City without pity

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Movie
German title City without pity
Original title Town Without Pity
Country of production USA / Germany / Switzerland
original language English
Publishing year 1961
length DE 98 / US 105 minutes
Rod
Director Gottfried Reinhardt
script Georg Hurdalek
production Eberhard Meichsner ,
Gottfried Reinhardt
music Dimitri Tiomkin
camera Kurt Hasse
cut Werner Preuss
occupation

City Without Pity is an American feature film from 1961 based on the novel The Judgment by Manfred Gregor . Directed by Gottfried Reinhardt . The leading roles are cast with Kirk Douglas , Barbara Rütting and Christine Kaufmann . The original American title Town Without Pity is also the title of a song sung by Gene Pitney , which serves as the soundtrack for the film . The theme of the tragedy is the merciless double standards and the spirit of persecution in a small town .

action

Four American soldiers, stationed in a small German town, rape the 16-year-old student Karin Steinhof. Her friend Frank Borgmann is knocked unconscious while trying to rush to his girlfriend's help. In the ensuing trial before the military tribunal , the soldiers' defense attorney, Major Steve Garrett, tries to avert the death penalty .

Event-hungry spectators and townspeople wait for a harsh judgment for the perpetrators, but also eagerly follow the revealing details of Karin's private life that come to light during the interrogation. The journalist Inge Körner observes the action and comments on the film plot as a narrator.

Major Garrett appeals to the prosecution and Karin Steinhof's father to drop the demand for the maximum sentence against a guilty confession by the soldiers, and announces that otherwise the girl will be subjected to harsh interrogation, which she will not be able to cope with. However, the offer is only valid for three of the four suspects. The prosecution refuses.

During Karin's first interrogation, Defense Attorney Major Steve Garrett refrains from questioning her. When the testimony of Ms. Kulig and the neighbor Schmidt tried to prove that Karin had lived freely, she was forced to take the stand again. In this interrogation Karin is forced to justify herself, whereby she becomes entangled in contradictions. On the one hand, lies about her parents are exposed, on the other hand the false statement that she was forcibly stripped by the rapists. Her father reacts indignantly, stunned and the townspeople maliciously and gleefully.

Karin's friend Frank Borgmann tries to get out of town with her on his motorcycle to keep her out of the talk. He is stopped and arrested by the police after a chase because he stole money from his mother to escape. Karin, disgusted by the eyes of the people present, runs away and kills herself a little later in the river near the crime scene. Major Steve Garrett learns this from Mrs. Körner and then leaves town thoughtfully.

production

music

The film music was written by Dimitri Tiomkin, a renowned film composer who u. a. for its soundtrack and the theme song of the film Twelve Noon with the Academy Award for the best film music and the best song . Together with Ned Washington, he also wrote the theme song for the film, which was recorded by Gene Pitney and became his first single , which reached the top 40 of the US charts . Pitney also recorded a German edition of Town without Pity under the title Bleibe bei mir .

Production notes, filming

The film was produced by Gloria-Film GmbH (Berlin), The Mirisch Corporation (Hollywood) and the production company Osweg (Switzerland). Kurt Hartmann was in charge of production. The outdoor shots were shot in Forchheim and Bamberg . You can see u. a. the square in front of the town hall, the Nürnberger Tor and the Herder-Gymnasium in Forchheim. Further recordings were made at the fishing in Bamberg.

The script, written by Silvia Reinhardt and George Hurdalek from Manfred Gregor's story, was rewritten by Dalton Trumbo at the instigation of Kirk Douglas without further reference to the source.

After the producers were forced to cut by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in the USA because the film was initially completely refused the required certificate, the film was also shortened in Germany from 105 minutes to 98 minutes.

publication

The premiere of the film took place on March 24, 1961 in the Federal Republic of Germany, the premiere in the USA on October 10, 1961 in New York. In Switzerland the film was shown under the French title Ville sans pitié . The film was released in Austria in March 1961, in the United Kingdom and France in November 1961. The following countries were released in 1962: Sweden, Denmark, Mexico, Finland, Argentina, South Africa, Turkey. The film was also released in Brazil, Canada, Greece, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Soviet Union, Spain and what was then Yugoslavia. The English working title of the film was Shocker .

The film was released on March 23, 2007 by Studiocanal in a German cut version on DVD.

criticism

Contemporary reviews

The American press saw the film, which opened in October 1961, also with reference to the Berlin Wall , which was just two months old , and so the New York Times wrote on October 11, 1961:

“In a world torn apart by the terrible symbolism of a Berlin divided by barbed wire, it is both surprising and reassuring to know that a fundamentally impressive and really honest film like Town Without Pity could be made. ... Its fundamental flaw, it would appear to an observer, is its ineffectiveness in depicting the anger and turmoil that would be caused by such an explosive, scandalous event. One only draws attention to the fact that the citizens do not rebel, but are merely curious, whether out of lust or other reasons. The effect of the film is so diminished that at times it appears to be simply a discussion of the intricacies of the law and little else. However, this is a minor point. ... Mr. Reinhardt's meticulous direction characterizes Town Without Pity as a tough, realistic and often memorable drama. "

Der Spiegel was less pleased in its April 19, 1961 issue: “Thanks to Reinhardt's tenacious, clumsy direction, the surface effect film exudes a lot of boredom. Since several German daily newspapers rejected the advertisements designed by the distributor as offensive, the film is to be advertised in an unusual way: by direct mail ('Another rape! - Are our daughters fair game?') To households. "

Later reviews

“An exciting judicial drama that tries to differentiate itself, with the focus on the conflict between rigid paragraph loyalty and humane jurisdiction. Despite a few sensational moments, serious and worth discussing. "

- Lexicon of international film

Cinema gave the film full marks and found it "Strong."

Kino.de spoke of a "judicial drama about compliance with paragraphs and humane jurisprudence that tries very hard to differentiate". “A bit intrusive” was the “permanent song 'Town Without Pity', which resounds from some music box in some pub and during the credits from the screen”, as well as “the female narrator”. "Leading actor Kirk Douglas tied in his role as a defense attorney to his performance in ways to fame from 1957," it concluded.

Derek Winnert said it was a liberal-minded thriller that was filmed in the wake of the anatomy of a murder and had a common interest in wild sexual details that would spice up a powerful story. Director Gottfried Reinhardt films in Germany with a hard fist in the expressionist style, which is repulsive, but there is more than enough interest in the acting skills of Douglas, Kaufmann and EG Marshall […] to stay attentive and delve deep into the story. Winnert praised the Oscar-nominated pop song Town Without Pity, sung by Gene Pitney , as great and melodramatic.

Awards

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Town Without Pity **** (1961, Kirk Douglas, EG Marshall, Christine Kaufmann - Classic Movie Review 6912) see page derekwinnert.com (English). Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  2. ^ New Film Denied Seal of Approval; Industry Censorship Acts on "Town Without Pity"
    In: The New York Times , May 19, 1961. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  3. ↑ City without pity Fig. DVD case from Kinowelt
  4. ↑ Town Without Pity In: The New York Times , October 11, 1961. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  5. Jump up ↑ New in Germany: City Without Pity In: Der Spiegel , April 19, 1961. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  6. ↑ City without pity. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed April 30, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  7. ↑ City without pity see page cinema.de (including film trailer (English) and 15 film images). Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  8. ↑ City without pity. Exciting justice drama about a major who has to defend four American soldiers accused of raping a 16-year-old. see page kino.de (including photo series). Retrieved January 7, 2020.