The Miracle of Father Malachia
| The Miracle of Father Malachia Das Wunder des Malachias |
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Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Bernhard Wicki |
| Produced by | Otto Meissner |
| Written by | Heinz Pauck Bernhard Wicki based on the novel by Bruce Marshall |
| Starring |
Horst Bollmann Richard Münch Christiane Nielsen Günter Pfitzmann |
| Music by | Hans-Martin Majewski |
| Cinematography | Klaus von Rautenfeld Gerd von Bonin |
| Edited by | Carl Otto Bartning |
| Distributed by | UFA Film Hansa |
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Release date
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Running time
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88 min. |
| Country | West Germany |
| Language | German |
| Budget | 3 million DM |
The Miracle of Father Malachia (German: Das Wunder des Malachias) is a 1961 West German black-and-white film directed by Bernhard Wicki and starring Horst Bollmann. The film is based on the 1938 novel Father Malachy's Miracle by Bruce Marshall and tells the story of a supposed miracle in a West German town that is soon exploited and sensationalized by the media and profiteers. The film won several awards and was the official West German submission to the 34th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.
Next to a church in a prosperous German industrial town is the Eden bar, a night club and brothel. The Eden bar is a thorn in the side of the worldly innocent monk Father Malachia (Horst Bollmann), who is praying to God that he will close the bar. The prayer is heard and the building and the bar and all people inside vanish and reappear on an island in the North Sea. This apparent miracle draws the attention of the media, politicians and scientists, all trying to find rational explanations. The Catholic Church is reluctant to officially recognize this occurrence as a miracle, both fearing a loss of control in matters of faith, or a loss of face if the disappearance of the Eden bar would turn out to be a fabrication.
Meanwhile believers from all over the world pilgrimage to the former location of the bar. Soon the site becomes a fairground, with the towns people, profiteers and journalists trying to make a profit from the sudden influx of pilgrims and the miracle. This includes the sale of holy water, Malachia Stollen and miniature models of the Eden bar. A young woman, who was in the bar during the night the bar vanished, becomes a media star. Financial investors are buying the island where the Eden bar reappeared, and construct a casino that soon attracts crowds of people.
Father Malachia is confronted with interview requests by journalists and by pilgrims beleaguering the church and hoping to meet him. As he has spent most of his life in the monastery, he feels helpless in the face of the excesses of modern society. He soon regrets that he asked God for a miracle. He travels to the island and prays for a second miracle that will end the frenzy, and is heard by God who returns the Eden bar to its original location.
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Wikipedia