Karl Köfinger opted mainly for a classical mise-en-scene, in his Wiener Neustadt, Schneeberg, Rohrbach/Gebirge. As was the case with his earlier films, the director deliberately avoided any experimentation. Yet within this work, signs of his unique directorial approach are evident.
Director Karl Köfinger always proved to be quite courageous when it came to experimenting with new languages and new ways of understanding cinema, while adapting, in part, to the norms of the time. His Flösserei auf der Salza can therefore be considered, today, one of his most unusual and courageous works, a precious document of the past and of Austrian film history.
We are in Austria, between the late 1920s and early 1930s, between the two world wars. And if the consequences of the first, terrible war are still being felt strongly, there are already hints of what will happen a few years from now. How much longer will these carefree days depicted in Von Salzburg nach Lofer last?
Suggestive landscapes, immense expanses of green and, last but not least, a vehicle full of tourists enjoying the panorama are, therefore, the absolute protagonists of this short and precious Wien – Mariazell und zurück, which, with a running time of about one and a half minutes, gives us a full idea of the beauty of the places we are visiting and all their many potentials.
When Ausflüge im Mariazeller Gebiet was made, several years had already passed since the birth of the cinematograph and also sound film was gradually taking hold. Yet in Austria this new phase would come a little later. And even during these last years of the silent era, essential and elementary directorial approaches were often to be found.
Café Elektric is part of the so-called Sittenfilme – moral films – in which were told the stories of women who, after leading a dissolute life, finally understood the importance of true values. Made in 1927, the film is unfortunately incomplete today, as the last part has been permanently lost.
Already from the first frames, we notice how a certain irony is a real constant within Graz – Mariazell – Admont. And director Karl Köfinger, for his part, used to give all his works a mostly light and humorous touch.
The Orlov, a brilliant film adaptation of the homonymous operetta written by Bruno Granichstaedten in collaboration with Ernst Marischka, reminds us, in terms of humour and staging, of Hollywood films of the golden years. At the Viennale 2019, within the retrospective dedicated to Louise Kolm-Fleck.