"Fahrmann Maria" was released in 1936 amid controversy: - critics were surprised that the film with a combination of dreams and reality should have escaped censorship. Maybe the fact that Hans Jurgen Nierentz, a favourite of the National Socialists, co-wrote the script. A Dr. Lemme, writing in the periodical "People and Race" believed that the film did not meet the "standards of racial hygiene" because Maria, a brunette, came to the village in "rags and tatters" and also because the character's national and ethnic origins were unclear. Lemme found it hard to believe that her German beau (Aribet Mog) could accept her as a lover.
Old ferryman (Karl Platen) needs one more fare before he can finally own his boat and be his own man and he collects the money from a wandering minstrel who is coming back to his village after years of being away. The old ferryman's joy is short - he dies while bringing over a tall, shadowy figure who then disappears. Proclamations go up stating that he died of natural causes and not as a result of the evil one which the villages seem to believe.
Suddenly a homeless girl, Maria, appears in the village (which cannot be reached except by ferry) and is given the job of ferry boat pilot. Shortly after taking over the job she hears a cry for help in the marshes and rescues a man from pursuing horsemen who cry out to come across in the ferry but Maria ignores them. She takes him to her cottage and cares for him as he talks about his homeland but the shadowy figure of death is always near and the same gaunt stranger who was present at the old ferryman's death now demands to ride the ferry so he can search the village for the injured stranger.
Such a beautiful, lyrical atmospheric film with a standout performance by Sybille Schmitz with her beautiful expressive face. In 1936 this film, apart from some scathing reviews, was really lost in the shuffle with other arty, high class films as Germany strove to imitate Hollywood with films like "Lucky Kids"(1936) etc.
Old ferryman (Karl Platen) needs one more fare before he can finally own his boat and be his own man and he collects the money from a wandering minstrel who is coming back to his village after years of being away. The old ferryman's joy is short - he dies while bringing over a tall, shadowy figure who then disappears. Proclamations go up stating that he died of natural causes and not as a result of the evil one which the villages seem to believe.
Suddenly a homeless girl, Maria, appears in the village (which cannot be reached except by ferry) and is given the job of ferry boat pilot. Shortly after taking over the job she hears a cry for help in the marshes and rescues a man from pursuing horsemen who cry out to come across in the ferry but Maria ignores them. She takes him to her cottage and cares for him as he talks about his homeland but the shadowy figure of death is always near and the same gaunt stranger who was present at the old ferryman's death now demands to ride the ferry so he can search the village for the injured stranger.
Such a beautiful, lyrical atmospheric film with a standout performance by Sybille Schmitz with her beautiful expressive face. In 1936 this film, apart from some scathing reviews, was really lost in the shuffle with other arty, high class films as Germany strove to imitate Hollywood with films like "Lucky Kids"(1936) etc.