Moment of Truth (1968)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Moment of truth |
| Original title | Une histoire immortelle |
| Country of production | France |
| original language | French |
| Publishing year | 1968 |
| length | 57 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Orson Welles |
| script |
Orson Welles Louise de Vilmorin |
| production | Micheline Rozan |
| music | Erik Satie |
| camera | Horst Bever |
| cut | Yolande Maurette |
| occupation | |
| |
The Moment of Truth is a 1967 French television play by the American director and actor Orson Welles, starring himself and Jeanne Moreau . The screenplay, which is based on the story The Immortal Story by the Danish writer Tania Blixen (also the original and the English title of the film: Une histoire immortelle or The Immortal Story) , was written by the director together with Louise de Vilmorin . The film was first broadcast on May 24, 1968 on French television. In the Federal Republic of Germany he could be seen in the cinema from August 9, 1968.
action
From the semi-darkness of the picture emerges the old, childless, immeasurably rich and despotic merchant Charles Clay from Macao, who, towards the end of his life, learns the story that is passed on by all sailors on every ship, namely an old, childless, immeasurably richer One evening, Kaufmann speaks to a young sailor from his carriage and offers him five guineas for having a son with his beautiful young wife. The seaman complies with his request.
But Elishama Levinsky, the real merchant's Jewish secretary, reveals that the story never happened. She is just a legend, a symbol of unfulfillable longings. So the merchant decides to let the story happen so that at least one sailor can tell how it really happened. The merchant instructs his secretary to arrange everything. He does as he is told and things take their course. But when the morning dawned, the sailor said when he said goodbye that he would never tell any further about what he experienced that night; because nobody would believe him.
criticism
"Pessimistic variation of the central motifs of" Citizen Kane ": the hunt for happiness and power as a process of self-destruction; the questionable and at the same time fascinating of an existence that is realized in an egocentric display of power. An introspective late work by Orson Welles, dominated by the personality of the director and main actor. "
“Orson Welles created his best film since his first film“ Citizen Kane ”in a cautiously poetic style with hidden colors. Highly recommended from 16 onwards. "
Web links
- Moment of truth in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- A few pictures of the film at cinema.de
- Another criticism at kino.de
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Evangelischer Filmbeobachter , Evangelischer Presseverband München, Review No. 362/1968, p. 371 f.
- ^ Lexicon of international films , rororo-Taschenbuch Nr. 6322 (1988), p. 3640.