Die Reise nach Tilsit

Die Reise nach Tilsit (Eng. The Trip to Tilsit) is a German 1939 film directed by Veit Harlan.^[1] It is a sound remake of the silent film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, which was based on Hermann Sudermann's short story "Die Reise nach Tilsit"; Harlan maintained it was a true film, whereas Sunrise was only a poem, and it did avoid the symbolism and soft focus of that film for more realism; it was shot in Memel, where the action takes place.^[2]

Synopsis

Elske faithfully loves her husband Endrik as he is seduced by a foreign schemer, Madlyn. Madlyn persuades him to murder Elske and run off with her. He lures Elske into the boat as a prelude to drowning her, but is unable to carry it out. When they reach the shore, she flees to the city, and he follows to plead for forgiveness. They return, and a storm blows up while they are in the boat. Endrik gets ashore, but believes Elske to have drowned. He reacts with anger to Madlyn, but learns that Elske did survive.

Motifs

Elske, as is typical for Kristina Söderbaum's roles, is a model of patient, virtuous and old-fashioned wifehood and of pure and healthy Aryan stock, stemming from her country living, whereas her rival is Polish, promiscious, and city-dwelling, an obvious product of "asphalt culture".^[3] Her victory reflected a need to avoid temptation to adultery, when many families were separated.^[4]

Premiere

Magda Goebbels ostentiously left the premiere, owing to the accidental resemblance between it and her own situation, where Joseph Goebbels carried on with the Czech actress Lída Baarová.^[2] (It was similarly resolved, with the actress being sent back to Czechoslovakia, and Hitler himself informing Goebbels that there would be no divorce.)^[2]

References

1. ^ "New York Times: The Trip to Tilsit (1939)". NY Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/354178/The-Trip-to-Tilsit/overview. Retrieved 2011-07-17. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Cinzia Romani, Tainted Goddesses: Female Film Stars of the Third Reich p86 ISBN 0-9627613-1-1
3. ^ Cinzia Romani, Tainted Goddesses: Female Film Stars of the Third Reich p84-6 ISBN 0-9627613-1-1
4. ^ Cinzia Romani, Tainted Goddesses: Female Film Stars of the Third Reich p20 ISBN 0-9627613-1-1

External links

• IThe Trip to Tilsit (1939) at the Internet Movie Database