Escape route unknown
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Escape route unknown |
| Original title | They Met in Bombay |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1941 |
| length | 92 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Clarence Brown |
| script |
Edwin Justus Mayer , Anita Loos , Leon Gordon |
| production | Hunt Stromberg |
| music | Herbert Stothart |
| camera | William H. Daniels |
| cut | Blanche Sewell |
| occupation | |
| |
Escape Route Unknown (Original Title: They Met in Bombay ) is an American adventure film from 1941. Directed by Clarence Brown , Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell can be seen in the leading roles. A story by John H. Kafka served as a template .
action
The jewel thief Gerald Meldrick has a perfect copy of a gem known as the “Star of Asia” made, which he plans to steal from the Duchess von Beltravers in Bombay . Once in the Indian metropolis, he pretends to be an employee of Lloyd's of London in the Duchess 's hotel and makes the hotel manager believe that he has been hired to take care of the “Star of Asia”. The attractive baroness Anya von Duren stays in the same hotel, and Gerald immediately casts an eye on her. Only a little later, however, he discovers that the baroness is an impostor and is also after the duchess's precious stone.
In the evening, Anya ensures that the Duchess invites her to her table in the hotel restaurant to keep her company. By tricking the older lady into being friends with her relatives, she sneaks into her trust. She makes the Duchess drunk without further ado and then brings her to her suite. When the Duchess fell asleep, Anya stole the “Star of Asia” from her, which its owner wears as a pendant on a necklace around her neck. After Anya has sneaked out of the suite, Gerald enters the room and puts the fake necklace around the neck of the sleeping duchess. Then he looks for Anya in her room and takes the real necklace from her. He promises not to betray her to the police and then leaves the hotel.
Anya, who is grateful to him at first for not having turned her over to the authorities, discovers that he has duped her and ambushes him in a taxi the next day. During the journey, she demands the necklace back, since she had actually done the work on the coup. Scotland Yard's Inspector Cressney has meanwhile taken up the chase. However, together Gerald and Anya manage to escape the investigator. They continue their escape on a cargo ship on the way to Hong Kong . As they approach each other on board, Captain Chang receives a radio message that Gerald and Anya are wanted and that a reward of 10,000 pounds is in prospect for their extradition. When Gerald and Anya notice that Chang is about to hand them over to Scotland Yard, they take a dinghy and row to Hong Kong in the fog. They spend several weeks there happily together. To raise money, Gerald, who once served as an officer in the Canadian Army, disguises himself as "Captain Huston" and orders British soldiers stationed in Hong Kong to accompany him to a Chinese trader who has allegedly stolen money from the British Army. He quickly confiscated the merchant's income from the safe and ran away.
On the way, however, he meets British officers who take him to a garrison on the orders of the local general. The Japanese army was on the march and the nearby city of Chang-lin had to be evacuated. The general orders Gerald to lead a regiment there. Before Gerald leaves with a group of soldiers, he lets Anya know. She is supposed to help him in Chang-lin to leave the place unnoticed. In Chang-lin, the evacuation of Europeans and Chinese is well underway when Japanese troops arrive and try to prevent the Chinese from leaving. At Gerald's orders, the British soldiers form and escort Europeans and Chinese out of the city. They are attacked by Japanese soldiers on a mountain road. Armed with hand grenades, Gerald sneaks behind enemy lines and incapacitates the Japanese soldiers. Seriously wounded, Gerald is then taken to a military hospital. After his recovery, he wants to flee with Anya, especially since he is to be awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroic deed and threatens to blow his masquerade. However, two soldiers were ordered to accompany him to the award ceremony, and so Gerald was forced to attend the ceremony. While he is receiving the Victoria Cross, Inspector Cressney arrives on site. Anya had informed him after the army discovered Gerald's true identity and asked him not to arrest Gerald until after the ceremony. However, Gerald has the inspector taken into custody by soldiers who still believe him to be a real captain and drives off with Anya. However, they return unexpectedly and give the stolen necklace to the inspector. Gerald in turn gives the general the Victoria Cross, which he is to keep for him until he returns and officially signs up with the British Army. In the meantime, he and Anya want to get married.
background
Hedy Lamarr was originally discussed for Rosalind Russell's role. Working titles for the film were intermittently The Uniform and Unholy Partners . The MGM production was shot from February 13 to April 25, 1941. The exterior shots were shot in California at the Alhambra airport , in Calabasas and in the Malibu Hills. Cedric Gibbons appeared as the film architect and Edwin B. Willis as the set designer . The costumes were designed by Adrian and Gile Steele .
Escape Route Unknown came to US cinemas on June 27, 1941. The film was first released in Germany on April 9, 1957.
Reviews
The lexicon of international films described the escape route unknown as a "[r] omantic oriental adventure with deliberately comical exaggerations". It is thanks to the star cast that the film offers “good entertainment”. According to Cinema show the "romantic star adventure [...] breakneck situations". In short, it is "[un] entertaining" to see the "stars in exotic backdrops". Prisma found that Clark Gable was amusing "here in a comedic glamor role" and that Rosalind Russell was "no less charming than his female counterpart".
Bosley Crowther of the New York Times primarily criticized the well-known plot at the time. The film is "average". When he tries to have fun he is "rather sedate"; if, on the other hand, he strikes a serious note, he is "downright silly". Not even the solid cast could give the film the "desired significance". Escape route unknown is therefore "nothing more than a B-movie with megalomania". Variety called the film "full of action". The logic, however, falls by the wayside after arriving in Hong Kong at the latest. Clark Gable appears "boastful, cunning and dangerous" and is "able to overcome these traits". Rosalind Russell was excellent at the beginning, but then got “off track”. For the film critic Leonard Maltin , Fluchtweg was unknown an "ordinary romantic adventure film", which is pepped up by Peter Lorre in the role of a money-hungry captain.
German version
The German dubbed version was created in 1957 in the MGM dubbing studio in Berlin .
| role | actor | Voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Gerald Meldrick | Clark Gable | Siegfried Schürenberg |
| Anya von Duren | Rosalind Russell | Dagmar Altrichter |
| Captain Chang | Peter Lorre | Werner Peters |
| general | Reginald Owen | Walther Suessenguth |
| Inspector Cressney | Matthew Boulton | Paul Wagner |
| Hotel manager | Eduardo Ciannelli | Curt Ackermann |
| Head waiter | Luis Alberni | Robert Klupp |
| Bolo | Jay Novello | Wolfgang Lukschy |
| Mrs. Ames | Judith Wood | Tilly Lauenstein |
Web links
- They Met in Bombay in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Escape route unknown at Turner Classic Movies (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ cf. Notes on tcm.com
- ↑ Escape route unknown. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed November 9, 2019 .
- ↑ cf. cinema.de
- ↑ cf. prisma.de
- ↑ “For They Met in Bombay is straight and undistinguished adventure fiction, rather heavy when it tries to be amusing and downright silly when it goes serious. [...] But even the able performance of Mr. Gable and Miss Russell with credible assists from Jessie Ralph, Reginald Owen and Matthew Boulton, fail to give this picture the significance to which it aspires. They Met in Bombay is nothing more than a B-picture with delusions of grandeur. ” Bosley Crowther : 'They Met in Bombay,' With Clark Gable, Opens at Capitol . In: The New York Times , July 4, 1941.
- ↑ “This is an actionful adventure yarn […]. Gable is swaggering, resourceful and adventurous to the danger point - and capably gets over these phases of the character. Russell is fine in the early section, but drops into a groove in the second half. " See They Met in Bombay . In: Variety , 1941.
- ↑ "Two jewel thieves team up in ordinary romantic comedy-actioner, spiced by Lorre as money-hungry cargo-ship captain." Leonard Maltin : Leonard Maltin's 2005 Movie & Video Guide . Plume, 2004, p. 1399.
- ↑ cf. synchrondatenbank.de