The Wild Cat (1921 film)
- Victor Janson: Commander
- Marga Köhler: his wife
- Edith Meller: Lilli, their daughter
- Paul Heidemann: Lieutenant Alexis
- Wilhelm Diegelmann: Robber Captain Claudius
- Pola Negri: Rischka, his daughter
- Hermann Thimig: Pepo
- Paul Biensfeldt: Bandit Dafko
- Max Kronert: Bandit Masilio
- Erwin Kopp: Bandit Tripoli
The Wildcat is a German silent film grotesque in four acts by Ernst Lubitsch from the year 1921.
Action
Act 1
A winter with thick snow cover: The commander of the fortress Tossenstein is beaten twice: his men sleep like and ignore the commands too quickly to get up, and his wife is dominant. When a letter arrives that the heartthrob Lieutenant Alexis is demoted to the fort, only his wife and daughter Lilli are thrilled.
Alexis leaves, meanwhile, the residence where hundreds of women her former lover, and dozens of small children behind to mourn her potential father. On the way from the residence to the fortress Tossenstein Alexis is attacked by the robbers daughter Rischka that robs him together with their men down to the underpants.
Act 2
On the fortress Alexis is reported by his coachman as missing, but emerged a short time later on in his underpants. Despite his predicament, he masters the situation with his usual elegance and wife and daughter of the commander are delighted. The commander announced Alexis 'll get in no case shall the hand of his daughter and leaves both demonstrative alone. Alexis is at first surprised, then flirts but practiced with Lilli.
Meanwhile Rischka found in the things of the lieutenant his portrait photography. Love them pinning them to the tent wall and hangs the lieutenant pants about it. Her father Claudius pouts, however, that she has Alexis run, eventually he would have a new underpants can use more than. On the fortress, meanwhile, sets off a punitive expedition to fight the robbers.
Act 3
The punitive expedition against the robber was a disaster. While Alexis conducts the orchestra carried and is trying not constantly slip on the prevailing ice, his men are beaten by the robbers by a few slaps and snowball throws on the run. The commander, who is wisely remained in the fort, believed to remotely identify a victory of his troops. After the return of the defeated army, he is therefore a noisy victory celebration with fireworks. Alexis is given in gratitude for the victory Lilli wife and the lieutenant shows only a little excited.
Meanwhile, the robbers approach to Rischka the fortress and break -in. Rischka admits Lillis chambers empty, throws bedding and the beds themselves out of the window and enjoys it then, to shower in one of Lilli's clothes with perfume. The rest of the band follows her after a while and disguises herself as a soldier. All unrecognized take part in the celebration and fun with the drunken commander. Only Alexis recognizes Rischka and the robbers and locks Rischka in Lilli's room in order to arrest them later. Lilli again has their supposed rival the door and flees Rischka easier with their cronies.
Act 4
Rischka dreams of Alexis and is so excited that Claudius decides to marry his daughter. Because he has one of his men promised years ago, he now has to keep his word. However, it dares only the shy Pepo, entering into marriage with Rischka. After he has shown that he can be a man thoroughly, marries him Rischka. On the wedding day Rischka learns that Alexis has had a civil ceremony the day before and the wedding ceremony takes place today. She leaves her sad tent and falls Pepo so in deepest crying spells.
Even Alexis is not solemn mood. He gets drunk before the party and finally hits the snow on Rischka. Both end up at his house, where Alexis just wants to make fast fresh. However, it takes an incredibly long time since Alexis is very vain. Meanwhile, Lilli appears at Alexis and strikes Rischka. She wants him to give up even for the " mountain cat ", as Rischka decides to forego it to Alexis. During the subsequent candlelight dinner with Alexis is Rischka shows its worst side, Alexis disheveled hair wohlgeglättete, drinking champagne from a bottle and white is not the way you eat to behave. When she 's gone, Alexis versa facilitates back to Lilli.
Rischka notices under which a small stream, which has dug into the snow. She follows him to his tent, and notes that it is fed by the tears torrents that Pepo, meanwhile, has cried for her. It includes him in her arms, kisses him and Pepo is happy again.
Production
The costumes created Ernst Stern, the buildings were designed by Ernst Stern and Max Gronau. Filming for The Wildcat began in January 1921 locations were the Ufa studios Union Berlin -Tempelhof.; the exterior shots were held on the top corner in Garmisch.
From the censorship The Wildcat on April 9, 1921, in an art ban. The premiere took place on 12 April 1921 for the Ufa - Palast am Zoo in Berlin.
Criticism
Not that: The " Film-Kurier " wrote about The Wildcat that "if this film has any value [ ... ], so [ this ], that it has a free of thoughts, not that he gives them: that he scattered he encourages " Fritz Podehl noticed in " the Movie ", the name of the film as grotesque is hardly applicable.:
"He is not at all particularly peculiar nor particularly funny nor particularly crowded. Nevertheless, if in the last filing a brisk pace was achieved and the film made a hit, so almost anything is likely to still be put on the account Lubitsch, the director whose brilliant One Piece and masterful handling of large his disposal apparatus provided enough surprises. "
The " photo - stage" meant that " so much real humor, so much grotesque humor in a novel form in this film [ infected ], as German in no other product. But this novelty might seem a little catching cold on a unvorgebildetes audience, although the success in the Ufa-Palast seems to contradict this. "
The lexicon of the International film noted that " this silent film [ ... ] the first commercial failure of Ernst Lubitsch [ was ], who traced this fact on his disrespectful dealing with the military. Historically movie he is today of great interest, since the use of numerous black mounts transforms the film into an imaginative form of experiment. "