Eiik Frey Movies
- 1965
A group of Austrian army officers at a mountain hospital are isolated by a severe snowstorm at the end of World War I. With the Austrian monarchy clearly on the way out, the men argue over to whom they will pledge their loyalty. The group is not only made up of Austrians and Hungarians, but Czechs, Serbs, Poles, Italians and others. The officers who are used to order and patriotism are thrown into the uncertainty of the political changes in the wake of the war. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eiik Frey, Erich Auer, (more)
- 1965
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The Salzburger Festspiele mounted this production of Richard Strauss's opera Ariadne auf naxos in 1965. The production stars Sena Jurinac, Reri Grist and Hildegard Hillebrecht; the Wiener Philharmoniker, under the direction of Karl Böhm, provides musical accompaniment. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1958
The English-language title of this colorful Austrian operetta is Trees Are Blooming in Vienna. Johanna Matz stars as Lixie Haertel, a plain-Jane who is "beautified" by romance. In time-honored operetta tradition, the love of Lixie's life happens to be a member of the royal family -- to be exact, Archduke Peter (Gerhard Riedmann). The course of true love never runs very smoothly, but no matter how dire the circumstances, the leading characters always find time to break into song. Adapted from a stage play by Rudolf Oesterreicher and Siegfried Geyer, Im Prate Bluch'n Wieder die Baueme benefits from the lilting musical score of Robert Stolz and the cinematography of Willi Sohm. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johanna Matz, Gerhard Riedmann, (more)
- 1958
The Austrian Unter Achtzehn (Under Age) deals with the plight of "problem" teenagers. Promiscuous 18-year-old Elfie Breitner (Vera Tschechowa) wants to become a fashion model. But Luise is under the jurisdiction of welfare officer Luise Gottschalk (Paula Wessely), who insists that the girl take a "useful" job in a laundry. Though Elfie rebels against Luise, in the end the welfare worker is proven to be right. In time-honored Cecil B. DeMille fashion, Unter Achtzehn illustrates the evils of illicit sex by showing off as much female skin as possible. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Tschechowa, Paul Loewinger, (more)
- 1957
The indefatigable Willi Forst was back in 1957 with Die Unentschuldigte Stunde (The Unexcused Hour). Following his usual pattern, Forst not only directed the picture, but also collaborated on the screenplay. Based on the popular stage play by Stefan Bekeffi and A. Stella, the story concerns a pretty young student (Erika Remberg) who marries her professor (Adrian Hoven). Our heroine continues pursuing her academic career, causing all sorts of complications for her husband. The film's title refers to the fact that student and teacher can never enjoy a moment alone -- unless it is an "unexcused absence." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrian Hoven, Erika Remberg, (more)
- 1955
Two films concerning the July 20, 1944 plot to kill Adolph Hitler were released in Germany within the same week. The second to arrive on the scene was G. W. Pabst's Es Gescham am 20 Juli. Actor/director Bernhard Wicki heads the cast as Oberst Graf Von Staufenberg, the prime mover of the assassination conspiracy. The reasons for Von Staufenberg's actions are never fully articulated; the film is more concerned with the mechanics of the plot and the placing of the bomb. Though Hitler never appears in Es Gescham am 20 Juli, Joseph Goebbels does, by way of newsreel footage; cleverly, director Pabst allows Goebbels to betray himself as the jabbering lunatic and craven coward that he really was. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Originally Der Letzte Akt, The Last Ten Days has also been released to English speaking countries as Hitler: The Last Ten Days and The Last Ten Days of Adolf Hitler. This should establish for good and all the subject matter of this film. Albin Skoda plays Hitler, who wanders in and out of delirium as his Third Reich crumbles. He is surrounded by reams of existential dialogue from his generals and associates, courtesy of screenwriter Erich Maria Remarque, who based his script on Judge Michael A. Musmanno's book Ten Days to Die. Oscar Werner costars as a fictional "good" Nazi officer who acts as the film's voice of reason. Filmed in Austria, The Last Ten Days was inadequately remade in 1972, with Alec Guinness as Der Fuehrer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albin Skoda, Lotte Tobisch, (more)
- 1955
This 1955 drama was based - like Istvan Szabo's masterful Colonel Redl (1985) - on the life story of Alfred Redl, a Ukrainian man who worked his way up through the hierarchy of the Austrian army in the early 20th century, while concealing his own homosexuality. In time, when others learn of his gayness, Redl is blackmailed by the Russians into taking counter-espionage maneuvers against the Austrians, and is ultimately forced to commit suicide. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ewald Balser
- 1954
Swiss actress Signe Hasso, who'd previously toted up several respectable Hollywood credits, improved the international marketability of Die Sonne von St. Moritz (The Sun of St. Moritz). Hasso plays Gertie Selle, the wife of a seriously ill older man. Tending to the husband's needs is Dr. Robert Frank (Karlheinz Boehm, later billed as Karl Boehm), who falls in love with Gertie. When the wife administers a fatal overdose of medicine to her husband, Dr. Frank -- correctly suspecting that she has committed murder -- elects not to report the particulars of the death. This turns out to be a big mistake later on, when Gertie attempts to blackmail the doctor. The crisis seems to end with the death of one of the principals, but in fact it's only the beginning. Die Sonne von St. Moritz is based on a novel by P. O. Hoecker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karl Heinz Böhm, Signe Hasso, (more)
- 1953
Attila Hoerbiger and Paula Wessely play the title characters in the Austrian musical Ich und Mein Frau (I and My Wife). Feeling neglected, Sophie Nagimueller (Wessely) decides to make her husband Herman (Hoerbiger) jealous. This she does not by fooling around with another man, but by dropping hints that she might be dallying. Fritz Schulz contributes to the fun as Sophie's confused former fiancé. For once, the comedy supports the music, rather than the other way around. Ich und Mein Frau is hardly Shakespeare, but it is immensely entertaining. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paula Wessely, Attila Hoerbiger, (more)
- 1952
The name of Austrian director Ernst Marischka was virtually synonymous with "musical comedy" during the late 1940s - early 1950s. In Marischka's Season in Salzburg, the music is given equal footing with the comedy, resulting in a very well-balanced film. Popular leading-lady Hannerl Matz portrays a much-coveted miss who undergoes several romantic misadventures during the Salzburg tourist season. While Matz is most delightful, her male co-stars tend to be on the stodgy side. Season in Salzburg is adapted from the stage operetta by Max Wallner and Kurt Feltz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrian Hoven, Gretl Schoerg, (more)
- 1951
City Park in Vienna is where a poverty-stricken woman (Annie Rosar) rents lawn chairs to the more affluent. It is also the location that seven-year-old runaway, played by Peter Czieke, has chosen as a hiding place. When the boy's divorce-bound parents come searching for him, the woman in the park helps to smooth everyone's emotional path. Originally titled Stadtpark, City Park was based on a stage play by Hans Schubert. Virtually the entire cast of the original Volkstheatre production of the Schubert play was carried over to the film version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annie Rosar, Eiik Frey, (more)
