Wiegenlied (1930)

Synopsis of Wiegenlied

Wiegenlied is the German-language version of the early-talkie weepie Sarah and Son. The plot remains substantially the same, with the heroine losing her child when her no-good husband gives the kid up for adoption. Becoming a world-famous opera singer in Europe, she returns to America to fight for the custody of her son. Things work out far better than imagined as the heroine not only reclaims her son but also wins the undying love of the foster parents' attorney. The original Sarah and Son starred Ruth Chatterton as the mother, Fredric March as the lawyer and Philipe de Lacy as the son; the same actors essayed these roles in Wiegenlied, sometimes speaking their German dialogue phonetically, sometimes merely moving their lips as their words are spoken off-camera by other performers. Outside of the obvious language differences, the two films parted company only in locale: in the German remake, Chatterton becomes famous in America, then returned to Europe, rather than the other way around. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Director(s):

Dorothy Arzner

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