Hoffman

Hoffmann or Hofmann is a surname of German origin. The original meaning in medieval times was "steward, i.e. one who manages the property of another". The name was later adopted by many Jewish families. In English and other European languages, including Yiddish and Dutch, the name is also spelt Hoffman, Hofman, Huffman, Gofman or Hofmans.

Hoffman

Hoffman (film)

Hoffman is a 1970 British film directed by Alvin Rakoff and starring Peter Sellers, Sinéad Cusack, Ruth Dunning and Jeremy Bulloch.

It is notable for the haunting music by Ron Grainer, the theatrical art of scene setting, fine color cinematography, and as one of Sellers' few 'straight' performances.

Plot

Hoffman is the satirical tale of an older man, played by Peter Sellers, who pressures a young woman to come to his flat in London. As the film progresses, it is revealed that Sellers' character has caught one of his workers dealing in a scam against his company, and has decided to blackmail the man's lovely fiancée away for a full week to convince her to fall in love with him instead. A witty drama rather than a comedy, the film has an almost terrifying performance by Sellers, involved in intricate mind games with the other protagonists.

Production

The movie was one of the first greenlit by Bryan Forbes while he was head of EMI Films.

Reportedly, Sellers despised Hoffman because the lead character too closely reflected his own personality. According to Bryan Forbes, who was head of the studio that financed the film, Sellers went through a depressive phase after filming was completed and he asked to buy back the negative and remake the movie. He also gave an interview where he said the film was a disaster.

Hoffman (Detroit automobile)

The Hoffman had two prototype vehicles built by the R.C. Hoffman company of Detroit, Michigan in 1931. They were front-drive vehicles, powered by Lycoming straight-8 engines. The wheels were carried on solid load-bearing axles. Semi-elliptical springs were equipped on the front end, along with torque arms.

References

Panther

Panther may refer to:

Large cats

Panther (company)

The Panther GmbH is a film technical company situated in Oberhaching, Munich which develops and produces professional camera cranes and dollies. For the first ever electro – mechanical Camera dolly to be built,the "Super Panther", Mr. Erich Fitz, the founder of the company, received the Oscar "Scientific & Engineering Award". in the year 1990.

History

The Panther GmbH was founded in 1986 by Mr. Erich Fritz and specialized in the Production, Sales and Rental of film equipment. In 1990 Panther moved along with its subsidiary HTG GmbH which was founded in 1988 to Oberhaching.

In 1991 there were two more Rental points opened in Prague and Hamburg. In 1999 Mr. Fitz decided, because of the great expansion to build a new premises was opened in 2001.

In 2008 at the Cinec in Munich Panther celebrated the 25th anniversary of producing Panther Dollies and presented the 1000th electro–mechanical dolly which was built in gold for the occasion.

In the year 2010 Panther developed the Tristar and opened a further Rental point in Berlin. A year later the family Fitz decided to change their strategy and ended their Rental business as they did not want to be in competition with their customers. Panther Rental Prague was sold to ARRI. In 2012 the Panther Rental points in Munich, Hamburg and Berlin were sold to a subsidiary of Bavaria Studios and Production Services, to complete the strategy changes met in 2011.

Panther tank

The Panther was a German medium tank deployed during World War II on the Eastern and Western Fronts in Europe from mid-1943 to its end in 1945. It had the ordnance inventory designation of Sd.Kfz. 171. Until 27 February 1944, it was designated as the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther when Hitler ordered that the Roman numeral "V" be deleted. Contemporary English language reports sometimes refer to it as the Mark V.

The Panther was intended to counter the Soviet T-34 and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV. Nevertheless, it served alongside the latter and the heavier Tiger I until the end of the war. It is considered one of the best tanks of World War II for its excellent firepower and protection. Its reliability was less impressive.

The Panther was a compromise. While having essentially the same engine as the Tiger I, it had more efficient frontal hull armour, better gun penetration, was lighter and faster, and could traverse rough terrain better than the Tiger I. The trade-off was weaker side armour, which made it vulnerable to flanking fire. The Panther proved to be effective in open country and long range engagements, but did not provide enough high explosive firepower against infantry.