Information
- BFI identifier415663
- Date1908 (Release)
- Production countryGermany
- Production company
- SynopsisCOMPILATION. Fairytales and puppet films. "FRAU HOLLE" (1). A girl spins by a well in a courtyard. She pricks her finger on the needle and goes to the well to wash it but drops the needle down the well. Her wicked stepmother (?) and half-sister (?) appear and the stepmother orders her to retrieve the needle. The girl climbs into the well and finds herself in a meadow. She walks along and comes upon an apple tree. She shakes the tree and places the fallen apples in a neat pile. She then comes across a bread oven and carefully stacks the cooked bread. She arrives at a cottage and is welcomed by an old woman - Frau Holle - who invites her in. The girl helps the woman by shaking her feather mattress. The feathers fall onto a snow scene of an alpine village (the girl's village?). The girl becomes sad and the woman comforts her and takes her to an elaborate gateway whereupon the girl is covered in gold strands and coins. The gate is flung open and the girl leaves Frau Holle. The girl appears by the well and informs her stepmother and half-sister of her adventure. The sister jumps down the well and appears in the land of Frau Holle. However, she ignores the apples and the bread and falls asleep over the mattress. Frau Holle then escorts her to the gateway where the sister is covered in mud and sent packing (181). Two children are abandoned in the woods by their parents (203). "HÄNSEL UND GRETEL" (205). The children eat some apples and sit in the roots of a tree. Later they become hungry and discover a cottage made of gingerbread which they promptly begin to eat. An old witch comes out of the house and offers the children food; the children enter. Inside the house, Hansel is in a cage and Gretel is being forced into the oven. [Jump in film]. The witch is inside the oven and begins to burn. Gretel closes the door and releases Hansel from the cage. They gather up the treasure from a drawer and return home. Reunited with their father, they show him the treasure and all embrace (373). "HÄNSCHEN SOLDATEN!" (377). A girl enters a room and begins to play with her dolls which are soldiers; one is an officer the other two are privates. She becomes sleepy and begins to dream (451). [Puppet animation featuring the dolls]. The officer enters the room of a lady, she rises from her sofa and they embrace. His sword catches the table-cloth and upsets the table. The officer leaves as the lady clears the mess. The set is cleared, ie the puppet, furnishings and sets are all moved to reveal another set. A sentry stands guard by a gateway. A small white dog walks by. The officer, still trailing the table-cloth passes and is let into the fort. Inside the fort, five soldiers line up for kit inspection. Their kit is laid before them. An officer stands before them. The first officer enters and is shown the table-cloth which is removed by the second officer. The first officer leaves and the second officer throws the cloth into the air. Suddenly the kit starts to fly off into the air to be replaced by ducks. The officer disappears as do the ducks, one by one. The soldiers then disappear, one by one. The last remaining soldier spins on his head. In the barracks room, stacked rifles, a table and chairs, bunk bed and wardrobe arrange themselves in the room. Soldiers in full kit enter. A sergeant appears and makes their kit disappear. He arranges them for a photograph. A camera appears and he takes the photograph. The camera becomes a dog, the sergeant falls over. The dog then becomes an officer. The soldiers disappear. In a kitchen, a cook stands by a table. The sergeant enters and plays a squeezebox. The cook, furniture and pans all dance. The first officer and his lady enter only to have a cupboard fall on them. The sergeant leaves the room and all are suddenley seated. The girl awakens and plays with the dolls (620). "RAPUNZEL" (671). A man takes leave of his wife. He jumps over a wall to be confronted by a witch. The witch enters the room of the wife and casts a spell on her making her sleep. The witch then takes the baby. In a tower in the woods, Rapunzel lets down her hair for the witch to climb up and enter the tower. This is observed by a knight who climbs into the tower and kisses Rapunzel. [Jump] The knight does the same but he turns into the witch who cuts Rapunzel's hair and throws her from the tower. The knight returns to be confronted by the witch. He leaves the tower and is blinded, a spell having been cast upon him by the witch. Forced to wander he finally comes upon Rapunzel who has two children with her (twins?). She recognises him and they embrace. The knight's sight is restored (859). "DORMRÖSCHEN". The good fairies attend the christening of the baby princess. The wicked fairy enters and puts a spell on the baby. Later the princess, while walking in the garden, happens upon an arched doorway and enters a room with a woman using a spinning wheel. The princess pricks herself and falls asleep. The cooks in the kitchen fall asleep. The castle is covered by rose bushes. A knight and his squire arrive at the thick rose bushes and the knight hacks his way through. He discovers the princess and awakens her with a kiss. Together they walk through the gardens, the kitchen and the banqueting hall where all are awakened (1066). "SCHNEEWITTCHEN". Beginning missing. Taking pit on Snow White, the hunter cannot kill her so he leaves her in the woods. She comes across the dwarves' cave and enters. She sits at the table and eats. In the background the beds are lined round the cave and have the names, Blick, Pick, Knicht, Dick, Rick, Stridt and Schick painted on them. The Queen looks in the mirror and sees Snow White asleep in a bed tended by the dwarves. The Queen takes an apple from a casket and dresses in a cloak and scarf. Snow White lies in a glass coffin tended by the dwarves. A prince and his entourage happen across the coffin and, covering it in a cloth carry, it off. As they walk through the woods they drop the coffin and revive Snow White. The dwarves bid farewell as she rides off on the horse of the prince. The prince and Snow White ascend the steps to their throne, the dwarves run up the steps (1219ft). Note: The titles carry the logo for Fita Film, except for HÄNSCHEN SOLDATEN! however the title design is the same as those for HÄNSEL UND GRETEL. Note: DORNRÖSCHEN is held separately. This copy has Italian titles and carries no logo. Note: An incomplete version of HÄNSEL UND GRETEL also held in PATHE PICTORIAL No 531 compilation reel (853-1060ft). Note: The film is interspersed with numbered intertitles which simply carry the title of the film and the number of the intertitle pertaining to that film. (Shotlist)
- Work historyCompilation.
- Genre
- Credits
Title
JOYE FAIRYTALE COMPILATION (Archive)
SCHNEEWITTCHEN (Alternative)
HÄNSCHEN SOLDATEN! (Alternative)
FRAU HOLLE (Alternative)
DORNRÖSCHEN (Alternative)
HÄNSEL UND GRETEL (Alternative)
RAPUNZEL (Alternative)
Category
Fiction- +JOYE FAIRYTALE COMPILATION
Work - 415663 - 1908 (Release)
Germany - Film - Fiction
Hierarchy Display