snake Anna.
Production notes
Storms of Passion was created between September 14th and November 13th 1931 and was filmed in the UFA studios in Neubabelsberg . The world premiere took place on January 22nd, 1932 in Vienna's Ufa-Ton-Kino, in which Emil Jannings personally took part. One day later the film, which was 2,834 meters long, could also be seen in Berlin. A youth ban for the ten-stroke was issued.
Max Pfeiffer served producer Erich Pommer as production manager. The texts for Friedrich Hollaender's compositions were penned by Richard Busch, Robert Liebmann and Hollaender himself, the musical direction was in the hands of Gérard Jacobsen. The film structures were designed by Erich Kettelhut , the costumes were designed by René Hubert . Fritz Thiery set the tone. The editor Viktor Gertler also served as Siodmak's assistant director.
For Otto Wernicke , this film once again meant a commissioner role, which he also played in Fritz Lang's masterworks M and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse should play. For Anna Sten, on the other hand, this was her last German production before she emigrated to Hollywood.
Two music tracks were recorded:
- I never go with sailors again (Text: Busch und Hollaender)
- I don't know who I belong to (Text: Hollaender und Liebmann)
The last-mentioned song in particular, which was voiced by Anna Sten, should develop into an evergreen and was later covered by numerous other singers (e.g. Marlene Dietrich , Daliah Lavi and Meret Becker ) and singers ( Udo Lindenberg ).
For the French market, a French-language version with Charles Boyer in the lead role was filmed at the same time as Tumultes . The German original was considered lost for a long time, until a copy of Storms of Passion was discovered in Japan .
Reviews
The Austrian Film Newspaper said on January 30th, 1932: “Jannings, one of the greatest actors in film, has recently offered an amazing performance. The wide range of his possibilities of expression has to amaze again and again, from comfortable calm to stormy passion, lust for Rachel, contempt, everything that there is in the wide realm of human feelings comes into its own in the play of this artist. (...) Anna Sten knows how to make the role of the instinctive woman, for whom men are only toys, believable. "
Paimann's film lists summed up: “Underworld milieu, genuinely drawn, as the breeding ground for a primitive conflict, which Janning's virtuoso achievement brings closer. The Sten at a distance. Shiny guys. The direction keeps the Berlin-tinged dialogue short, but lets more play out. Buildings that are true to the environment, a balanced tone, careful photography. "
On filmmuseum.at you can read: "The high point of Anna Sten's German career and a decisive transition film in Siodmak's work - on the way from poetic realism to claustrophobic and dark stylization."
Individual evidence
- ↑ "Storms of Passion". In: Österreichische Film-Zeitung , January 30, 1932, p. 4 (online at ANNO ).
- ↑ Storms of Passion in Paimann's Film Lists ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ "Storms of Passion" on filmmuseum.at ( Memento of the original from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) 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.
Web links
- Storms of passion in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Storms of Passion at filmportal.de