Fritz Muliar Movies
- 1994
Directed by Axel Corti and based on the German novel by Joseph Roth, Radetzkymarsch was a television miniseries originally broadcast in France. Taking place in Vienna, Austria, the story concerns the an aristocratic family right before the outbreak of WWI. Baron Franz Von Trotta (Max Von Sydow) is the son of a war hero who saved the Emperor's life. He was raised in royalty under the Emperor's care and not allowed to join the army himself, so he pressures his son, Carl Joseph (Tilman Günther), to join the military. Carl Joseph is weak and wants no part of the armed forces, but soon WWI breaks out and lessens his chance for escape. Also starring Gert Voss as Chojnicki, Claude Rich as Dr. Demant, and Charlotte Rampling as Valerie von Taussig. Features a score by Poland's leading contemporary film composer, Zbigniew Preisner. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Max von Sydow, Tilman Gunther, (more)
- 1970
In this comedy an officer is trying to get women for his soldiers, a count trying to win over an innkeeper, a man worried about keeping his job. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Terry Torday, Glen Saxson, (more)
- 1970
This German-language comedy is the first effort at legitimate filmmaking by former porno film director Franz Antel. The story concerns a professor's research of animals that are closely related to mankind. His chief research target is a chimpanzee who, unknown to him, has a drinking habit. The majority of the film's humor comes from the goofy situations precipitated by the chimp. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1968
This film combines black-and-white with color photography to tell the story of an ambitious advertising executive. Engaged to the daughter of an aging baron, the man wishes to renovate the baron's crumbling castle into a holiday getaway gathering for the social elite. In his zeal to seal the deal, he manages to alienate his friends, lose his fiancee to a more clear-thinking man, and end up with nothing for his efforts in this allegorical and symbolic feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Erika Pluhar, Heinz Trixner, (more)
- 1964
Willy Fritsch and his son Thomas co-star in this Austrian comedy directed by Axel Von Ambesser. Clemens Andermann (Willy) is a successful businessman and ladies man whose son Andreas (Thomas) is equally unsuccessful in love and the business world. Andreas does score big in the theater before moving onto motion picture stardom. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Willy Fritsch, Thomas Fritsch, (more)
This is a deft satire by Axel von Ambesser that undercuts the adage that a soldier must always obey orders, no matter what. At the heart of the story is Schwejk (Heinz Ruhmann), a canine salesman who is drafted into the army during World War I. The setting is Bohemia when it was under the sway of a combined Austro-Hungarian rule. Once Schwejk has his uniform on he so devotedly follows the very letter of the law, every order that is given him, that he comes off as a total idiot. Nevertheless, he manages quite well with this tactic, whether it is feigned or not. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- 1958
Based on the popular Franz Werfel novel, Der Vernuntreute Himmel (The Embezzled Heaven) was deftly directed with both eyes on the box office by operetta specialist Ernst Marischka. Annie Rosar heads the cast as the naively pious Aunt Teta, who is certain that she will be assured a place in heaven by performing one good deed. That deed is to bestow her life savings upon her spoiled-rotten nephew Mojmir (Kurt Meisel) so that he may be able to afford to study for the priesthood. Of course, Mojmir has no such intentions, but he's certainly not above taking Aunt Teta's money. The melodramatic machinations of the storyline are largely forgotten during the film's spectacular climax, largely shot on location inside the Vatican. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Annie Rosar, Hans Holt, (more)
