The Sinner (1951 film)
The Sinner | |
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Directed by | Willi Forst |
Written by |
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Produced by | Rolf Meyer |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Václav Vích |
Edited by | Max Brenner |
Music by | Theo Mackeben |
Production company |
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Distributed by | Herzog-Filmverleih |
Release date |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
Country | West Germany |
Language | German |
The Sinner (German: Die Sünderin) is a 1951 West German romantic drama film directed by Willi Forst and starring Hildegard Knef, Gustav Fröhlich and Änne Bruck.[1] It was shot at the Bendestorf Studios and on location in Naples, Rome and Positano. The film's sets were designed by the art director Franz Schroedter.
Plot
[edit]It is a love story between the prostitute Marina and the unsuccessful artist Alexander, who suffers from a cancer which makes him blind and ill. They are happy for a short period in Italy. Despite Marina's loving care, Alexanders health gets worse and they together commit suicide in the end.[2]
Scandal
[edit]It was one of the first German films to break several taboos: nudity, suicide and euthanasia. In the Germany of the 1950s, this caused a lot of negative reactions both by politicians and the Roman Catholic Church as well as parts of the Protestant church.[2][3] The widespread opposition culminated in ultimately unsuccessful calls for a ban of the film, which paradoxically gave it a prominent place in German film history. Despite or because of the scandal, Die Sünderin proved to be the breakthrough role of Hildegard Knef.
Cast
[edit]- Hildegard Knef as Marina
- Gustav Fröhlich as Alexander
- Änne Bruck as Marina's mother
- Wera Frydtberg as a colleague
- Robert Meyn as Marina's stepfather
- Jochen-Wolfgang Meyn as Marina's stepbrother
- Andreas Wolf as a doctor
Notes and references
[edit]- ^ Holloway, Ron (2002-02-02). "Hildegard Knef". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
- ^ a b "The Scandal surrounding The Sinner [Die Sünderin] (1951)". German History in Documents and Images (GHDI). Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- ^ Robert von Dassanowsky (10 October 2005). Austrian Cinema: A History. McFarland. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-7864-3733-7.
External links
[edit]- The Sinner at IMDb