Tortilla Flat (Film)

• Spencer Tracy: Pilon
• Hedy Lamarr: Dolores Ramirez
• John Garfield: Daniel Alvarez
• Frank Morgan: The Pirate
• Akim Tamiroff: Pablo
• Sheldon Leonard: Tito Ralph
• Donald Meek: Paul D. Cummings
• Connie Gilchrist: Mrs. Torelli
• Allen Jenkins: Big Joe Portagee
• Henry O'Neill: Father Juan Ramon

Tortilla Flat is an American feature film from 1942 based on the eponymous 1935 novel published Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck. Directed by Victor Fleming play in the lead roles Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr, John Garfield, Frank Morgan, Akim Tamiroff, and Sheldon Leonard.

Action

Danny inherits two houses in Tortilla Flat. In one of them he can Pilon, and a few poor but lazy friends move, the other he inhabits itself The Pirate is the only one who pursues odd jobs and saving a bit of money. But it Pilon would like abluchsen him until he finds that the pirate wants to buy them a golden candlestick to donate it to the St. Francis church in memory of his dead faithful dog.

As one of the two houses burning down, Danny allows his friends to move in with him. Out of gratitude, want to be a bit easier, but this is not always possible Pilon Danny's life. Are things complicated when Danny falls in love with the beautiful Dolores and therefore receives a steady job. A misunderstanding leads to a used vacuum cleaner dispute between Danny and Pilon, followed by Danny completely drunk. Then he begins to behave increasingly crazy.

In an accident in the cannery Danny loses almost his life, but thanks to the prayers of Pilon he is healthy again. Then he married Dolores and promises to be a fisherman after it has been successful Pilon to get the money for a boat.

In the original novel, this end is not provided: Danny dies after an extravagant party to a fall. For the audience, however, MGM film made ​​for a happy ending.

Criticism

Bosley Crowther called the film in his review a real idyll, full of honest humor and compassion.

Others

The storyline of the film conforms essentially to the set by John Steinbeck episodic style. Critics saw this as a reason for the lack of success at the box office, others in the rather weak acting performances by Hedy Lamarr and Spencer Tracy. Tracy himself mentioned in his autobiography that he did not play well because he could not develop a relationship with the characters from the novel. Lamarr, however, expressed in her memoirs that " Dolores " one of her greatest roles was.

Frank Morgan was awarded in 1943 for his performance as " The Pirate" an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor.

Filming began in 1941 and were overshadowed by the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Novel

• John Steinbeck: Tortilla Flat ( Original Title: Tortilla Flat ). German by Elisabeth Rotten. German Taschenbuch Verlag (1987 ), 176 pp., ISBN 3-423-10764-2