Maskerade (film)
Encyclopedia
Maskerade is an Austria
n operetta film, and a classic of German language
cinema. The exceptional script of this, a great example of the genre of the Wiener Film
, was by Walter Reisch
and Willi Forst
, who also directed. The German premiere was held in Berlin
on 21 August 1934, the Austrian premiere in Vienna not until 26 September of the same year.
), wife of the surgeon Carl Ludwig Harrandt (Peter Petersen), allows the fashionable artist Ferdinand von Heidenick (Adolf Wohlbrück) to paint a portrait of her wearing only a mask and a muff
. This muff however belongs to Anita Keller (Olga Tschechowa), in secret the painter's lover but also the fiancée of the court orchestra director Paul Harrandt (Walter Janssen
), the brother of Gerda's husband.
The picture is published in the newspaper. When Paul sees it and asks von Heidenick some searching questions about the identity of the model, the artist is forced to improvise a story and on the spur of the moment invents a woman called Leopoldine Dur as the alleged model. Leopoldine Dur however turns out to be a real woman (Paula Wessely
), whose acquaintance Heidenick makes shortly afterwards. This makes his lover Anita so jealous that she shoots him. He survives, and Leopoldine nurses him back to health, in the course of which they fall in love. The true identity of the sitter in the portrait remains a mystery, however.
, Walter Reisch and Willi Forst wrote the screenplay of Maskerade in the Hotel Kranz-Ambassador in Vienna. Filming began in the same month in the Rosenhügel Film Studios of Sascha-Film
. It was only the second film directed by Willi Forst, but is nevertheless one of his masterpieces. It was also the first ever film role for the already distinguished stage actress Paula Wessely.
Essential to the visual success of the film was the contribution of the virtuoso of the film camera of 1930s Austria, Franz Planer
, with his lively and beautifully lit compositions. The sets were the creation of Oskar Strnad
, a great name of the contemporary Austrian art scene and lecturer at the School of Commercial Art (Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule, now the Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien), assisted by Emil Stepanek
. Strnad's costume designs however were passed over by Forst in favour of those by Gerdago, whose dress for Paula Wessely contributed both to the success of the film and to Wessely's breakthrough into films.
Willy Schmidt-Gentner
composed the score. The declared production costs were 863,539,45 Austrian Schilling
s.
.
, who composed the music. (Robert Stolz
had initially been commissioned for the music but died in 1975 aged 95, just after he had begun work on it). The premiere took place in 1983 during the Wiener Festwochen in the Theater in der Josefstadt
under Kreisler's musical direction, and the piece ran for two seasons to packed houses; it has never been performed since. Reisch did not live to see it performed, as he fell ill and died in Los Angeles
on 28 March 1983.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n operetta film, and a classic of German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
cinema. The exceptional script of this, a great example of the genre of the Wiener Film
Wiener Film
Wiener Film is an Austrian film genre, consisting of a combination of comedy, romance and melodrama in an historical setting, mostly, and typically, the Vienna of the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
, was by Walter Reisch
Walter Reisch
Walter Reisch was an Austrian-born director and screenwriter. He also wrote lyrics to several songs featured in his films, one popular title is "Flieger, grüß mir die Sonne".-Selected filmography:...
and Willi Forst
Willi Forst
Willi Forst, born Wilhelm Anton Frohs was an Austrian actor, screenwriter, film director, film producer and singer...
, who also directed. The German premiere was held in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on 21 August 1934, the Austrian premiere in Vienna not until 26 September of the same year.
Plot
The film is set in Viennese high society of about 1900. After a masked carnival ball, Gerda Harrandt (Hilde von StolzHilde von Stolz
Hilde von Stolz was an Austrian-German actress.von Stolz attended the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna and made her debut at the local Chamber of games...
), wife of the surgeon Carl Ludwig Harrandt (Peter Petersen), allows the fashionable artist Ferdinand von Heidenick (Adolf Wohlbrück) to paint a portrait of her wearing only a mask and a muff
Muff (handwarmer)
A muff is a fashion accessory for outdoors usually made of a cylinder of fur or fabric with both ends open for keeping the hands warm. It was introduced to women's fashion in the 16th century and was popular with both men and women in the 17th and 18th centuries. By the early 20th century muffs...
. This muff however belongs to Anita Keller (Olga Tschechowa), in secret the painter's lover but also the fiancée of the court orchestra director Paul Harrandt (Walter Janssen
Walter Janssen
Walter Janssen was a German film actor. He appeared in over 160 films between 1917 and 1970.-Selected filmography:* Destiny * The Flute Concert of Sans-Souci * Two Hearts in Waltz Time...
), the brother of Gerda's husband.
The picture is published in the newspaper. When Paul sees it and asks von Heidenick some searching questions about the identity of the model, the artist is forced to improvise a story and on the spur of the moment invents a woman called Leopoldine Dur as the alleged model. Leopoldine Dur however turns out to be a real woman (Paula Wessely
Paula Wessely
Paula Anna Maria Wessely was an Austrian theatre and film actress. Die Wessely , as she was affectionately called by her admirers and fans, was Austria's foremost popular postwar actress....
), whose acquaintance Heidenick makes shortly afterwards. This makes his lover Anita so jealous that she shoots him. He survives, and Leopoldine nurses him back to health, in the course of which they fall in love. The true identity of the sitter in the portrait remains a mystery, however.
Background
In February 1934, in the middle of the brief Austrian Civil WarAustrian Civil War
The Austrian Civil War , also known as the February Uprising , is a term sometimes used for a few days of skirmishes between socialist and conservative-fascist forces between 12 February and 16 February 1934, in Austria...
, Walter Reisch and Willi Forst wrote the screenplay of Maskerade in the Hotel Kranz-Ambassador in Vienna. Filming began in the same month in the Rosenhügel Film Studios of Sascha-Film
Sascha-Film
Sascha-Film, in full Sascha-Filmindustrie AG and from 1933 Tobis-Sascha-Filmindustrie AG, was the largest Austrian film production company of the silent film and early sound film period.-History:...
. It was only the second film directed by Willi Forst, but is nevertheless one of his masterpieces. It was also the first ever film role for the already distinguished stage actress Paula Wessely.
Production
Since the microphones of the period were not very sensitive, they had to be brought as close to the performers as possible. Because of the visible shadows that the microphones would have cast under the intense lighting of the film sets they had to be hidden in many scenes behind all sorts of objects such as armchairs, bookshelves and vases. The actors had nevertheless to be constantly instructed to speak louder, which caused a number of problems in scenes in which by their nature it was necessary to speak quietly.Essential to the visual success of the film was the contribution of the virtuoso of the film camera of 1930s Austria, Franz Planer
Franz Planer
Franz Planer, A.S.C. was a cinematographer born in Karlsbad, Austria-Hungary ,-Biography:...
, with his lively and beautifully lit compositions. The sets were the creation of Oskar Strnad
Oskar Strnad
Oskar Strnad was an Austrian architect, sculptor, designer and set designer for films and theatres. Together with Josef Frank he was instrumental in creating the distinctive character of the Wiener Schule der Architektur...
, a great name of the contemporary Austrian art scene and lecturer at the School of Commercial Art (Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule, now the Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien), assisted by Emil Stepanek
Emil Stepanek
Emil Stepanek was an Austrian set designer and film architect.-Biography:Stepanek was born in Vienna, the son of a carpenter, and received a training in stage set construction, in which he worked for several years. Between 1916 and 1918 he had to perform military service...
. Strnad's costume designs however were passed over by Forst in favour of those by Gerdago, whose dress for Paula Wessely contributed both to the success of the film and to Wessely's breakthrough into films.
Willy Schmidt-Gentner
Willy Schmidt-Gentner
Willy Schmidt-Gentner was one of the most successful German composers of film music in the history of German-language cinema. He moved to Vienna in 1933...
composed the score. The declared production costs were 863,539,45 Austrian Schilling
Austrian schilling
The schilling was the currency of Austria from 1924 to 1938 and from 1945 to 1999, and the circulating currency until 2002. The euro was introduced at a fixed parity of €1 = 13.7603 schilling to replace it...
s.
Escapade
Because of the film's great success it was remade in America in 1935 under the title EscapadeEscapade (1935 film)
Escapade is a 1935 romantic comedy film starring William Powell and Luise Rainer. A philandering painter falls in love, but a prior affair with a married woman causes complications.-Cast:*William Powell as Fritz*Luise Rainer as Leopoldine Dur...
.
Operetta
At the end of the 1970s Reisch wrote an operetta based on the film of Maskerade with his cousin Georg KreislerGeorg Kreisler
Georg Kreisler was an Austrian-American Viennese-language cabarettist, satirist, composer, and author. He was particularly popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Since 2007 he has lived in Salzburg with his third wife, Barbara Peters...
, who composed the music. (Robert Stolz
Robert Stolz
Robert Elisabeth Stolz was an Austrian songwriter and conductor as well as a composer of operettas and film music.- Biography :...
had initially been commissioned for the music but died in 1975 aged 95, just after he had begun work on it). The premiere took place in 1983 during the Wiener Festwochen in the Theater in der Josefstadt
Theater in der Josefstadt
The Theater in der Josefstadt is a theater in Vienna in the eighth district of Josefstadt. It was founded in 1788 and is the oldest still performing theater in Vienna...
under Kreisler's musical direction, and the piece ran for two seasons to packed houses; it has never been performed since. Reisch did not live to see it performed, as he fell ill and died in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on 28 March 1983.
Sources
- Fritz, Walter: Im Kino erlebe ich die Welt - 100 Jahre Kino und Film in Österreich (pp. 157-159). Vienna, 1995