Retro Film Review: Rosemary (Das Mädchen Rosemarie, 1958)

over 4 years ago (Edited)

(source: tmdb.org)

Germany in 1945 looked like the most hopeless country in the world. With cities and industry turned into rubble, with the land carved up between ideologically opposed occupying powers, with population decimated, traumatised, displaced and impoverished by war and universally despised by the rest of the world - once mightiest nation of Europe looked like a country without future. But only a decade later, Germany, at least in its western part, managed to stun the world again. In less than a decade, thanks to Marshall Plan and "economic miracle" of Adeunauer's government, Western Germany not only recovered from wartime destruction, but also became new industrial superpower with unprecedented prosperity that began to draw millions of gastarbeiters from less fortunate areas of Europe. However, this sudden success had its darker side, which manifested itself in a scandal that would rock West German industrial establishment in mid 1950s. Those events were basis for a Das Mädchen Rosemarie a.k.a. Rosemary, 1958 drama directed by Rolf Thiele.

Protagonist of the film is Rosemarie Nitribit (played by Nadja Tiller), beautiful young prostitute from Frankfurt. Like so many of her compatriots, she wants to get a piece of new fortune by her line of work up from street levels. After many unsuccessful attempts she finally ends in the arms of wealthy industrialist Konrad Hartog (played by Carl Raddatz), becomes her mistress, leaves her old pimps and enters new, luxurious apartment. After a while Rosemarie meets Fribert (played by Peter van Eyck), shady French businessman who noticed the effects Rosemarie's beauty and charm had on top members of Hartog's cartel. Fribert offers her proposition - she is going to make additional income by sleeping and spying on rival industrialists. Rosemarie agrees and begins a career of top courtesan while well-hidden microphone records most intimate words and industrial secrets of her clients. After a while, Fribert's scheme is revealed and scandal erupts, but Rosemarie nevertheless refuses to give incriminating tapes to the various interested and very powerful parties.

Rosemary looks rather unusual for a film that covers one of the greatest scandals in recent German history. Screenwriters Jo Herbst, Erich Kuby, Rolf Ulrich and Rolf Thiele abandoned conventional storytelling approach - instead of sensationalism or moralising this film presents those events from ironic distance. West Germany of 1950s is presented as country with present-day prosperity torn between shameful past and uncertain Cold War future. Greed, corruption and other forms of moral decline are natural consequences of such contradictions. In order to emphasise his ironic distance Thiele not only uses some interesting elements in the script (like French and German characters verbally expressing their newfound European brotherhood) but also through various filming techniques, quite modern for late 1950s. For example, musical soundtrack by Norbert Schultze uses both electronic music and old-fashioned dance and song numbers. The lyrics for the latter were written by Rolf Ulrich and Jo Herbst (who appears in the film as pimp turned Greek chorus, together with better-known Swiss actor Mario Adorf). Results of such experiments are mixed – at times this film looks unusual, at times old-fashioned but most of the time those scenes stand in the way of the plot and some scenes tend to get rather confusing. The acting is very good, though. Nadja Tiller is very impressive as Rosemarie. Peter van Eyck and Carl Raddatz are also good in their roles. Gert Fröbe, best known as Bond's most impressive adversary in Goldfinger, here plays another business tycoon, but the role of weak and hypocritical Bruster is another example of Fröbe's versatility. All in all, Rosemary is a flawed but interesting film that could be seen as the document of one era.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on August 16th 2000)