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The Pleasure Garden (1925)

„The Pleasure Garden” is a silent film drama by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1923 novel of the same name by Oliver Sandys and the screenplay by Eliot Stannard.

The German-British produced drama from 1925 is the first completed feature film directorial work by the then still young Alfred Hitchcock and is based on the novel „The Pleasure Garden” by Oliver Sandys. The film was shot in Munich-Geiselgasteig, while the exterior scenes were filmed in Italy. The premiere was also in Munich; the film was not released in the UK until a year later.
The plot describes a square relationship between two couples and is set in the world of revue dancers. The English title „Pleasure Garden” refers to the name of the nightclub, whereas the German title „Der Garten der Lust”, which was initially intended as a literal translation, was banned by the Munich censorship authorities for being too frivolous.
Although the work of Hitchcock, a first-time director, is atypical of his later work, his penchant for voyeurism and special visual effects is already recognizable.

Cast:

  • Virginia Valli – Patsy Brand
  • Carmelita Geraghty – Jill Cheyne
  • Miles Mander – Levet
  • John Stuart – Hugh Fielding
  • Ferdinand Martini – Mr. Sidey
  • Florence Helminger – Mrs. Sidey
  • Georg H. Schnell – Oscar Hamilton
  • Karl Falkenberg – Prince Ivan
  • Louis Brody – Plantation Manager
  • Elizabeth Pappritz – Native Girl

„Irrgarten der Leidenschaft“ (Original: The Pleasure Garden) ist ein Stummfilm-Drama von Alfred Hitchcock nach dem gleichnamigen Roman aus dem Jahr 1923 von Oliver Sandys und dem Drehbuch von Eliot Stannard.

Das deutsch-britisch produzierte Drama von 1925 ist die erste vollendete Spielfilm-Regiearbeit des damals noch jungen Alfred Hitchcock und beruht auf dem Roman „The Pleasure Garden“ von Oliver Sandys. Der Film entstand in München-Geiselgasteig, die Außenaufnahmen wurden in Italien gedreht. Auch die Premiere war in München, in Großbritannien lief der Film erst ein Jahr später an.
Die Handlung beschreibt eine Vierecksbeziehung zwischen zwei Pärchen und spielt in der Welt der Revuetänzerinnen. Der englische Titel „Pleasure Garden“ bezieht sich auf den Namen den Nachtclubs, wohingegen der zuerst vorgesehene deutsche Titel „Der Garten der Lust“ als wortwörtliche Übersetzung von der Münchener Zensurbehörde als zu frivol unterbunden wurde.
Die Arbeit des Regiedebutanten Hitchcock ist zwar für sein späteres Werk untypisch, dennoch sind seine Vorlieben für Voyeurismus und besondere visuelle Effekte bereits erkennbar.

Darsteller:

  • Virginia Valli – Patsy Brand
  • Carmelita Geraghty – Jill Cheyne
  • Miles Mander – Levet
  • John Stuart – Hugh Fielding
  • Ferdinand Martini – Mr. Sidey
  • Florence Helminger – Mrs. Sidey
  • Georg H. Schnell – Oscar Hamilton
  • Karl Falkenberg – Fürst Ivan
  • Louis Brody – Leiter der Plantage
  • Elizabeth Pappritz – Eingeborenes Mädchen

With English and German intertitles

The German-British drama from 1925 is the first completed feature film directorial work of the then young Alfred Hitchcock and is based on the novel „The Pleasure Garden“ by Oliver Sandys. The film was shot in Munich-Geiselgasteig, the exterior shots were shot in Italy. The premiere was also in Munich, but the film was not released in Great Britain until a year later.
The plot describes a quadrilateral relationship between two couples and takes place in the world of revue dancers. The English title „Pleasure Garden“ refers to the name of the nightclubs, whereas the German title „Der Garten der Lust’, which was originally intended as a literal translation, was prevented by the Munich censorship authority as too frivolous.
Although Hitchcock’s work is atypical of his later work, his penchant for voyeurism and special visual effects is already apparent.

Cast:

  • Virginia Valli – Patsy Brand
  • Carmelita Geraghty – Jill Cheyne
  • Miles Mander – Levet
  • John Stuart – Hugh Fielding
  • Ferdinand Martini – Mr. Sidey
  • Florence Helminger – Mrs. Sidey
  • Georg H. Schnell – Oscar Hamilton
  • Karl Falkenberg – Prince Ivan
  • Louis Brody – Plantation Manager
  • Elizabeth Pappritz – Native Girl