''Bel Ami'' is a 1939 German film directed by

Willi Forst Willi Forst, born Wilhelm Anton Frohs (7 April 1903 – 11 August 1980) was an Austrian actor, screenwriter, film director, film producer and singer. As a debonair actor he was a darling of the German-speaking film audiences, as a director, one ...

. It is loosely based on

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...

's 1885 novel ''

Bel Ami ''Bel-Ami'' (, "Dear Friend") is the second novel by French author Guy de Maupassant, published in 1885; an English translation titled ''Bel Ami, or, The History of a Scoundrel: A Novel'' first appeared in 1903. The story chronicles journalist ...

'', with considerable changes to the original plot.

Plot

In Paris, in about 1900, George Duroy, just returned from

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, spends a night with the singer Rachel, who is rehearsing the song ''Bel Ami''. Later at a party he tells the newspaper editor Forestier about Morocco. At the request of the ladies present Duroy is engaged by Walter, proprietor of ''La Vie Française'', as a journalist. Forestier's wife Madeleine, who is also the mistress of the Député Laroche, whom she allows to exploit her in order to influence the newspaper as Laroche wishes, helps Duroy in the composition of his texts. Forestier becomes jealous of Duroy and divorces Madeleine. The Minister for the Colonies, who has campaigned for a restrained foreign policy, is obliged to resign. His successor is Laroche, who initially stands for interventionist policies, because of his ownership of land in Morocco, is seen through by Moroccan nobles and blackmailed. In order to give his change of position an acceptable public appearance he asks Madeleine to marry Duroy, who has meantime risen to editor-in-chief. She does so, but the marriage does not last long. Duroy saves Laroche's daughter Suzanne when her horse bolts. Without introducing themselves they arrange to meet at the opera ball that evening. There, thanks to Rachel, who for a long time has been performing the song ''Bel Ami'' in a plush revue, Duroy learns the truth about Laroche's intrigues, which he publishes in his newspaper. Duroy is in love with Suzanne and divorces Madeleine to marry her. Laroche resigns, and Suzanne urges Duroy to enter politics. As minister Duroy prevents his former boss Walter from continuing the crooked intrigues of Laroche. He takes leave of his former wife Madeleine, Rachel and Frau von Marelle, in order to devote himself to his marriage with Suzanne.

Political context

The film was made on the eve of the outbreak of the Second World War, at the time when Germany's going to war against France was already a very likely prospect. In Nazi Germany, the film industry was closely controlled by the Minister of Propaganda

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...

. While ''Bel Ami'' was not conceived as an outright propaganda film, the theme of corruption in the French society and politics - prominently present in the Maupassant original - was well suited to the thrust of Nazi propaganda at the time the film was made.

Other film references

In the film ''

It Was Always So Nice With You ''It Was Always So Nice With You'' (german: Bei Dir war es immer so schön) is a 1954 West German musical comedy film directed by Hans Wolff and starring Heinz Drache, Georg Thomalla and Ingrid Stenn.Commire & Klezmer p.253 The Swedish actress Z ...

'' (1954) Willi Forst plays a film director who together with two musicians (played by

Georg Thomalla Georg Thomalla (14 February 1915 – 25 August 1999) was a German actor. He appeared in about one hundred fifty film and television productions between 1939 and 2000 and was widely known in Germany for his comedic roles. Thomalla was well k ...

and

Heinz Drache Heinz Drache (; 9 February 1923 – 3 April 2002) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1953 and 2002. He was born in Essen, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany of lung cancer. Selected filmography * '' Once I ...

), composes the lyrics of the hit song ''Bel Ami'', which finally he sings.

DVD publication

The film is listed in the printed edition of the "Lexikon des internationalen Films", 1987, with a runtime of 100 minutes and an age restriction of 16 and over. The DVD published by Kinowelt in 2007 contains a version about 2 minutes shorter and free to the over-12s.

Notes

References

: ''

'', 1885
Free e-book: Bel Ami
(partial translation only)
Free audiobook : Bel-Ami (in French)
* Christa Bandmann and Joe Hembus, 1980: ''Klassiker des deutschen Tonfilms 1930 - 1960'' (pp. 126–127). Citadel-Filmbücher. München: Goldmann.

External links

*
''Bel Ami''
at filmportal.de/en
www.deutscher-tonfilm.de: ''Bel Ami''

Ein Hasser der Phrase Maupassant
(article about the film from ''Filmwoche'' Nr. 1 (1939) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bel Ami (1939 film) 1939 films 1930s historical films German historical films Films of Nazi Germany Films based on French novels Films based on works by Guy de Maupassant Films set in Paris Films set in the 1900s Wiener Film Films directed by Willi Forst Tobis Film films German black-and-white films Works based on Bel-Ami 1930s German films