The Castle (1968 film)
- Maximilian Schell: K
- Cordula Trantow: Frieda
- Trudik DANIEL wife of the innkeeper
- Helmut Qualtinger: Biirgel
- Franz Misar: Arthur
- Johann Misar: Jeremiah
- Hanns Ernst Jäger: landowners
- Friedrich Maurer: Mayor
- Else Ehser: Mizzi
- Georg Lehn: Barnabas
- Martha Wallner: Amalia
- Iva Janžurová Olga
- Karl Hellmer: Teacher
- Ilse Künkele: teacher
- E. O. Fuhrmann: Nomus
- Benno Hoffmann: Black
- Leo Mally: Gerstäcker
- Hans Possenbacher: Brückenhofwirt
- Armand Ozory: Erlanger
The castle is a German adaptation of the eponymous novel by Franz Kafka Fragments. Under the direction of Rudolf Noelte played in winter 1967/68 Maximilian Schell in the key role of K and Noeltes wife Cordula Trantow the lead roles. Noelte and shellfish produced this film also, whose premiere was planned for the International Film Festival of Cannes 1968.
Action
For the surveyor K the castle is a symbol of the power and the dictatorship of the apparatus. Although within reach, it remains an unattainable goal for him. He has received an order from the castle, but the confirmation of the first remains untraceable. Also in lying directly beneath the castle village there is no space for K, you do not even want him initially be staying at the inn. K. fails because of the absurd, impenetrable bureaucracy and indifference of the villagers. In the commune office, hundreds of letters stacked, inextricably by an outsider no plausible logic sorted. Is perhaps the Job letter of surveyor under, is probably some mistake?
The surveyor may at that place him neither his supposedly assigned task still make or realize his life as a whole according to his desires. Despite tireless attempts to conform it remains ultimately always of everything - the lock as of the community - are excluded, it is not accepted as one of their own. All his attempts to communicate, even to him zugetanen Frieda, ultimately come to nothing. Seems once actually help or even support in sight, things are thus, only more confusing. Worn down and exhausted themselves K. lays down to die at the end. "In your zeal you were tirelessly " praises him of community leaders.
Production Notes
The film is the first attempt to capture Kafka's difficult to be decrypted fragment of a novel to the screen. In the 90s, followed by two more film adaptations of The Castle. Noelte followed in his Kafka - film adaptation of the stage version of Max Brod, Kafka's friend.
The film was shot between November 9, 1967, and March 8, 1968 Castle Bertholdstein in Styria and in the immediate vicinity. About a hundred years ago was Schell's great-grandfather, Councilor Charles Noé Nordberg, Lord of Castle Bertholdstein.
The lock should be shown at the International Film Festival in Cannes in May 1968, which, however, were canceled due to the student riots in Paris after about half of festival period. On September 4, 1968, he was finally listed as part of the International Film Festival of Venice. On March 9, 1969, the film had its U.S. premiere in New York
In the Federal Republic of Germany, the film happened on 23 August 1968, FSK and found its German premiere on August 31, 1971.
The castle was the only cinema production of the renowned theater director Noelte. Noelte had this lock - stage version Brod in 1953 staged with great success for the theater.
The total cost of the film amounted, according to Der Spiegel of 4 March 1968 three million DM ( € 1.5 million). Raise this sum for such a bulky mass and disabled project, should prove to be extremely difficult Noelte and haddock. "A producer for their project not found the two of course. To recover the "money for Kafka ," Shell was, " do not want to call" now "Oscar " winners, committed to films he; Noelte submitted his screenplay for Bonner premiums. "
The cameraman Wolfgang Trust reach impressive, barren winter landscapes. He was on 23 June 1968, the German Film Award, Film Award, awarded for his photographic performance.
The Filmbauten designed Hareiter Herta and her husband Otto Pischinger, the costume designs were created by Walter Schulze- Mittendorf, whose last movie should be The Castle. Also their farewell performance in this film gave Cordula Trantows father Herbert, who composed the music, and the actress Else Ehser. She died eleven days after the end of filming.
Criticism
The lexicon of the International film ruled: " Rudolf Noelte simplifies the multiple layers of meaning and interpretation approaches the original and focuses mainly on the description of a macabre bureaucracy, against which an individual in vain wants to enforce its autonomy. Despite careful detail and beautiful images a theater too close, sometimes craft production. "
In the online presence of Cinema says: " Very well played, but cumbersome ."
The Movie & Video Guide wrote: " appropiately vague filmization of Kafka 's novel".
Halliwell's Film Guide characterized the film as follows: " Attempt, partly successful, to film an unfinished Kafka obscurity".