Hans Junkermann Movies

Denmark's leading silent-screen actress Asta Nielsen had the audacity to play the title role in Hamlet, produced by her in Germany and co-directed by Svend Gade. Nielsen actually succeeded in turning the Bard's perhaps finest play into a star vehicle for herself. Mistakenly believing her husband to have died, a scheming Gertrude raises her daughter as a boy and heir-apparent. Nielsen's Hamlet is not only Horatio's best friend in this version, but she falls in love with him as well, thus becoming Ophelia's rival. The scenes between Hamlet and Horatio (and to a lesser degree between Hamlet and Fortinbras) are quite intense in what, for all the world, appear as homosexual trysts. Nielsen did not base her prince(ss) of Denmark entirely on Shakespeare, obviously, but also on a then much-talked-about novel by one Professor E. Vining. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The producers of the German costume drama Beautiful Blue Danube insisted that the film was "based" on the Strauss waltz of the same name. Since the waltz lasts only 10 minutes or so, one assumes that the screenwriters took a great deal of literary license. Lya Mara stars as Mizzy, a pert cabaret dancer who uses the Strauss composition in her act. While waltzing her heart out for the crowd, Mizzy catches the eye of a handsome young Archduke (Hans Junkerman). The rest of the film follows the standard "duty before love" pattern established by such operettas as The Student Prince, the difference being that love conquers all in this case. Comedy relief was provided by Ernesto Verebes, a popular film farceur of the 1920s and 1930s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Er Oder Ich (He or I) is the choice given to heroine Valery Boothby. The flirtatious lass must decide with whom she'll travel life's road: Harry Piel, or Piel's rival Hans Junkermann. Not wishing to make up her mind too quickly, she dallies with both men, only to very nearly lose the affections of both. Most of this takes place in the Italian port city of Genoa, with the exception of the wild bicycle-race finale. Fairbanksian leading man Harry Piel also directed Er Oder Ich, though he generously bestowed the best close-ups and camera angles upon heroine Boothby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally Liebeswalzer, this German operetta was the third talkie vehicle for the effervescent Lillian Harvey. The plot is a typical Graustarkian affair, with Princess Eva (Harvey) preparing to marry a duke whom she's never met. Getting cold feet, the duke ducks the wedding, persuading a handsome young commoner named Bobby (Willy Fritsch) to take his place. The wedding goes on as planned, with Eva never suspecting that her new hubby is a ringer. Eventually, the false duke confesses everything, leading to all sorts of intrigue before a happy ending can be realized. Love Waltz was simultaneously filmed in an English-language version, which posed no problem for the British-born Harvey but caused a few uncomfortable moments for her Teutonic co-stars (eventually, Willy Fritsch was replaced by John Batton, who'd played a bit role in the German version). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although His Glorious Night, MGM's 1929 talkie adaptation of Ferenc Molnar's Olympia, proved to be a box-office disaster (a failure chalked up by the studio to the vocal inadequacies of leading man John Gilbert, though this wasn't entirely the case), the studio was still committed to refilming the property in French, Spanish and German-language versions. The French version, Si L'Empereur Savait Ca, starred Andre Luguet, while the Spanish adaptation, Olympia, top-billed José Crespo. Olympia was also the name of the German-language version, which like the French adaptation was directed by Jacques Feyder. This time, Theodor Shall is cast as handsome Lieutenant Kovacs, the sweetheart of the lovely Princess Olympia (Nora Gregor). When the princess' snooty mother breaks up the romance, the embittered Kovacs threatens to tell the world that he has "ruined" the girl (not true!), making her unfit for marriage. To ensure his silence, the Lieutenant is promised a night alone with Olympia, just before the wedding. It is at this point that Kovacs proves he's a gentleman after all by marrying the Princess, which is what he intended to do all along. Olympia was remade in 1960 as A Breath of Scandal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this German comedy, an enterprising American uncle comes from Chicago goes to the tiny town of Groditzkirchen to make a fortune on credit even though he only has $10 to his name. To do so, he enlists the aide of a bank clerk and begins posing as a millionaire. The bank clerk is aware that it's all a sham and may fail dismally, but he is an adventurous soul and decides the risk is worth it if he can acquire a fortune for his girlfriend and himself. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Action star Harry Piel exercised his usual prerogative in Schatten der Unterwelt (Shadows of the Underworld), performing double duty as director. Piel plays a likeable crook who operates a Runyonesque criminal gang right under the nose of criminal commissioner Hans Junkermann. Ultimately, our hero is redeemed by the love of a good woman, played by Piel's real-life wife Dary Holme. The film's random musical highlights occur in a dingy Berlin nightclub that seems to have emerged full-grown from the pen of caricaturist Georg Groscz. Like all of Harry Piel's films, Schatten der Unterwelt proved to be a cash cow at the box office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The plot of this German slapstick comedy can be summed up by its English-language title, The Stork Strikes. The humor is predicated on pregnancy, both imagined and actual, both planned and unexpected. The characters run around in helter-skelter fashion for nearly an hour and a half, but all problems are straightened out by fadeout time. Siegfried Arno, a splendid comic actor who later became a much-in-demand Hollywood bit player, heads the cast. Der Storch Streikt cost only about $70,000, but raked in nearly twenty times that amount at the box office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Brigette Helm stars as a disillusioned movie extra who makes a speedy exit from a Viennese movie studio while still wearing her elegant costume. She heads off to a resort in Monte Cristo, where she poses as a wealthy countess (she's certainly dressed for it!) Jewel thief Gustaf Gruendgens and swindler Rudolf Forster help Helm carry off her masquerade for larcenous reasons of their own, but Forster spoils everyone's plans by falling in love with the girl. Graefin von Monte Cristo served as the basis for the 1934 Universal comedy The Countess of Monte Cristo, with Fay Wray in the starring role. The property was remade in 1948 as a musical vehicle for skating-star Sonja Henie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ein Prinz Verliebt Sich (A Prince Falls in Love) stars Georg Alexander as the title character, a merry young monarch named Prince Michael. Ordered to marry homely little Maria (Lien Deyers), the Prince takes a run-out powder to the continent, where he dallies with a Parisian number named Fifi (Trude Berliner). Taking matters in her own hands, Maria dolls herself up until she's a ravishing beauty. Naturally, Michael falls for her -- but now she's not so sure that she wants him! The songs in Ein Prinz Verliebt Sich were just as derivative and unoriginal as the storyline. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide