- BERLIN (Reuters) -- Film
archivists in Russia have discovered a rare German language version of
a film by comic duo Laurel and Hardy, the Munich Film Museum said on Friday.
-
- The 40-minute movie, entitled "Spuk um Mitternacht"
(Ghost at Midnight), is a rare production in which the comedians Stan Laurel
and Oliver Hardy spoke in German with the help of speech coaches.
-
- "Because dubbing was still difficult at the start
of the sound era, (films) were shot in various languages," the museum
said in a statement.
-
- "Supporting actors were swapped for native speakers
and the stars -- using speech coaches -- had to say their lines phonetically
in foreign languages."
-
- Until recently, the only German-speaking piece featuring
the two Hollywood stars was a short trailer but last week staff from the
museum found the new material while going through archives in Moscow.
-
- The museum said the film billed as Laurel and Hardy's
first "German motion picture with sound" premiered in Berlin
on May 5, 1931, and proved a big success.
-
- Many famous actors made language films like this but
most have been lost, it added.
-
- Copyright © 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited
without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable
for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance
thereon.
-
- http://news.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?typ
e=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=5910876
|
