White Oleander (1946)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title White oleander
Original title Dragonwyck
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1946
length 103 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz
script Joseph L. Mankiewicz
production Darryl F. Zanuck ,
Ernst Lubitsch
music Alfred Newman
camera Arthur C. Miller
cut Dorothy Spencer
occupation

as well as without mention in the opening credits: Gertrude Astor , Arthur Aylesworth , Walter Baldwin , Trevor Bardette , Clancy Cooper , Tom Fadden , Ruth Ford , Jane Nigh , Francis Pierlot , Addison Richards , Reinhold Schünzel , Grady Sutton , Charles Waldron and Douglas Wood

synchronization

White Oleander (original title: Dragonwyck ) is an American melodrama in black and white from 1946. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz , who also wrote the screenplay based on the novel Schloss Drachenfels by Anya Seton . The leading roles were played by Gene Tierney , Walter Huston and Vincent Price .

action

In 1844 Nicholas van Ryn, a wealthy landowner, invited one of the daughters of his poor half-cousin Abigail Wells to stay at his Dragonwyck manor in the Hudson River valley for a long time . She is said to live there as a companion to his eight-year-old daughter Katrine. While her sister Tabitha shows no interest, Miranda Wells is enthusiastic about the idea and can get permission from her reluctant father, Ephraim Wells. At a meeting, the devout Ephraim is surprised at how young Nicholas is. He also disapproves of its wealth and the tenancy system on which it lives. Nevertheless, Miranda and Nicholas travel on to Dragonwyck. Miranda likes the house very much, but she notices that Nicholas, his wife Johanna and Katrine live very far apart from each other. She also noticed a portrait of Nicholas' great-grandmother Azilde. She is said to have cursed the van Ryns after her untimely death and now haunt the house when something terrible happens. However, only their descendants, Nicholas and Katrine, can perceive this. On the holiday when Nicholas' farmers traditionally pay their rent, Miranda meets the young doctor Jeff Turner. She also witnesses how Klaas Bleeker, one of the tenants, revolted against the lease system and refused to pay. The situation escalates; Jeff Turner barely stops Bleeker from attacking Nicholas with a knife. A few days later, Jeff comes to Dragonwyck and asks Nicholas to stand up for Bleeker, who is now charged with murder, to get a fair trial. Nicholas agrees after a moment. For this, Jeff is supposed to examine Johanna, who is sick in bed. Jeff cannot diagnose any illness, but orders her to go back to bed. Nonetheless, Johanna is in a good mood because her husband had her flowers put on her bed, plus oleander , which he likes very much. Jeff is staying at Dragonwyck because of a storm. During the night he is called to Johanna, who is in severe pain. When he gets to her, he can only determine her death. That same night Nicholas tells Miranda about his marriage and complains that his wife could no longer have children after Katrine's birth. Therefore his son and ancestor had been withheld from him. But now he sees hope again as long as Miranda stays with him. She then decides to return to her family in Greenwich , Connecticut . On the way home, her carriage is stopped by Jeff, who asks if he can visit her there, maybe in the next week.

A few weeks later Nicholas arrives in Greenwich and asks for Miranda's hand. Her parents both have serious concerns but eventually give their blessings. Back in Dragonwyck, Miranda and her new maid, the handicapped Peggy O'Malley, await the return of her husband who has been away from home. This is disgusted by Peggy, he says he despises "cripples". When Miranda says it is her duty as a Christian to support Peggy, Nicholas replies that he doesn't believe in God, only in himself. Miranda withdraws in shock. Nicholas follows her upset, but calms down when Miranda tells him she is pregnant. After that, Nicholas also accepts Peggy as Miranda's maid.

Nicholas hires Dr. Brown, a well-known doctor, unsettles him with his intrusive nervousness. So shortly before he was born, Nicholas got Jeff out of an inn, completely ignoring the fact that he was being caricatured by his farmers there. Nothing should happen to his son. Miranda gives birth to a son who, however, will not live long because of a heart problem. Nicholas doesn't want to accept that when Jeff explains it to him. The boy dies directly after an emergency baptism arranged by Miranda. Nicholas turns away immediately, so Peggy asks him not to leave Miranda alone now. But he only replies that he could not understand why Peggy was allowed to live with her disability, but his son was not.

Nicholas is now often away from home, and otherwise retreats to a room that no one else is allowed to enter. One day Miranda follows him there and confronts him. He tells her he is a drug addict because he has to fight an inner urge. She replies that he is just hiding. She wants to continue to love him, but he refuses. A short time later, Peggy visits Jeff. She tells him she is afraid for Miranda and asks him to rescue her from the house. She also mentions that Nicholas had placed a strange plant in Miranda's room. That makes Jeff leave immediately. In the meantime, Nicholas visits Miranda in her room. When she remembers that this was the place where Johanna died, Nicholas hears Azilde sing and hastily leaves the room. When he has calmed down a bit, he meets Jeff. The latter says he has learned something about plants and now suspects Nicholas of having poisoned Johanna with oleander. Miranda, who overheard everything, doesn't want to believe it, but Nicholas attacks Jeff and tries to strangle him. After a brief fight, Jeff knocks down Nicholas and leaves the house with Peggy and Miranda. When Nicholas comes to, he goes to his "throne" on which he has always collected the rent. There he fantasizes how he shows his farmers and how he shoots Jeff with a pistol that he pulls out of his jacket. Shortly thereafter, Mayor Curtis arrives to arrest Nicholas. With him come Jeff, Miranda, Peggy, and some of Nicholas Bauern. Nicholas refuses to come. When Miranda and Jeff persuade him, he tries to shoot Jeff, but is shot himself first. Miranda realizes that Dragonwyck was never her home and wants to go back to Greenwich. But she encourages Jeff to visit her there, choosing Jeff's words about her departure after Johanna's death.

background

Historical background

The historical background of the film is the feudal system that the descendants of the first settlers from the Netherlands had established in the Hudson Valley and that was ended by the Anti-Rent War around the time the film is set .

Direction, production and script

In the 1940s, 20th Century Fox began to secure the rights to unpublished or partially published material. In her magazine The New Dynamo , this was portrayed as supporting and encouraging young writers. The first two works that affected this practice were the novels Centennial Summer ( filmed in 1946 ) and Anya Seton's Schloss Drachenfels . Drachenfels Castle was published in the Ladies Home Journal from August to December 1943 . During this time Darryl F. Zanuck secured the rights and handed the material over to Joseph L. Mankiewicz . This was supposed to assess the suitability of the material for a film. Mankiewicz wasn't exactly enthusiastic about it, but he had to admit that the prospects for a film were good. First, Ernst Lubitsch was to take over the direction. But he had to do without for health reasons and handed over the direction to Makiewicz, for whom White Oleander was the first film as a director. Lubitsch then acted as a producer. However, when Zanuck decided to cut an important scene for Lubitsch, in which Nicholas van Ryn violently attacked science, from the film, Lubitsch asked not to be named in the film. Therefore, White Oleander was one of the few films of the time that did not mention a producer.

White oleander was originally supposed to be shot in Technicolor , but it was later decided to shoot the film in black and white . This decision has been criticized.

Occupation and technical staff

Gregory Peck was initially intended for the role of Nicholas van Ryn . When he declined, Laird Cregar was in conversation, but he died before shooting began. Eventually the role went to Vincent Price . As Victoria Price wrote in her biography Vincent Price: A Daughter's Biography , he had to fight for the role because it did not match his image at the time. The cast of the role of Dr. Jeff Turner proved to be difficult to fill. First John Hodiak was to play the role, then Michael Francis and William Eythe were signed in succession before it was finally cast with Glenn Langan . For Vivienne Osborne , White Oleander was the last film of her career.

René Hubert was responsible for the costumes in White Oleander , and Lyle R. Wheeler and J. Russell Spencer as well as Thomas Little for the production design .

censorship

The Breen Office to enforce the Hays Code influenced the script of the film. So it rejected Nicholas van Ryn's planned death by fire in his burning house in order to avoid the impression that he had escaped his just punishment by suicide. Nor could it be said that he was seeking refuge in opium . After all, because of its widespread use in the United States , oleander could not be openly portrayed as a murder weapon.

Filming

White Oleander was filmed from mid-February to early May 1945, including in Sherwood Forest, California .

synchronization

When synchronizing White Oleander spoke:

role actor Voice actor
Miranda Wells Gene Tierney Bettina Schön
Ephraim Wells Walter Huston Konrad Wagner
Nicholas van Ryn Vincent Price OE Hasse
Dr. Jeff Turner Glenn Langan Wilhelm Borchert
Magda Spring Byington Agnes Windeck
Johanna van Ryn Vivienne Osborne Alice Treff

Premiere

White oleander premiered in New York City on April 10, 1946 . The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox . The German premiere was on April 8, 1952.

reception

Reviews

White oleander mostly received double-edged reviews. The production in general is praised, as are the costumes and sets. In addition, the atmosphere of the time was well met. Still, everyone has something to object to. To the reviewer of Variety, the film seemed too artificial. The criticism in Harrison's Reports , however, found that the film might be interesting for intellectuals because of its psychological orientation, but too slow and depressing for the normal moviegoer. The lexicon of international films also finds the film a bit lengthy and also "psychologically weak". In his review for Allmovie, Craig Butler accused the director and screenwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz of including too many historical and social details in the film, which had impaired its effect. John M. Miller counters this by stating that Mankiewicz achieved a clever balancing act. Dennis Schwartz criticized the film for being predictable and lacking charm, at least after Nicholas van Ryn turned out to be a confused drug addict. Bosley Crowther focused on the Bluebeard story in his review for the New York Times . If the story hadn't been moved to the Hudson River , one might think that it was a film adaptation of the Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralités by Charles Perrault . However, this is the most pompous and obvious repetition of this story that he has ever seen.

In addition, according to Bosley Crowther, Mankiewicz failed to bring the tension and surprise of the story to the screen. There is too much dialogue in the script and the story is progressing too slowly. Nevertheless, the motifs of the characters are hardly explained and the sketchy suggestion of the conflict between the landowner and his tenants is quickly dropped. Dennis Schwartz also thinks that Mankiewicz's performance is far from his best, while Derek Winnert speaks of a high-quality script.

The acting performances are sometimes rated differently. Gene Tierney is decorative and seems likeable, if not always. She is credible, but doesn't develop her character any more than the meager script does. Vincent Price, on the other hand, is almost consistently praised. It is impressive and generally determines “the direction of the film”. His diabolical portrayal is one of the highlights of the film and delivers the class that this type of film demands. It was his best role so far and he got everything out. This role helped develop the persona that became his trademark. Walter Huston brings his role most believable and stands out with it. He is also mentioned otherwise, as well as Anne Revere, Greg Langan, Connie Marshall and Jessica Tandy.

Gross profit

White oleander grossed $ 3 million in 1946 and was ranked 37th in the box office of 1946 by Variety . The cost of the film was estimated at $ 1.9 million.

consequences

Gene Tierney and Vincent Price took on their roles for the radio performance of the film on October 7, 1946, on the 540th episode of the Lux Radio Theater . On January 20, 1947, Vincent Price and Glenn Langan spoke their roles at the Screen Guild Theater during another radio performance. The Miranda was voiced by Teresa Wright .

Vincent Price described his role in White Oleander as one of the most important he has ever had. This role helped define Vincent Price's now familiar persona.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d White oleander. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed August 8, 2019 . Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ^ Richard Brody: The Dance of Time. In: The New Yorker . September 15, 2008, accessed August 8, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Dragonwyck . In: Variety . February 20, 1946, p.  8 (English, online at Archive.org [accessed August 8, 2019]).
  4. ^ Bertram Bloch: Trials and Tribulations in Search for Stories . In: New Dynamo . April 1945, p. 34 C4 , 2nd column from the right, first section (English, online at Archive.org [accessed August 8, 2019]).
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Dragonwyck (1946). In: American Film Institute . Accessed August 8, 2019 .
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k John M. Miller: Dragonwyck (1946) - Articles. In: Turner Classic Movies . Accessed August 8, 2019 .
  7. ↑ 20th Century Fox . In: Film Bulletin . January 22, 1945, p.  23 (English, online at Archive.org [accessed August 8, 2019]).
  8. ↑ a b c d e f Derek Winnert: Dragonwyck **** (1946, Gene Tierney, Vincent Price, Glenn Langan, Walter Huston, Anne Revere, Spring Byington, Harry Morgan, Jessica Tandy) - Classic Movie Review 4466. In: Derek Winnert. October 8, 2016, accessed August 8, 2019 .
  9. ↑ Dragonwyck (1946). In: Journeys in Classic Film. September 22, 2014, accessed August 8, 2019 .
  10. ↑ White oleander. In: synchronkartei.de. German dubbing file , accessed on August 8, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Dragonwyck. In: filmportal.de . German Film Institute , accessed on August 8, 2019 .
  12. ↑ a b c "Dragonwyck" with Gene Tierney, Walter Huston and Vincent Price . In: Harrison's Reports . February 23, 1946, p.  31 (English, online at Archive.org [accessed August 8, 2019]).
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g Bosley Crowther : THE SCREEN; 'Dragonwyck,' Featuring Gene Tierney and Vincent Price, New Bill at Roxy Theater-- Based on Anya Seton Novel . In: The New York Times . April 11, 1946 ( online on the New York Times pages [accessed August 8, 2019]).
  14. ↑ a b c d Dennis Schwartz: Eerie Gothic thriller. In: Ozus' World. August 14, 2010, archived from the original on April 30, 2019 ; accessed on August 8, 2019 .
  15. ↑ a b c d e Craig Butler: Dragonwyck (1946). In: AllMovie . Accessed August 8, 2019 .
  16. ↑ 60 Top Grossers of 1946 . In: Variety . January 8, 1947, p.  8 (English, online at Archive.org [accessed August 8, 2019]).
  17. ↑ Dragonwyck (1946). In: Toronto Film Society. September 12, 2014, accessed August 8, 2019 .
  18. ↑ lux radio theater (540) dragonwyck. In: Old Time Radio Downloads. Accessed August 8, 2019 .
  19. ↑ dragonwyck. In: Old Time Radio Downloads. Accessed August 8, 2019 .
  20. ^ Wheeler W. Dixon (Ed.): Collected Interviews: Voices from Twentieth-Century Cinema . Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale / Edwardsville 2001, ISBN 978-0-8093-2417-0 , pp. 201 , below (English, limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed August 8, 2019]).