The Boys from Syracuse (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Boys from Syracuse |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1940 |
| length | 73 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | A. Edward Sutherland |
| script |
Charles Grayson , Paul Girard Smith , Leonard Spigelgass |
| production | Julius Levey |
| music | Frank Skinner |
| camera | Joseph A. Valentine |
| cut | Milton Carruth |
| occupation | |
| |
The Boys from Syracuse is an American comedy film from 1940 based on the musical of the same name by George Abbott , Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart and based on motifs from The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare and Menaechmi by the Roman author Plautus . A. Edward Sutherland directed the film for Universal Pictures .
action
In ancient Greece, the cities of Ephesus and Syracuse are at war. Ephesus wins the war. General Antipholus of Ephesus, called Eph, convinces the ruler of Ephesus to pass a law that says that all who come from Syracuse and are found in Ephesus will be beheaded. Antipholus is married to the beautiful Adriana. His slave Dromio, or Dro for short, is married to Adriana's slave Luce.
The first Syracuse to be executed is Aegon, father of twins and holder of twin slaves. Years earlier, both pairs of twins were separated in a storm. Since then, Aegon has been looking for his sons. His search brought him to Ephesus. The ruler wants to spare Aegon's life, but Antipholus insists that the law be obeyed.
While Antipholus and Dromio visit a tailor, two men arrive in Ephesus. They are Antipholus of Syracuse, nicknamed Sy, with his slave Dromio, called Mio, who is looking for his father Aegon. The two are the twin brothers of Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus. They also go to the tailor and throw the shopkeepers Pinch and Angelo into great confusion. Sy is looking for a hostel and meets Phyllis, Adriana's sister. Phyllis suspects that Sy is her sister's husband and, disgusted, flees from trying to flirt.
Sy and Mio meet again on the street. Adriana and Luce pass by in a car, with Adriana mistaking Sy for Eph and Luce Mio for Dro. The two men are brought to their home by Adriana and served. Sy recognizes the situation when he goes to Eph's bedroom and realizes that he is in his twin brother's house. He tells Phyllis the full story and swears that he loves her. Phyllis now loves Sy too and informs him of the impending execution of Aegon. Together they want to save the old man.
On the day of the execution, on which a big city festival is celebrated, Sy pretends to be Eph and lets Aegon go free. The stunned Eph and Dro are captured by the ruler of the city but are able to overpower their guardians and escape. At the same time, Sy, Mio, Phyllis and Aegon try to leave the city with a chariot. But they are captured and brought back to the festival. It is there that they meet their twin brothers for the first time. This meeting gets the residents of Ephesus to vote for a change in the law so that Sy Phyllis can marry.
criticism
Bosley Crowthers of the New York Times wrote in his review that it was honorable to make fun of classics with modern slang jokes and to have anachronistic jokes with contemporary comedians. But that takes more than the stupid game of a well-known joker like Joe Penner or a scantily clad Martha Raye. And this “more” is missing in the film.
Dave Kehr from "Chicago Reader" found the film, despite well-cast supporting roles, a dull impression. Sutherland's sloppiness has a certain charm, but it doesn't help the film.
Awards
Jack Otterson received an Oscar nomination for Best Production Design (b / w) in 1941 , and John P. Fulton , Bernard B. Brown and Joe Lapis were nominated for Best Visual Effects .
background
The film premiered on July 31, 1940 in New York.
The main characters Jones and Hervey were actually married at the time of the filming, their marriage divorced in 1957 after 21 years.
Charles Previn was the musical director and Dave Gould was responsible for the choreography .
1986 directed by Douglas Campbell, a Canadian remake was made with Colm Feore and Geraint Wyn Davies in the lead roles.
Web links
- The Boys from Syracuse at theInternet Movie Database(English)