Much Ado About Nothing (1964)

Movie
Original title	A lot of noise about nothing
Country of production	GDR
original language	German
Publishing year	1964
length	102 minutes
Age rating	FSK 6
Rod
Director	Martin Hellberg
script	Martin Hellberg
production	DEFA
music	Wilhelm Neef
camera	Erwin Anders
cut	Ursula Rudzki
occupation
Christel Bodenstein : Beatrice Rolf Ludwig : Benedict Wilfried Ortmann : Don Pedro Martin Flörchinger : Leonato Gerhard Rachold : Don Juan Arno Wyzniewski : Claudio Ursula Körbs : Hero Carl Balhaus : Antonio Ingrid Michalk : Margarethe Heidi Ortner : Ursula Ekkehard Hahn : Balthasar Edwin Marian : Borachio Gerhard Bienert : Crab apple Rudolf Ulrich : Schlahwein Fred Delmare : Haberkuchen Eberhardt Wintzen : Seehohl Peter Dommisch : clerk Horst Kube : Konrad Hans-Jörn Weber : Page Joe Schorn : Servant Claus Schulz : Fool Wolf Goette : Prologus Friedrich Teitge : Servant Hans-Joachim Engelmann : Kapellmeister Hans Feldner : Citizens Willi Schwabe : Father Francis

Much Ado About Nothing is a German film adaptation of DEFA by Martin Hellberg from 1964. It is based on the play Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare .

action

After a successful battle, Count Don Pedro's men return to Governor Leonato in Messina . While Leonato's daughter Hero is delighted to see the nobleman Claudio, whom she admires, Hero's sister Beatrice is less than enthusiastic that Benedict is in the entourage, with whom she is in constant verbal conflict. She doesn't think much of men and he's a staunch bachelor . In Don Pedro's entourage is also his brother Don Juan, who has just been accepted into society again in grace, and who ponders ways to hurt his brother or his joy.

At the evening masked ball , Don Pedro woos Hero in Claudio's name. She accepts the advertisement, Claudio receives Leonato's blessing and the wedding should take place in a few days. In the meantime, Don Pedro, Hero and their comrades-in-arms plan to couple Beatrice and Benedikt together. Hero speaks out in Beatrice's presence about how in love Benedict is with her, while Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio swear in Benedict's presence that Beatrice is in love with him. Beatrice and Benedikt get closer.

Meanwhile, don Juan is planning a plot against Claudio and Hero. He lets Hero's servant Margarethe cheat in Hero's clothes with one of his henchmen and Claudio and Don Pedro see the scene. In front of the altar, Claudio exposes Hero as a whore and refuses to marry. Leonato disposes of his daughter, who then has a heart attack . She is considered dead.

Don Juan's henchman, meanwhile, boasts of the money don Juan gave him for his deed. He is arrested by the police. Beatrice is convinced of her sister's innocence and Benedikt also believes Hero to be innocent. He challenges Claudio to a duel, even if he knows that Hero lives contrary to the public news. Leonato, who is convinced by the priest and Beatrice of the innocence of the hero, is also initiated. The man guilty of the plot against Hero is brought before Don Pedro and Claudio and confesses his act. Claudio asks Leonato for an appropriate punishment for his misconduct. He is now to marry a woman chosen by Leonato. He agrees and receives the veiled hero as his wife. Unveiling is followed by relief and joy after unbelief. After all these events, Beatrice and Benedikt also have time to forge marriage plans.

production

Much Ado About Nothing was filmed in 1963 and had its premiere on April 23, 1964 at Berliner International . The film was Martin Hellberg's last directorial work.

Members of the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin perform as dancers , including Hannes Vohrer and Pedro Hebenstreit . Master dancer Claus Schulz makes an appearance as a fool.

criticism

Contemporary critics praised the acting performances, but criticized the fact that "having fun [...] over long stretches becomes an end in itself, the characters are hardly historically fixable."

Frank-Burkhard Habel called the film a "rhythmically unsuccessful, but very comedic Shakespeare adaptation".

The lexicon of international film described Much Ado About Nothing as a “good adaptation based on the director's own stage production, whose camera remains just as conventional as the (colorful) color scheme. The film always becomes convincing when it concentrates on the ironically sparkling dialogues of the original and its (stage) actors can prove their talent. "

literature

• F.-B. Habel : The great lexicon of DEFA feature films . Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-89602-349-7 , pp. 671-672 .

Web links

• Much Ado About Nothing in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Much ado about nothing at filmportal.de
• Much ado about nothing at the DEFA Foundation

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Manfred Jelenski in: Filmspiegel , No. 10, 1964.
2. ↑ F.-B. Habel : The great lexicon of DEFA feature films . Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-89602-349-7 , pp. 672 .
3. ↑ Much ado about nothing. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed August 7, 2018 .