Suez (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Suez |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1938 |
| length | 121 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Allan Dwan |
| script | Philipp Dunne |
| production |
Gene Markey for 20th Century Fox |
| music | Louis Silvers |
| camera | J. Peverell Marley |
| cut | Barbara McLean |
| occupation | |
| |
Suez is an American historical film from 1938, which depicts a transfigured version of the dramatic events surrounding the construction of the Suez Canal . Tyrone Power plays Ferdinand de Lesseps , to whom the script has a romantic connection with Princess Eugénie de Montijo , later wife of Emperor Napoleon III. seals. It was the last of a total of five joint appearances by Power and Young.
action
Paris 1850. The young Louis Napoleon is predicted to marry the beautiful Countess Eugénie de Montijo . At the same time it is foretold that Ferdinand de Lesseps , the young, very attractive admirer of the Countess, will dig in the mud. Louis Napoleon takes the prophecy at face value and proposes marriage to Eugénie. Ferdinand is elegantly put out of the way by being seconded to Egypt. Hardly having arrived in Cairo, the boyish lieutenant's daughter Toni falls in love with the handsome Ferdinand. During a sandstorm, Ferdinand had the vision of building a canal through the Suez Isthmus. Louis Napoleon, who is now called Napoleon III. rulers over France is taken with the idea, which seems likely to increase the fame of the country and at the same time harm the English. A number of political and various romantic entanglements later the Suez Canal is built. Ferdinand de Lesseps is left alone after Toni dies heroically to save his life.
background
The great success of In Old Chicago led studio boss Darryl F. Zanuck to make another film about a dramatic love story in a historical setting. In mid-1937 the planning for the filming of the adventure around the construction of the Suez Canal began. Tyrone Power, who had now risen to become the studio's biggest male star, took on the role of Ferdinand de Lesseps, who was made several decades younger and much better-looking for the film. In order to bring the romance necessary for success at the box office into the expensive venture, according to the marketing strategists, power was given to Loretta Young for the fifth time. Third in the fight for true love, Annabella, a new discovery from Europe, was built into the plot, which the studio hopes more from than from Simone Simon , who was originally supposed to play the role of Toni. The budget for the film ended up being a good $ 2,000,000, of which $ 250,000 was spent on building sets.
At the time of filming, Loretta Young was in the middle of a heated argument with the studio's management over better roles and higher salaries. In the end, Zanuck forced the actress to take on the rather subordinate role of Empress Eugénie. To assert himself on screen, Young had costume designer Gwen Wakeling create a spectacular wardrobe. The hoop skirts and crinolines that Young wears in the course of her scenes do not correspond to the originals, but are even more lush and broader. The costumes are completed by elaborately embroidered coats, veils, fur stoles and jewels. Gwen Wakeling later revealed that Loretta Young never had any problems wearing the extremely opulent models, as she either walked barefoot under the robes or in comfortable slippers to achieve better posture. Shortly after filming was finished, Tyrone Power and Annabella got married.
Awards
At the Academy Awards in 1939 , the film received nominations in the following categories:
- Best camera
- Best tone
- Best original score
Reviews
The lexicon of international film judged: "Unreliable in the facts and awkwardly constructed, the film can only arouse interest as a well-endowed society piece."
Web links
- Suez in theInternet Movie Database(English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Suez. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed July 13, 2017 .