4 Devils

• Janet Gaynor: Marion
• Mary Duncan: The Lady
• Charles Morton: Charles
• Barry Norton: Adolf
• Nancy Drexel: Louise
• J. Farrell MacDonald: The Clown
• Anders Randolf: Cecchi

Four devil is an American film drama from 1928. The screenplay is based on the story De Fire Djævle by Danish writer Herman Bang.

Action

An old clown takes on the four children Charles, Adolf, Marion and Louise, to protect them from the brutal circus owner who is her guardian. He pulls on them and trains them to acrobats.

The years pass and the four children will soon be successful trapeze artists who call themselves "Four Devils". Charles and Marion are now a couple. But when they occur in the Cirque Olympia in Paris, Charles leaves one with a beautiful stranger. Marion learns of the relationship and can distract from it. In the finale of their performance, which is performed at without a net, it crashes. Marion survived, and Charles, touched by the near disaster, returns to his girlfriend.

Criticism

Mordaunt Hall of the New York Times praised Murnau's work, keep awake the interest in the film from the first to the last setting. Not only are the actors performed with unmatched skill, even the camera work is smooth and seductive.

Awards

In the second Oscar in 1930 Ernest Palmer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Background

The premiere was held in New York on October 3, 1928. In Germany, first published in 1929 a silent film version. When sound film, the film was first shown in 1930.

The songs were composed by Marion and Destiny Erno Rapee ( melody ) and Lew Pollack ( text).

The second work of FW Murnau Hollywood was hampered by limitations of the studio Fox Film Corporation. Co -author Mayer left the project, the script was completed by Marion Orth and Berthold Viertel in Germany. After Murnau Fox had left, the film was, on June 15, 1929 re-released with new sound effects and dialogues, which were written by John Hunter Booth.

The film is now considered lost. The original negative was destroyed in a fire and the Fox undertook apparently nothing to secure the undamaged footage. 1948, the last 35-mm copy of the actress Mary Duncan was handed; about the whereabouts of the copy is not known.