Kaethe Haack Movies

Grete Minde, based on the novel by Theodor Fontane, tells the story of a girl trapped in the turbulent religious and social prejudices of 17th-century Sweden. Born of a noble Lutheran father and his second wife, a Spanish Catholic, Grete is barely tolerated by her anti-Catholic older half-brother as long as her father is living; when her father dies, she flees to the home of an uncle with the help of a local boy who has grown accustomed to protecting her. Later, unwed and pregnant, she must flee again. She returns to her home town, but is tragically ill-received. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The wartime song hit Lili Marlene is woven into the plotline of this German romantic drama. The story concerns a German soldier named Franz (Adrian Hoven) and his lady love Christa (Marianne Hold). When first they met in a restaurant, the orchestra was playing Lili Marlene. Then and there, the two lovers promised to think of each other whenever they heard "their" song in the future. Alas, it appears at war's end that Christa has not upheld her end of the bargain -- in fact, she seems to have shifted her affections to another song, and another man. Somehow, a happy ending emerges from this emotional crisis. It should be noted that the Paul Verhoeven listed as director of Wie Einst Lili Marlene is not the 1990s action director of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Despite its sinister title, the German Gefaehrliche Gaeste (Dangerous Guests) is a romantic comedy. It all begins when Peter Anders (Wolf Albach-Retty) puts his house up for sale. Enter three small-time crooks, who pose as servants to case the joint. Also on a house-hunting expedition is toothsome heroine Inge (Vera Molnar), whose wealthy family the crooks hope to fleece. The film manages to accommodate a couple of antiseptic musical numbers, one of these performed by pianist Paul Kemp, cast as Inge's uncle. This is the sort of escapist fare that was so popular in Germany during the Hitler era; after the war, however, audiences demanded a bit more realism in their entertainment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This 1943 film, produced at the UFA studios in West Germany, was refurbished by Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau Foundation to mark the 50th anniversary of that studio. The Nazi director of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, wanted a big internationally acceptable production to celebrate the studio's 25th anniversary, and the Münchausen story was chosen. It was thought suitable for Germans of the time, because of the ridiculous light in which it shows other nationalities. Baron von Münchausen (1720-97) was an eccentric figure in European history, whose tall tales about his adventures rival anything to be found in the legends of Paul Bunyan, or of the classical figure of Odysseus; they are similar in tone to the stories in Gulliver's Travels. The Baron's tales have been favored reading by the young-at-heart for centuries. This film recounts some of the episodes from the Baron's "autobiographical" stories, which are set in the world of the eighteenth century. In the story, the Baron's 1940s descendant narrates some of the Baron's famous tales; it gradually becomes clear that the original Baron attained immortality, and that his modern descendant is actually the original Baron. The American-born director Terry Gilliam made another film based on these tales in 1988, also titled The Adventures of Baron Münchausen. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this German comedy, a man leaves his wife to be with his mistress, a singer. Unfortunately, like the dog in the manger, he gets jealous when another man begins courting his ex-wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Per its title, the plotline of this film is motivated by a counterfeit $50 bill. The funny money is passed to shopgirl Christa (Lucie Englisch), who, fearful of being arrested, hides it in a baby's piggy bank at her home. In dire need of money, Christa's sister "robs" the bank and puts the bill into circulation. Eventually, the faux banknote falls into the hands of Frau Lehmann (Kathe Haack), the mother of a banker (Theo Lindgren); the banker just happens to be in love with Christa. The plot alone is enough to induce chuckles, but the producers of Ein Falscher Fuffzinger felt the need to truckle to the lowest common denominator by throwing in a whole bunch of gratuitous slapstick. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Seven Years' War against Austria produced the many escapades of King Friedrich the Great as related in this epic drama. ~ Rovi

It hardly takes a linguistics expert to figure out that the title of this German comedy translates as Family On Parade. Curt Juergens heads the cast as Erik, a young Swedish count who gets a big surprise on his 21st birthday. Erik discovers that he's not a nobleman at all, but the bastard son of a family servant. The revelation of this long-closeted skeleton threatens to disrupt his impending marriage to Alice (Ellen Franck), the daughter of a pompous and hypocritical baron. The laughs just keep on coming in Familienparade, as director Fritz Wendhausen takes great delight in puncturing the pretensions of Scandinavian aristocracy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The "7 Aufrechten" ("Seven Righteous Men") of the title are a septet of elderly Swiss gentleman who've taken a vow of eternal friendship. En masse, the seven set out into the world to preach a doctrine of love and peace. Curiously, however, these benevolent oldsters are dead-set against the marriage of Hermine (Karin Hardt), daughter of one of the men, and Karl (Albert Levien), the son of another. Their fears that this union might somehow break up their friendship prove unfounded, however, and all ends happily. The pacifistic sentiments of Hermine und die 7 Aufrechten would soon be forbidden in Nazi Germany, which is one of the many reasons that director Frank Wysbar (later Wisbar) eventually fled to the U.S. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Schwarze Walfisch (The Black Whale) is the German-language version of the Marcel Pagnol masterpiece Fanny. Replacing the virtually irreplaceable Raimu as philosophical innkeeper Panisse is Emil Jannings, no small talent in his own right. When Panisse's son Marius (Franz Nicklisch) goes off to sea, he leaves his pregnant sweetheart Fanny (Angela Sokker) to fend for herself. The old barkeep tries to patch things up by marrying off Fanny to his middle-aged friend Cesar (Max Guelstorff), who adopts the girl's baby as his own. Years later, Marius returns, demanding that both Fanny and the child return to him. But by now Fanny is loyal to her homely but faithful Cesar, and it is Marius who ends up empty-handed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Though Lillian Harvey is the star of Quick, the title character is played by the versatile French character actor Jules Berry. The story is set among an acting troupe, with leading lady Harvey falling in love with a clown. However, she loves him only when they're on stage together; offstage, Harvey barely acknowledges Berry's existence. It takes a lot of work on Berry's part before the heroine finally learns to love him for himself, and not just for the character he plays. Quick is the French-language version of the German musical drama of the same name, in which Lillian Harvey co-starred with Hans Albers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

No less a scrivener than Billy Wilder adapted the Erich Kastner novel Emil and the Detectives for its first film version. The story concerns a young boy named Emil who has been packed off to visit relatives in Germany. While en route on the train, Emil's money is stolen by a penny-ante thief. The boy enlists the aid of a group of pre-teen youths who fancy themselves ace detectives. The kids get in deeper than expected when it turns out that the thief is part of a criminal gang planning a big heist. The 1931 Emil and the Detectives is perhaps the best of the four film versions of the Kastner story, benefitting from some cheerful glimpses of a sunshine-drenched Berlin that disappeared forever during World War II. Subsequent versions of Emil would be filmed in England in 1935, in West Germany in 1954, and by Walt Disney (who couldn't resist the temptation to "Americanize" the characters) in 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi