Franz Muxeneder Movies
- 1987
The title All the Way Down turns out to have a double meaning before the film is half over. The scene is an Alpine ski lodge, where all sorts of beautiful young folks congregate. When they aren't on the slopes, the guests are huddled round a roaring fireplace in the main hall, or paired off in separate bedrooms. One of the official synopses of this film alludes to "fun and games". Guess what kind. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1987
A set of attractive, young maids make life interesting for a Texas man during the duration of his stay in a Bavarian hotel room. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- 1983
Hubert Frank's bawdy Germanic sex comedy Has Anybody Seen My Pants? (AKA agdrevier Der Scharfen Gemsen, 1983) follows the adventures of a wet-behind-the-ears Texan hick (Josef Moosholzer) who inherits a Heidelberg hotel, only to discover that he has a brothel on his hands, chock full of ready and willing prostitutes. Franz Muxeneder and Elfie Zacharias co-star. (Please note: the Televista DVD release of this film has been dubbed from its original German-language soundtrack into English). ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- 1975
- R
Crime and Passion is a mediocre comedy-drama, about an investment counselor who doesn't handle his investments wisely. Andre (Omar Sharif) is in trouble with Rolf (Bernhard Wicki) because of Rolf's losses based on Andre's advice. Andre and his lover Susan (Karen Black) devise a scheme to have Susan marry Rolf in order to save Andre and possibly make some money. The plot is weak and the direction by Ivan Passer is lackluster, but Omar Sharif gives a fine performance in the central role. The film is also aided by a nice score by Vangelis. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Omar Sharif, Karen Black, (more)
- 1971
A film in German only, this is the story of the saving of a homestead. When a student inherits a hotel in a sad state of disrepair and about to be defaulted out from under her, she uses her imagination and her friends to turn it into a money-making affair. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- 1970
A German language film in which a man needs a wife and children in order to get a job. ~ Rovi
- 1969
Susanne (Terry Torday) is the hostess of a popular hotel on the Lahn River. When she vacations in Paris, she becomes romantically involved with the emperor Napoleon. She sets him up with a bride and manages to uncover some military secrets in the court of the amorous emperor. There is plenty of nudity and suggestive dialogue to spice up what is otherwise a routine script with little imagination. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Terry Torday, Claudio Brook, (more)
- 1968
The thin plot of this film takes place during the Napoleonic invasion of Germany and is a backdrop for displaying several nude females. Susanne (Terry Torday) is the hostess of a well-known house of ill repute on the Lahn River. Susanne travels to Italy to deliver a message to Count Enrico (Jeffrey Hunter), an amorous lover under the spell of Napoleon's sister. She sets him up with a bride and manages to uncover some military secrets in the court of the amorous emperor. Folk songs were written about this actual historical hostess who dazzled young students with her legendary beauty. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pascale Petit, Jeffrey Hunter, (more)
- 1962
This drama centers around a wealthy farmer who desperately desires a child. Unfortunately his wife appears to be infertile. Meanwhile the maid gets raped by a farmhand and is impregnated. The farmhand refuses to marry her, so the woman goes to her mother's house to bear the child. She later returns to the farm with her baby son, whom she keeps a secret. Upon her arrival, she learns that the farmer's wife has died. She and the farmer get married and again he tries to make a baby. The man is again frustrated when his new wife cannot conceive. During a bitter and impassioned argument, the woman finally tells him about her son. Suddenly he realizes that he is the infertile one. He eats a large slice of humble pie and then proceeds to adopt her son. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1961
Apparently based on real people, this story of Germans in a Russian POW camp still makes the altruistic, tolerant attitudes of the main protagonists seem less than convincing. The characters of the people involved in the camp are developed through dialogue and minimal action, without any visible storyline. The Russian political officer is Jewish, and so is his wife. She is now a Russian army officer trying to forget the torture she suffered in a Nazi concentration camp. Remarkably, both husband and wife would rather forgive than take out any nascent hatred on the German POWs. The camp commander is a tough disciplinarian yet he is not unreasonable or cold-hearted. Among the Germans, there is a young soldier whose ethics are intact and who is disheartened by what he knows of the war. Taken together, the characters seem to argue for the humanity that underlies the inhuman conditions war imposes. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Millot, Götz George, (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
- 1957
Tomi Streiff directs this screwball road movie about a guy, a girl, and a cow. Country bumpkin Ela Thier (Isabella Parkinson) is a librarian journeying off for a new job in a remote German village. A trusting soul, she gets bilked out of all her money by a sleazy con man and is forced to hitchhike. She is lucky enough to be picked up by burly plumber Tim (Oliver Reinhard), who is driving his truck back to his black forest burg. He is set to get hitched in a couple of days -- his wedding gift, the titular bovine, is in the hauling bay -- and he is beginning to have second thoughts. With the appearance of Ela, Tim starts having third and fourth thoughts about his impending nuptials. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- 1955
In this comedy, a father finds himself between a rock and a hard place with his two disparate daughters, both of whom he wants to marry off. Unfortunately, he must ensure that his eldest daughter is married first -- and she is as plain as a mudhen while her younger sibling is gorgeous and surrounded by adoring suitors. He must find a way to make both girls happy without losing his mind. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1953
The plot of this German adventure yarn is summed up by its title, which translates to Jonny Save Nebrador. Teutonic film-favorite Hans Albers plays a dual role: a world traveller visiting the tiny South American banana republic of Nebrador, and his evil look-alike, a local insurrectionist. The despot hires his identical newcomer to replace him, the better to carry out his scheme to overthrow the government. But the replacement is able to save the country from disaster -- and to make short work of his doppelganger. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hans Albers, Peter Pasetti, (more)
- 1952
Aka House of Life, this German film takes place in a busy maternity hospital. The multicharactered, multistoried narrative is somewhat reminiscent of the 1930s Hollywood production Life Begins. The expectant mothers run the usual stereotypical gamut, from the unwed mom worthy of love and motherhood to the selfish socialite who really shouldn't be permitted to procreate. Linking the stories together are Dr. Haidt (Gustav Froelich) and his female assistant (Cornell Borchers), who has her own deeply personal reasons for her choice of profession. Not unexpectedly, romance blooms between hero and heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Cornell Borchers, (more)
