Der Fall Molander | |
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Directed by | Georg Wilhelm Pabst |
Written by | |
Produced by | Adolf Hannemann |
Starring | Paul Wegener |
Cinematography | Willi Kuhle |
Edited by | Elisabeth Pewny |
Distributed by | Terra-Filmverleih |
Release date |
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Country | Germany |
Language | German |
The Molander Case (German : Der Fall Molander) is a 1945 German drama film directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst. The movie is based on the novel Die Sternegeige by Alfred Karrasch. On August 28, 1944, Pabst started shooting the movie for Terra Film. [1] As shooting was just completing at the Barrandov Studios in Prague and editing had already begun, Prague was liberated by the Red Army and Pabst was forced to abandon the work. The remaining film is kept at the Národní Filmový Archiv in Prague.
The young violinist Fritz Molander inherited a Stradivarius, the so-called “star violin”, from his father, a famous conductor. Molander junior has a lot of talent and has already been made first violinist at the State Opera. But he wants more. His father died early, having achieved great fame, and young Fritz seeks to emulate him. Ever since the father's untimely demise, the family has been in considerable economic difficulties. Fritz is determined to change this situation. When Molander's concert agency demands a considerable advance payment, he is forced to sell his precious Stradivarius violin. Now Molander can finally give unlimited concerts and is celebrated by both critics and audiences. But suddenly the police arrest him, having established that the alleged Stradivarius is a fake.
Elisabeth Molander, the artist's sister, talks to her secret fiancé, the young public prosecutor Holk, who is working on the "Molander case". While she offers Holk to break off the engagement because of this "scandal", he wants to resign from this case as a public prosecutor in order not to get into a conflict of interest. Elisabeth then turns to her fiancé's father, the old Attorney General Holk. He decides to handle the case himself. His investigation eventually reveals that the old instrument maker Dannemann had exchanged the star violin for a low-value but not immediately recognizable fake during a repair. For him, it was not about the money, but, as an obsessed instrument lover, about owning an eminent piece of violin making culture.
Fritz Molander is released from prison and rehabilitated. Old Holk also ensures that his son and fiancée can now get together again, officially appear as a couple and finally get married. While Elisabeth can finally introduce her fiancé to her mother, the sounds coaxed from the Stradivarius by Fritz Molander ring out the open window.
Antonio Stradivari was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial Strad are terms often used to refer to his instruments. It is estimated that Stradivari produced 1,116 instruments, of which 960 were violins. Around 650 instruments survive, including 450 to 512 violins. His instruments are considered some of the finest ever made, and are extremely valuable collector's items.
A Stradivarius is one of the string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, and guitars, crafted by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari, in Cremona, Italy, during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. These instruments are known for their craftsmanship, tonal quality, and lasting legacy, and are considered some of the finest ever made. Stradivari's violins, in particular, are coveted by musicians and collectors, with many selling for millions of dollars.
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The Ames Stradivarius of 1734 is an antique violin, made by the Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona. It is one of only 450–700 known extant Stradivarius instruments in the world. The Ames is named for violinist George Ames who owned it and performed with it in the late nineteenth century.
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Ray Chen is a Taiwanese-Australian violinist. He was the winner of the 2008 International Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition and the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Competition. Since then, he has regularly collaborated with the world’s foremost orchestras and appeared at renowned concert halls.
Canone inverso - Making Love, also known as The Inverse Canon, is a 2000 Italian drama film directed by Ricky Tognazzi. It is based on the 1996 novel Canone Inverso by the Italian author Paolo Maurensig.
They Shall Have Music is a 1939 musical film directed by Archie Mayo and starring famed violinist Jascha Heifetz, Joel McCrea, Andrea Leeds, and Gene Reynolds. The screenplay concerns a young runaway who finds his purpose in life after hearing Heifetz play, and the kindly master of a music school in financial difficulty takes him in.
Sergey Khachatryan is an Armenian violinist. Since 1993 he has lived in Germany where he gave his first orchestral concert at the age of nine in the Kurhaus, Wiesbaden.
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Jean Joseph Bott was a German violinist and composer who emigrated to the United States late in his life.
Suwa Nejiko (諏訪根自子) was a Japanese violinist who earned fame as a child prodigy during the inter-war period. In early Shōwa Japan she was dubbed "The Girl Genius with the Beautiful Face". Although her career was mostly confined to Japan and Europe, she posthumously became the source of controversy in the United States concerning the gift of what was claimed to be a Stradivarius violin by Joseph Goebbels, which possibly had been confiscated from its previous Jewish owner.
Masuko Ushioda was a Japanese violinist who had an international career as soloist and teacher.
Timothy Chooi is a Canadian violinist and University of Ottawa professor of Chinese-Indonesian ethnic background. He won the First Prize at the 2018 International Joseph Joachim Violin Competition and Second Prize at the 2019 Queen Elisabeth Competition. He has also won prizes at the International Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition, the Michael Hill International Violin Competition, and the Grand Prize at the 2010 Montreal ManuLife Competition.
Visit to Minotaur or is a Soviet TV serial detective film, based on the eponymous novel by the Vayner Brothers, shot by the director Eldor Urazbayev in 1987.