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''Ecstasy'' (; ; ) is a 1933 Czech
erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, sculp ...
romantic drama Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...
film directed by
Gustav Machatý Gustav Machatý (9 May 1901 – 13 December 1963) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed films in Czechoslovakia, the United States, and Germany, including '' Erotikon'' and '' Ecstasy''. Life He was born Augustín O ...
and starring
Hedy Lamarr Hedy Lamarr (; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American actress and inventor. After a brief early film career in Czechoslovakia, including the controversial erotic romantic drama '' Ecstasy ...
(then Hedy Kiesler),
Aribert Mog Aribert Mog (3 August 1904 – 2 October 1941) was a German film actor who played in a mixture of leading and supporting roles during the 1930s. He was a member of the Militant League for German Culture and the National Socialist Factory Cell O ...
, and
Zvonimir Rogoz Zvonimir Rogoz (10 October 1887 – 6 February 1988) was a Croatian actor who played in German, Croatian, Slovenian, Czech and Slovak, on stage and in cinema, during a career lasting 81 years. A native of Zagreb, Rogoz started his actor ...
. Machatý won the award for Best Director for this film at the 1934 Venice Film Festival. The film is about a young woman who marries a wealthy but much older man. After abandoning her brief passionless marriage, she meets a young virile engineer who becomes her lover. ''Ecstasy'' was filmed in three language versions – German, Czech, and French. It is perhaps the first non- pornographic movie to portray
sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the Erection, erect male Human penis, penis inside the female vagina and followed by Pelvic thrust, thrusting motions for sexual pleasure ...
and the female
orgasm Orgasm (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling"), sexual climax, or simply climax, is the sudden release of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, characterized by intense sexual pleasure resulting in rhythmic, involu ...
, although never showing more than the actors' faces.


Plot

Emil, a fastidious and orderly older man, carries his happy new bride, Eva, over the threshold of their home. He has great difficulty opening the lock on the front door, trying key after key. She is greatly disappointed on their wedding night because he does not even come to bed. He has pinched his finger in the clasp of Eva's pearls when he attempts to remove them. He is unable to consummate their marriage due to the minor injury on his finger. Emil continues to ignore Eva for many days often retreating behind his newspaper. Eva refuses to live in a loveless marriage. She can no longer bear to be Emil's wife in name only and returns to the estate of her father, a wealthy horse breeder. Eva seeks and is granted a divorce from Emil. One day, Eva goes horseback riding in the countryside surrounding her father's estate. She has a swim in the nude, leaving her clothes on her horse, which wanders off to find a stallion locked in a nearby corral. Eva, still completely naked, chases after her horse. Adam, a virile, young engineer working in road construction in that area, happens to look up and see Eva trying to catch her horse. Finally, Adam is able to catch the runaway horse. Eva is so embarrassed that she hides in the bushes when Adam approaches her. At first, Eva is ashamed of her nudity, but then she glares up at him in defiance. He hands Eva her clothes. When she tries to leave, she hurts her ankle. At first, she resists Adam's efforts to help, then acquiesces. That night, Eva is restless and cannot stop thinking about Adam. Finally, she goes to his isolated residence, which is located near the field where they met. After some hesitation, they embrace and spend the night together. In the throes of passion, Eva's pearl necklace is broken and falls to the floor. She forgets to take it with her the next morning but the young lovers promise to meet in town at the local hotel the following evening. When Eva returns home the next morning, she finds an unwelcome visitor. Her ex-husband, Emil, has been waiting for her all night. He wants to reconcile with her, but she tells him that it is too late. Brokenhearted, he leaves. By chance, while driving away, Emil encounters Adam on the road and Adam asks for a ride into town. Emil agrees. They stop at Adam's residence in order to pack his suitcase. While packing, Adam notices Eva's pearls on the floor. He takes them along intending to return them to her. While traveling to town, Emil notices Adam admiring the pearl necklace and instantly recognizes it as that belonging to his ex-wife. Emil becomes jealous and enraged. Adam has no idea that Emil had been married to Eva. In his anger, Emil considers driving into an approaching train at a crossing, but at the last moment thinks better of it. That night, Emil sits alone in a hotel room while a fly tries futilely to get out through a closed window and several others are shown trapped in
flypaper A fly-killing device is used for pest control of flying insects, such as houseflies, wasps, moths, gnats, and mosquitoes. Flyswatter A flyswatter (or fly-swat, fly swatter) usually consists of a small rectangular or round sheet of a lightweig ...
. Meanwhile, downstairs, Adam is arranging flowers as he waits in the hotel restaurant for his lover, Eva, to arrive. The young lovers are very happy to be reunited. While they are drinking champagne and dancing, they suddenly hear a gunshot. Emil has shot himself. Everyone in the hotel runs to the door of Emil's room. Adam still does not know of the connection between Emil and Eva. She is deeply saddened by the suicide of Emil. However, she does not divulge her relationship with Emil to anyone, including Adam. The young couple were to take the train to Berlin later that evening and begin their new life together. While waiting at the train station, Adam falls asleep. A distraught Eva slips quietly away while Adam sleeps and leaves on a different train. Later, he returns to his work in construction and daydreams of Eva, imagining her happily holding his baby.


Cast


Production

''Ecstasy'' was filmed in the summer of 1932, with a German language script that contained only five pages. The original prepared script (two previous versions were cancelled) was in Czech, so Lamarr was useful in translating from German to French. After the shooting at
Barrandov Terraces Barrandov Terraces (Czech: ''Barrandovské terasy'') is a complex of buildings in the southern part of Prague, Czech Republic. It is dominated by the functional view restaurant Terraces (Czech: Terasy) designed by architect Max Urban (architect), ...
in
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
and a pond in
Jevany Jevany is a municipality and village in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The c ...
, the crew moved to
Dobšiná Dobšiná (; ; Latin: ''Dobsinium'') is a small town in the Slovak Ore Mountains along the Slaná River. For 500 years it was a small but prosperous mining village populated by ethnic Germans within the Kingdom of Hungary; today it is a Slovaks, ...
,
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
on 5 July 1932, to shoot the rest of the outdoor scenes. It was not until August that shooting really started, mostly because of disputes about the French version and French actors. From Dobšiná, short shooting trips of one or two days were made to other places:
Topoľčianky Topoľčianky () is a village and municipality in Zlaté Moravce District of the Nitra Region, in western-central Slovakia. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1293. Tourism Topoľčianky is unique for its European ...
(scenes with horses),
Khust Khust (, ; ; ; ; ; ) is a city located on the Khustets River in Zakarpattia Oblast, western Ukraine. It is near the сonfluence of the Tisa and Rika Rivers. It serves as the administrative center of Khust Raion. Population: Khust was the capi ...
,
Carpathian Ruthenia Transcarpathia (, ) is a historical region on the border between Central and Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast. From the Hungarian Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, conquest of the Carpathian Basin ...
, and railroad construction Červená skala –
Margecany Margecany (, ) is a village and municipality in the Gelnica District in the Košice Region of eastern Slovakia. Total municipality population was, in 2011, 1964 inhabitants. Margecany is a very important railway junction situated on the main railw ...
. The film was not finished in time, and ''A-B ateliery'' in Prague was already booked out in September, so some indoor scenes were filmed over six days in the Atelier Schönbrunn studios in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, Austria, which was commercially useful because the producer did not have to pay the import (contingency) fee when showing the film in Austria. By that time the distribution rights had already been sold in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and other countries.


Release

The world premiere of the film took place on 20 January 1933 in
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
,
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. In
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, the film was released on 14 February 1933. Due to censorship problems, German cinemas did not show it until 8 January 1935, with the title ''Symphonie der Liebe'' (''Symphony of Love'').


Controversy

''Ecstasy'' was controversial in some countries because of the film's nudity and the orgasm scene. Lamarr later claimed in interviews she was tricked into the nude scenes by the director and there was no mention of the nude scenes in the script. However, other people involved in the movie disputed this.
Lupita Tovar Guadalupe Natalia Tovar Sullivan (27 July 1910 – 12 November 2016), known professionally as Lupita Tovar, was a Mexican-American actress best known for her starring role in the 1931 Spanish-language version of '' Drácula''. It was filmed in L ...
was offered the role of Eva, but after her husband
Paul Kohner Paul Kohner (May 29, 1902 – March 16, 1988) was an Austrian-American talent agent and producer who managed the careers of Ingrid Bergman, Maurice Chevalier, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, John Huston, Liv Ullmann and Billy Wilder, as well as act ...
saw the script, which made it clear that nudity was expected, he insisted she not take the role. A similar story was told by
Adina Mandlová Adina Mandlová (28 January 1910 – 16 June 1991) was a Czech stage and film actress. She was one of the leading stars of 1930s and 1940s Czech cinema. She was involved in a number of scandals and love affairs. Life and career Early days Sh ...
, who was forbidden to accept the role by her then-boyfriend
Hugo Haas Hugo Haas (19 February 1901 – 1 December 1968) was a Czech film actor, director and writer. He appeared in more than 60 films from 1926 to 1962 and directed 20 films from 1933 to 1962. Life and career Haas was born in Brno, Austria-Hung ...
. Cinematographer
Jan Stallich Jan Stallich (1907–1973) was a Czechoslovak cinematographer who worked in several European film industries including Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain as well as in his native country. He worked on over a hundred films during his c ...
said of Lamarr: "As the star of the picture she knew she would have to appear naked in some scenes. She never made any fuss about it during the production." After a Vatican journalist attended screening at
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...
,
Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...
denounced the film in the Vatican newspaper. As a result, none of the Italian distributors bought the rights for distribution. In Germany, the film was banned and only released in 1935 with edited scenes. In the United States, the
Catholic Legion of Decency The National Legion of Decency, also known as the Catholic Legion of Decency, was an American Catholic group founded in 1934 by the Archbishop of Cincinnati, John T. McNicholas, as an organization dedicated to identifying objectionable content i ...
found the film morally objectionable. It condemned the film in 1933, making ''Ecstasy'' one of the first foreign films condemned by the Legion. Beginning in 1936, the US distributor of ''Ecstasy'' lobbied the Hays office for ten months to get the film the
Hays Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as th ...
seal of approval which would allow it a wide American release.
Joseph Breen Joseph Ignatius Breen (October 14, 1888 – December 5, 1965) was an American film censor with the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America who applied the Hays Code to film production.Staff report (December 8, 1965). Joseph I. ...
called the picture "highlyeven dangerouslyindecent" in an inter-office memo to
Will H. Hays William Harrison Hays Sr. (; November 5, 1879 – March 7, 1954) was an American politician, and member of the Republican Party. As chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1918 to 1921, Hays managed the successful 1920 presidential ...
, and told the producers: Breen later hired Machatý at
RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...
in 1940. ''Ecstasy'' was not released in the United States until 1935. It went on to limited run in America without the Hays seal, where it played in mostly independent art houses. Some state censor boards such as New York approved the film but most others either only allowed it with restrictions, demanded substantial cuts, or in the case of Pennsylvania, banned it altogether. Lamarr's first husband, the wealthy arms dealer
Friedrich Mandl Friedrich Alexander Maria Mandl colloquially Fritz Mandl (9 February 1900 – 8 September 1977) was an Austrian industrialist, armament manufacturer, private investor and prominent fascist. He would be known as the King of Ammunition for leading ...
, reportedly spent $280,000 ($ in dollars) in an unsuccessful attempt to suppress the film by purchasing every existing print.


Versions

Austrian and Czech versions of the film were very similar. Only the scenes with supporting actors differed. The roles of Eva, Adam and Eva's father were overdubbed by Czech actors for the Czech version. Zvonimir Rogoz replayed all of his dialog in Czech. The French version featured actors
André Nox André Nox (1869–1946) was a French film actor.Goble p.28 Selected filmography * '' The Jackals'' (1917) * ''Vertigo'' (1917) * ''Sharks'' (1917) * '' The Fugitive'' (1920) * '' Lord Arthur Savile's Crime'' (1922) *'' After Love'' (1924) * '' C ...
as Eva's father and
Pierre Nay Pierre Nay (1898–1978) was a French film actor who appeared in 42 French films between 1928 and 1940.Jung & Schatzberg p.223 Selected filmography * ''Le Roi des resquilleurs'' (1930) * '' Venetian Nights'' (1931) * '' 77 Rue Chalgrin '' (1931) * ...
as Adam. Machatý anticipated problems with censors, so he shot alternative scenes, that could be edited in the movie. The original versions were screened in Czechoslovakia, Austria and Venice Film Festival. In Germany censors allowed the film only after some of the nude shots were removed and two additional scenes were added: one scene making it clear Eva was already divorced when she met Adam, and a more traditional ending where Eva and Adam stay together. This version was the basis for the US distribution version. The US version also added songs by Denes Agay and Emery H. Helm with lyrics by Henry Gershwin and William Colligan.


References


Further reading

* * * * Gardner, Gerald. ''The Censorship Papers: Movie Censorship Letters from the Hays Office, 1934 to 1968''. Dodd Mead 1988


External links

* * * * {{Authority control 1933 films Czech black-and-white films 1930s Czech-language films Czechoslovak black-and-white films Films directed by Gustav Machatý 1930s German-language films Obscenity controversies in film Czech erotic drama films 1933 romantic drama films Czechoslovak romantic drama films Censored films Films scored by Giuseppe Becce