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LILIOM – Franz Waxman, Jean Lenoir
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
The escalation in persecuting Jews, and Josef Goebbels banning his latest film “The Testament of Dr. Mabuse” elicited director Fritz Lang to flee Nazi Germany (he was half-Jewish) for Paris in 1933. He was warmly received by fellow émigré, producer Erich Pommer of Fox-Europa. Pommer was a legend of the German film industry who produced Lang’s film “Metropolis” (1927), and so he offered him to direct “Liliom”, a film that would adapt Ferenc Molnár’s 1909 stage play. Lang was renowned for his dark and futuristic epics, relished a departure to making a romantic fantasy and happily agreed. It would be the only French language film of his career, as he soon would depart for Hollywood. Pommer would personally manage production and Robert Liebmann and Bernard Zimmer would adapt the play, and write the screenplay. For the cast, Madeleine Ozeray would star as Juli/Her daughter with Liliom, Charles Boyer would join as Liliom, Pierre Alcover as Alfred, Maximillienne as Madame Menoux and Florelle as Madame Moscat. Read more…
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