Dating to the 1930s, this silent film from Germany is entitled “Wedding at Tegernsee”, and shows the formal process involved in getting married, including the delivery of the gifts / dowry to a new home, all set in the the idyllic — some would say storybook — scenery of Bavaria. The town of Tegernsee is a resort to this day, most well known for its surroundings which include the slopes of the Bavarian Alps, laced with ski trails, toboggan runs and footpaths.
The film begins with a title card “Courtship” and scenes showing a couple on a date, on the lake in a rowboat. The man wears traditional lederhosen, short or knee-length leather breeches. At 1:29, the male suitor speaks to the father of his intended bride and obtains permission for marriage. At 2:06, the title card reads “At the Wedding Crier” — the town official who makes the marriage proclamation. A form is filled out. At 3:05, “Wedding Shop”, wedding announcements are made. The printed document shown at 3:46 says in part, “We have the pleasure of welcoming you to our wedding on October 3rd at 10 a.m. in the parish of Rottach-Egern. Wedding meal at 1 p.m., breakfast at 9 a.m.” (Rottach-Egern is a municipality and town located at Lake Tegernsee in the district of Miesbach in Upper Bavaria, Germany, about 55 km south of central Munich.) A toast is made at 4:10. At 4:34, a wagon is loaded with gifts for the newlywed couple including an armoire and other furnishings. The card roughly translates as “Moving wagon day”. At 5:39, a local drinks beer from an enormous stein to celebrate. At 5:47, beds are secured to the wagon and at 6:01 the horse decorated with celebratory flowers. Starting at 6:28, the bridal party assembles, and various carriages are brought out and prepared, as well as livestock (presumably part of the wedding gifts). At 7:25 the father of the bride smokes a pipe. The procession moves through the streets on their way to the house that the newlyweds will share. At 9:59, a cradle is unloaded, and then the rest of the contents of the moving wagon. The End.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
