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Orpheus in der Unterwelt

DDR 1973/1974 Spielfilm

Orpheus in the Underworld

Orpheus is a violinist and music teacher in a semi-ancient Thebes that much resembles Belle Époque Paris. His neglected wife Eurydice is having an affair with a shepherd, who turns out to be Pluto, the God of the Underworld. When the god spirits Eurydice away to his dark realm, Orpheus is overjoyed, thinking he will be able to continue his extramarital escapades unchecked. Then Jacques Offenbach floats by in a hot air balloon and convinces him to go to the rescue of his unloved wife … 

In this film version of Offenbach's operetta, "perverted" with modern elements, audiences recognised aspects of everyday life in East Germany. There was Olympus, seat of the gods, ruled by a gerontocracy busy indulging in luxuries, and a working class in Hell addressed as "dear colleagues". This colourful, frivolous film satire by Horst Bonnet melds visual citations from Hollywood musicals and pop regalia into an opulent artwork, filmed in 70mm, with six-channel magnetic sound on ORWO Color stock! All in all, it is a textbook example of haute camp.

Source: 75. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)

Credits

Director

  • Horst Bonnet

Screenplay

  • Horst Bonnet

Director of photography

  • Otto Hanisch

Editing

  • Thea Richter

Music

  • Jacques Offenbach (Operette "Orphée aux Enfers")

Cast

  • Wolfgang Greese
    Orpheus
  • Dorit Gäbler
    Eurydike
  • Rolf Hoppe
    Jupiter
  • Lisa Macheiner
    Juno
  • Achim Wichert
    Pluto
  • Fred Düren
    Styx
  • Helga Piur
    Diana
  • Gisela Bestehorn
    Venus
  • Fred Delmare
    Merkur
  • Werner Senftleben
    Mars

Production company

  • DEFA-Studio für Spielfilme (Potsdam-Babelsberg) (Künstlerische Arbeitsgruppe "Johannisthal")

Alle Credits

Director

  • Horst Bonnet

Assistant director

  • Sigrid Meyer

Screenplay

  • Horst Bonnet

based on

  • Hector Crémieux (Libretto)
  • Ludovic Halévy (Libretto)
  • Jacques Offenbach (Operette)

Script editor

  • Maurycy Janowski

Director of photography

  • Otto Hanisch

Still photography

  • Herbert Kroiss

Production design

  • Alfred Hirschmeier

Make-up artist

  • Heinz Bernhardt
  • Ursula Funk
  • Günter Hermstein

Costume design

  • Christiane Dorst
  • Werner Schulz

Hairdresser

  • Inge Merten

Editing

  • Thea Richter

Music

  • Jacques Offenbach (Operette "Orphée aux Enfers")

Arrangement

  • Robert Hanell

Conductor

  • Marek Janowski

Music performer

  • Egon Morbitzer (Violine)

Vocals

  • Horst Hiestermann (Orpheus)
  • Ingrid Czerny (Eurydike)
  • Siegfried Vogel (Jupiter)
  • Gertraude Prenzlow (Juno)
  • Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin (DE DD)

Cast

  • Wolfgang Greese
    Orpheus
  • Dorit Gäbler
    Eurydike
  • Rolf Hoppe
    Jupiter
  • Lisa Macheiner
    Juno
  • Achim Wichert
    Pluto
  • Fred Düren
    Styx
  • Helga Piur
    Diana
  • Gisela Bestehorn
    Venus
  • Fred Delmare
    Merkur
  • Werner Senftleben
    Mars
  • Gerry Wolff
    Jacques
  • Helmut Bez
    Einer der Götter
  • Burkhard Brandt
    Einer der Götter
  • Erich Breese
    Einer der Götter

Production company

  • DEFA-Studio für Spielfilme (Potsdam-Babelsberg) (Künstlerische Arbeitsgruppe "Johannisthal")

Unit production manager

  • Helmut Klein

Original distributor

  • Progress Film-Verleih (Berlin/Ost)
Format:
70mm, 1:2,21 (DEFA-70)
Video/Audio:
Orwocolor, 6-Kanal Magnetton
Screening:

Uraufführung (DD): 07.02.1974, Berlin, Kosmos

Titles

Additional titles
  • Originaltitel (DD) Orpheus in der Unterwelt
  • Weiterer Titel (eng) Orpheus in the Underworld

Versions

Original

Format:
70mm, 1:2,21 (DEFA-70)
Video/Audio:
Orwocolor, 6-Kanal Magnetton
Screening:

Uraufführung (DD): 07.02.1974, Berlin, Kosmos

Digitalisierte Fassung

Duration:
89 min
Format:
DCP, 1:2,20
Video/Audio:
Farbe, 6-Kanal-Ton
Screening:

Aufführung (DE): 15.02.2025, Berlin, IFF - Retrospektive

Source-URL: https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/orpheus-in-der-unterwelt_ea43d4a7783c5006e03053d50b37753d