Well, the movie's of course booby-trapped as hell. The story is kitsch - although meticulously woven - , the leading actress was a controversial figure, the production year is 1940 and the production country is Nazi Germany. The story meets the "Blut und Boden" ("blood and soil") ideology of the Nazis, the end is reactionary: craving, proud and stubborn Wally's got her mind set right by her beloved Joseph. The story of a young, intrepid and determined young woman refusing to fit into the patriarchical values and routines ends with her humiliation and total submission. She kneels at Joseph's feet in the snow, with the tame vulture, companion in her days of rebellion, swaying and soaring away as she no longer needs or wants to rebel....Yeah, it's reactionary kitsch, but it's rich, juicy, heavy kitsch, because apart from all that there's Hatheyer! In the opening scenes you see any young beautiful woman doing man's work. That wouldn't qualify for more than early-afternoon-drama. But then see her looking at Joseph for the first time: what she does with her eyes in the fragment of a second would take Cardinale and Loren and Lollobrigida and Monroe and Gardner several years! Jolie and Lopez can't dot hat at all! From then on it's melodrama: see her crying and weeping under the bludgeon of her father! See her in trance over the clouds, hating the world for outcasting her! After tables having turned, see her coldly reprimanding her maid for secretly having a date! See her triumphantly denouncing her supposed rival Afra as an illegitimate bitch! See her blessed and ecstatic after Joseph' kiss! See her almost swooning after being humiliated in front of the whole village... Hatheyer convincingly portrays an independent and obviously mercurial young woman, and she convincingly shows how that young woman quickly changes from a spite-all rebel to a stern mistress, as in her new position Wally behaves as harsh and authoritarian as her father did. Hatheyer lets us know it's still the same person. It's Hatheyer's attempt to control untamed emotion that seems to be the actual plot of the film, and it's her play that actually saves the film from its plot and message. Still, there's realistic folklore to be noted, some beautiful takes of high mountain scenery, and some mildly comic episodes. Recommendation: forget the plot and the end, enjoy the sidelines and slapsticks, watch Hatheyer!
2 Reviews
Heavy Handed WW2 time German rural drama.
Mozjoukine24 August 2017
This much filmed film nineteenth Century piece, here becomes an unappealing if well crafted costume drama with characteristic War Time bombastic performance style. It's tempting to try an relate it to Nazi ideology.
It is both a berg film with a brief roping down the mountain scene and a montage of music to go with clouds squashed with an anamorphic lens. It's also a heimatfilm, kicking off with Hatheyer and her dad Köck in Tyrolean costume reaping against a mountain peak back ground and rolling on through folklorico inn, funeral and festival scenes. This is not all that interesting but the story is worse. No one generates much sympathy.
Add in some odd developments. No one is disturbed about killing the vulture to steal it's chick and Hatheyer's romantic idol, a middle aged Rist mocks her as the Vulture Girl while her also over aged suitor Esterle goes about beating people with lumps of wood. Her dad also takes the stick to Heidemarie when she scorns Esterle, his choice of husband. She is banished to a solitary existence in a mountain hut accompanied only by the tamed vulture. The bird however comes in useful, tapping Lassie style on mountaineer von Schlettow's window to alert him to her lying in the snow.
Hatheyer becomes head of the house, in her turn a mean authority figure denigrating believed rival Markus. Then Heidemarie puts on her big fur hat and it's on again off again with Rist.
Hatheyer in heavy lip gloss is a presentable if rather stocky lead. Director Harlan is able to muster the heavy weight film making talent effectively but not able to present a compelling drama for them to deliver.
It is both a berg film with a brief roping down the mountain scene and a montage of music to go with clouds squashed with an anamorphic lens. It's also a heimatfilm, kicking off with Hatheyer and her dad Köck in Tyrolean costume reaping against a mountain peak back ground and rolling on through folklorico inn, funeral and festival scenes. This is not all that interesting but the story is worse. No one generates much sympathy.
Add in some odd developments. No one is disturbed about killing the vulture to steal it's chick and Hatheyer's romantic idol, a middle aged Rist mocks her as the Vulture Girl while her also over aged suitor Esterle goes about beating people with lumps of wood. Her dad also takes the stick to Heidemarie when she scorns Esterle, his choice of husband. She is banished to a solitary existence in a mountain hut accompanied only by the tamed vulture. The bird however comes in useful, tapping Lassie style on mountaineer von Schlettow's window to alert him to her lying in the snow.
Hatheyer becomes head of the house, in her turn a mean authority figure denigrating believed rival Markus. Then Heidemarie puts on her big fur hat and it's on again off again with Rist.
Hatheyer in heavy lip gloss is a presentable if rather stocky lead. Director Harlan is able to muster the heavy weight film making talent effectively but not able to present a compelling drama for them to deliver.
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