Of Mice and Humans (1939)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Of mice and humans |
| Original title | Of Mice and Men |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1939 |
| length | 106 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Lewis Milestone |
| script | Eugene Solow |
| production |
Lewis Milestone Frank Ross |
| music | Aaron Copland |
| camera | Norbert Brodine |
| cut | Bert Jordan |
| occupation | |
| |
Of Mice and Men is an American film drama by Lewis Milestone from 1939 based on the 1937 novel of the same name by John Steinbeck and at the same time the first film adaptation of a work by Steinbeck.
action
George Milton and Lennie Small are immigrant workers in the aftermath of the Great Depression and the Great Depression of the 1930 's. The gigantic Lennie, who is mentally retarded, is looked after by George. During their work as an unskilled worker on a ranch, the two dream of their own ranch and the possibility of getting one. The ranch they work on belongs to the sadist Curley and his flirtatious wife.
background
While Curley's wife is only called Curley's wife in the original novel, the original play and in other film and TV versions, she was given the name "Mae" especially for the film adaptation.
The film was one of the first films to have a plot scene before the film title ( pre-credits ) . George and Lennie can be seen escaping a crowd and jumping onto the wagon of a moving freight train. When they close the door of the car, the film title appears.
In the dinner scene, Mae, who wants to go to the cinema later that evening, shows her husband the cinema tickets. The title of the film that she would like to see is briefly shown: Zenobia, the fairground elephant , also a production by Hal Roach from 1939, in which Oliver Hardy can be seen without Stan Laurel .
The two main roles were hotly courted in Hollywood in 1939 . So it was a big surprise for many in the film industry that director Milestone, who also previously worked as a migrant worker , chose two relatively unknown actors in Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney junior. Chaney had already played the role of "Lennie" in a stage production of Of Mice and Men in Los Angeles and therefore asked Milestone to audition for the role. Milestone originally intended to hire Broderick Crawford for the role, but agreed that Chaney auditioned to test actresses for the role of "Mae" in dialogue. At the end of these tests, Milestone changed his mind and cast the role of "Lennie" with Chaney, without auditioning himself.
For his role as the hulking Lennie Lon Chaney wore junior special shoes that his height by about 15 centimeters (6 inches ( inches ) increased).
On July 8, 1949, there was a 60-minute adaptation in the program of the Theater Guild on the Air radio station , in which Burgess Meredith again took on the role of "George Milton".
Awards
The film was nominated four times at the Academy Awards in 1940 , in the categories of best film and best sound ( Elmer Raguse ). Aaron Copland was also nominated for Best Original Film Score and Best Film Score. However , the film did not win an Oscar .
Reviews
Of Mice and Humans , it received positive reviews when it was released. The lexicon of international film wrote after many decades: “Staged, powerful, impressively played film adaptation of the tragic novel by John Steinbeck, which practices bitter social criticism and above all describes the psychological impoverishment of the agricultural proletariat. Solidarity and help are emphatically demanded and the consequences of an egocentric social order that attacks the materially and mentally weaker are shown. ”The American film critic Leonard Maltin gave the film the highest rating of four stars. Lon Chaney would deliver the "best portrayal of his career" as Lennie, while Steinbeck's novel would remain "intact in this sensitive screen adaptation".
Web links
- Of Mice and Men at the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Of mice and humans. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed August 28, 2017 .
- ↑ Of Mice and Men. In: Turner Classic Movies . Accessed December 31, 2018 .