19 March 2019

Pratertraum (1924)

Pratertraum/Prater. Die Erlebnisse zweier Nähmädchen (Peter Paul Felner, 1924) is one of the typical melodramas in which Henny Porten starred during the 1920s. It is partly situated in the Prater, an amusement park in Vienna which includes the Wiener Riesenrad, a Ferris wheel known from The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949).

Henny Porten in Pratertraum (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 694/2. Photo: Atlantic Film / Westi Film. Henny Porten in Pratertraum/Prater. Die Erlebnisse zweier Nähmädchen (Peter Paul Felner, 1924).

Henny Porten in Pratertraum (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 694/2. Photo: Atlantic Film / Westi Film. Henny Porten in Pratertraum/Prater. Die Erlebnisse zweier Nähmädchen (Peter Paul Felner, 1924).

Henny Porten in Pratertraum (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 694/3. Photo: Atlantic Film / Westi Film. Henny Porten and Claire Lotto in Pratertraum/Prater. Die Erlebnisse zweier Nähmädchen (Peter Paul Felner, 1924).


Dark Clouds above the marriage of Countess Annemarie


Pratertraum/Prater. Die Erlebnisse zweier Nähmädchen (Peter Paul Felner, 1924) is about the sisters Annemarie (Henny Porten) and Franzi (Claire Lotto), who both earn their living as seamstresses in Vienna. Their brother Martin (Carl de Vogt) works as a sailor.

One day, Annemarie meets Count Rynon (Ossip Runitsch) in the Prater, who actually marries her despite all the differences in class. Franzi finds her luck with the locomotive driver Fritz (Johannes Riemann) and becomes his wife.

Soon, however, dark clouds draw on the marriage sky of Countess Annemarie. Marquis de Monroir (Angelo Ferrari), a friend of the Count, tries hard to tie her up with him but is regularly rejected by her. When Franzi visits Annemarie at home, the nobleman tries his luck with her. He hands her a precious piece of jewelry, whereupon Martin reacts very angrily.

The marriages of the two sisters now threaten to break up. In order to make the annoying applicant change his opinion about the married sisters, their brother Martin seeks a conversation with the intrusive. The next day, however, the Marquis is found dead.

Annemarie is suspected of the murder, but it turns out, an unfortunate accident has led to the death of the Marquis. Finally, the two couples reconcile again.

The exteriors of Pratertraum were shot at the Prater amusement park in Vienna and and the Wachau valley in Lower Austria. The film's art direction was by Otto Erdmann and Hans Sohnle. The film was released in November 1924.

Henny Porten in Pratertraum (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 694/4. Photo: Atlantic Film / Westi Film. Henny Porten in Pratertraum/Prater. Die Erlebnisse zweier Nähmädchen (Peter Paul Felner, 1924).

Henny Porten in Pratertraum (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 694/5. Photo: Atlantic Film / Westi Film. Henny Porten in Pratertraum/Prater. Die Erlebnisse zweier Nähmädchen (Peter Paul Felner, 1924).

Henny Porten in Pratertraum (1924)
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 694/6. Photo: Atlantic Film / Westi Film. Henny Porten and Angelo Ferrari in Pratertraum/Prater. Die Erlebnisse zweier Nähmädchen (Peter Paul Felner, 1924).

Sources: Wikipedia (German) and IMDb.

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