Trillertrine: A Musical Adventure with Mozart
Trillertrine is a 1991 German family musical film directed by Karl-Heinz Lotz and written by Lotz and Wolf Müller. The film stars Maria Ferrens, Peter Raasch, Rolf Schill, Klaus Pönitz, and Werner Godemann. The film tells the story of a group of orphans who seek Mozart's help to obtain a rare score of one of his compositions and save their land from the prince of Saxony.
Plot
The film is set in the late 18th century in Dresden, Germany. Trine (Maria Ferrens) is a young orphan girl who lives with her friends Fridolin (Peter Raasch), Schmidt (Peter Dommisch), and other children in an old mill. They are under the care of a kind priest (Rolf Schill), who teaches them music and tries to protect them from the greedy prince of Saxony (Klaus Pönitz). The prince wants to take over their land and build a palace on it. He offers them a deal: if they can find and present him the very rare score of Mozart's opera "Trillertrine", he will let them keep their land. Otherwise, he will evict them and demolish their mill.
The children decide to accept the challenge and embark on a journey to find Mozart (Wilfried Loll), who is currently in Prague. Along the way, they encounter various adventures and dangers, such as bandits, spies, and court intrigues. They also meet and befriend some of Mozart's friends and enemies, such as Kapellmeister Naumann (Werner Godemann), Prinzessin Auguste (Judith Mahro), and Junge Hofdame (Susanne Böwe). They finally reach Prague and find Mozart, who is impressed by their musical talent and agrees to help them. He gives them the score of "Trillertrine", which he composed as a joke for his friend Naumann. The children return to Dresden with the score, but they are ambushed by the prince's men, who try to steal it from them. They manage to escape and reach the prince's palace, where they present him the score. The prince is astonished and admits his defeat. He allows the children to keep their land and invites them to join his court as musicians. The film ends with the children performing "Trillertrine" with Mozart at the palace.
Cast
Production
The film was produced by DEFA-Studio Babelsberg GmbH and Regina Ziegler Filmproduktion . It was shot on location in Dresden, Prague, and other places in Germany and Czechoslovakia. The music was composed by Andreas Aigmüller and conducted by Manfred Rosenberg. The film features some of Mozart's famous works, such as "The Magic Flute", "The Marriage of Figaro", "Don Giovanni", and "Eine kleine Nachtmusik". The film also includes an original opera composed by Aigmüller based on Mozart's style, called "Trillertrine". The opera is a parody of the classical opera genre, with humorous lyrics and situations. The film was released on November 13, 1991 in Germany. It received mixed reviews from critics and audiences. Some praised the film for its musical quality, historical accuracy, and charming performances, while others criticized it for its weak plot, poor editing, and lack of originality. The film has a rating of 5.5 out of 10 on IMDb.
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