Figaros Hochzeit

Short Summary (English)

Count Almaviva's valet, Figaro, plans to marry the Countess's chambermaid, Susanna. The Count, who also fancies his wife's chambermaid, is not particularly pleased about the pending nuptials, but he must - with great reluctance - agree to the marriage plans.

There is, however, also someone who is in pursuit of Figaro. In a thoughtless moment, Figaro promised that he would marry Dr. Bartolo's housekeeper Marcellina. Despite the fact that Figaro's promise was not freely given - the housekeeper lent Figaro 2000 thalers on the condition that he marry her - Marcellina still demands that the terms of their agreement be honored. Only after it becomes known that the jilted housekeeper is in actual fact Figaro's own mother is he able to escape the impending marriage.

The days are composed of many different embroilments and intrigues which act to impede the marriage plans of Susanna and Figaro. The Count is always coming up with new excuses to further postpone the wedding. And then the Count unexpectedly catches the page Cherubin, who is hopelessly in love with the Countess, at his favorite past-time:

namely dilly-dallying around with the girls in the castle - for example, with Barberina, the gardener's daughter and with Susanna, whom he especially enjoys chatting to. The Count, however, simply will not brook such behavior, he quickly decides to ship Cherubin off to the military which would mean a further postponement of the planned wedding. But working together, the Countess and Susanna are also able to prevent this delay.

Now finally the nuptials can commence. The Count has given his final consent only because Susanna has agreed to a clandestine rendezvous with him. However, it's not Susanna, but the Countess, wearing her chambermaid's clothes, who meets the Count at the appointed rendezvous. The Count, after being caught out, is ashamed of himself and repentant Susanna now finally marries Figaro, and Cherubin and Barberina also become a couple.

Source: Progress Film-Verleih

Film Crew

Director

• Georg Wildhagen

Script

• Georg Wildhagen

Camera

• Eugen Klagemann
• Karl Plintzner

Film Editing

• Hildegard Tegener

Cast

• Angelika Hauff (Susanna)
• Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender (Figaro)
• Sabine Peters (Gräfin Rosine)
• Mathieu Ahlersmeyer (Graf Almaviva)
• Elsa Wagner (Marzelline)
• Viktor Janson (Dr. Bartolo)
• Alfred Balthoff (Basilio)
• Franz Weber (Don Curzio)
• Ernst Legal (Antonio)
• Willi Puhlmann (Cherubino)
• Ursula-Katharina Mayberg (Barbarina)
• Theodor Vogeler (Schreiber)
• Egon Vogel (Gärtner)
• Ewald Wenck (Notenschreiber)
• Gustav Püttjer (Reitknecht und Verschwörer)

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Assistant Director

• Carl von Barany
• Werner Eppelsheim

Production Design

• Emil Hasler
• Hermann Asmus
• Franz Koehn

Script Editing

• Hans Vietzke

Music

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Sound

• Karl Tramburg
• Willy Szdzuy

Musical Performance

• Erna Berger (Gesang (Susanna))
• Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender (Gesang (Figaro))
• Tiana Lemnitz (Gesang (Gräfin Rosine))
• Mathieu Ahlersmeyer (Gesang (Graf Almaviva))
• Margarete Klose (Gesang (Marzelline))
• Eugen Fuchs (Gesang (Dr. Bartolo))
• Paul Schmidtmann (Gesang (Basilio))
• Kurt Reimann (Gesang (Don Curzio))
• Willy Sahler (Gesang (Antonio))
• Anneliese Müller (Gesang (Cherubino))
• Elfriede Hingst (Gesang (Barbarina))
• Staatskapelle Berlin
• Artur Rother (Musikalische Leitung / Dirigent)
• Hermann Lüddecke (Chorleitung)

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Costume Design

• Walter Schulze-Mittendorff

Make-Up

• Charlotte Stritzke

Production Management

• Walter Lehmann

Unit Production Management

• Ernst Körner
• Hermann von Rhode

DEFA Photography

• Eduard Neufeld

Short Summary (German)

Kammerdiener Figaro möchte die Zofe Susanna heiraten. Graf Almaviva, als Herr der beiden, will sein Recht auf die "erste Nacht" geltend machen. Figaro kommt durch ein früher gegebenes Heiratsversprechen an die alte Haushälterin Marzelline in Bedrängnis. Die Gräfin ist eifersüchtig auf Susanna. Und der Page Cherubin ist unsterblich in die Gräfin verliebt. Die vielen Verwicklungen und Intrigen bringen die Hochzeit in Gefahr. Doch Figaro rettet sie mit List und Geschick, trägt zur Versöhnung von Graf und Gräfin bei und bringt Letzteren dazu, endlich auf das unmenschliche "Recht auf die erste Nacht" zu verzichten.

(Quelle: Das zweite Leben der Filmstadt Babelsberg. DEFA-Spielfilme 1946-1992)

Short Summary (Other Languages)

Figaro, cameriere personale del Conte d'Almaviva, vuole sposare Susanna, cameriera della Contessa. Ma il Conte pretende di far valere lo ius primae noctis. La Contessa è gelosa di Susanna, Figaro viene messo alle strette da Marcellina, la vecchia governante che aveva promesso di sposare, e il paggio Cherubino è follemente innamorato della Contessa. Quando gli intrighi rischiano di far saltare il matrimonio, l'astuto Figaro riesce a salvare la situazione, a riconciliare il Conte e la Contessa e a far abolire l'ignobile diritto alla prima notte. (Italienisch)