Karl Ludwig Diehl Movies

The Devil's General (Des Teufels General) stars Curt Jurgens as a courageous Luftwaffe officer. Jurgens loves the service, even though he barely tolerates the Hitler regime. Sickened by wartime Nazi atrocities, Jurgens renounces his government, and is imprisoned and tortured as a result. Once released, the general takes pity on a downtrodden Jewish family. This isolated act of kindness is a point in his favor when Jurgens stands before Satan himself for his final judgment. The Devil's General was based on an immensely successful postwar play by German author Carl Zuckmeyer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of several films helmed by internationally renowned actor-director Fritz Kortner after his return to Germany in 1947, Die Stadt ist Voller Geheimnisse was released in English-speaking countries as Secrets of the City, City of Secrets and This Town is Full of Secrets. Adapted from a stage play by Curt J. Braun, the film takes place in a mid-sized German industrial town. When the local factory closes its doors, the townsfolk are thrown into confusion and dismay. The story concentrates on a dozen laid-off workers, relating their individual life stories and detailing their hopes, aspiration and fears. Though the ensemble acting is excellent, Die Stadt ist Voller Geheimnisse might have been more effective had it dealt with fewer characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With a plot that twists like a plumber's snake, this is more a story of family secrets than anything else, in which the British commander of a West African garrison has to prevent the exposure of an ugly scandal involving his daughter. The story was based on a novel by Lewis Robinson entitled The General Goes Too Far. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

According to the English-language translation of the film's title, "The Ways of Love are Strange." Presumably this proverb refers to Captain Costali (Carl Ludwig Diehl) and the beautiful Antonia Delvarez (Olga Tschechowa). After a revolution in a South American banana republic, Costali is condemned to death, forcing him to take refuge in the home of his sweetheart Antonia. Posing as the family butler, Costali is safe until he is betrayed by the chauffeur of police-chief Montefranca (Edwin Jurgensen). Arriving at Antonia's home ostensibly to arrest Costali, Montefranca proves to be an ally of the Captain, determined to join forces with him to organize a counter-revolution. So what does all this have to do with the ways of love being strange?? Well? -- if Montefranca hadn't suspected that Costali was hiding in Antonia's home, the whole story, and its twist ending, might never have taken place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set during the Napoleonic era, Der Hoehre Befehl (Higher Command) nonetheless manages to accommodate huge heaping helpings of pro-Nazi propaganda. The story concerns the breakup of the alliance between France and Prussia, galvanized by the imprisonment of an English envoy. The prisoner is set free by a young German officer who despises Napoleon and realizes that the only hope for Prussia's future lies in independence -- and if that independence is won through a betrayal of trust, so be it. Box-office favorite Lil Dagover adds a touch of glamour as a slinky French spy. Director Gerard Lamprecht, one of Germany's most conventional and least adventuresome filmmakers, does his usual perfunctory job with Der Hoehre Befehl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this Austrian romantic comedy, set in old Vienna, a young girl attempts to support herself and her elderly mother. She meets a kindly art dealer who offers to help her, but unfortunately, she questions his motives. She then meets the tutor of the dealer's two sons, an ex-officer. Confusion ensues until the dealer's wife straightens out the whole affair. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Romance and espionage intermingle in this WW I drama that centers on an Austrian officer who falls in love with an Italian woman and later discovers that she is an enemy agent. Soon he becomes a double agent and joins her. Unfortunately, he does not seem to be very good at espionage as she saves him from capture several times. In the sorrowful end, the woman ends up sacrificing her own life to preserve his. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A robbery and a betrayal begin this convoluted crime drama. Following a robbery, jewel thieves Dr. Sandegg and Klotz demand that the corrupt jeweler behind their latest heist give them a bigger cut of the take, but he cannot as he has already spent the loot. Instead, he gives them the key to his ex-wife's hotel room so they can steal her large diamond ring. Sandegg does the dirty work. Unfortunately another crook, Diehl, steals the ring from him. Diehl is involved with the ex-wife and after teaming up with Sandegg and Klotz, informs them that the ring they took was a fake. Diehl devises a complex plan to get the real stone. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Die Koenigen einer Nacht was based on a novel by Alfred Machard. The title translates as Queen of a Night, which is the lofty status thrust upon heroine Friedl Haerlin. Despite the fact that she is not in the least bit queenly, Haerlin manages to convince her fans that she is indeed a beautiful regent, forced into a marriage of convenience which unexpectedly blossoms into love. That superlative singer Walter Janssen shows up in a supporting role designed to allow him full scope to display his remarkable vocal skills. The best acting performance in Die Koenigen einer Nacht is rendered by Carl Ludwig Diehl as the queen's adjutant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide