Hans Junkermann Movies
- 1930
"Zapfenstreich" translates as "Military Music," of which we hear plenty in this Germany comedy. The hero is a handsome Army lieutenant (Hans Stuwe), in love with several young ladies at once. While sorting out his romantic travails, the officer must contend with two new recruits: silk-hatted magician Siegfred Arno, who shows up in camp with a prop bird cage, and clumsy musician Erno Verebes, a habitual screw-up. The two comic characters eventually stage a camp show, culminating in a happy ending for Stuwe and his sweetheart Charlotte Susa, and Verebes and his sweetheart Maria Solveg. Typically heavy-handed, Zapfenstreich aus Rhein undeniably delivers the laughs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlotte Susa, Hans Stüwe, (more)
- 1930
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
- Starring:
- Nora Gregor, Theo Shall, (more)
- 1929
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
- Starring:
- Hans Junkermann, Julius Falkenstein, (more)
- 1929
Upon the death of a mittel-European prime minister, baroness Olga Tschechowa, the minister's mistress, is unceremoniously booted from the royal palace. In retaliation, the baroness claims she has in her possession a copy of the late prime minister's memoirs, the publication of which will bring about the ruination of all her political enemies. Pretty soon, the hypocritical courtiers and politicians who'd expelled her from the palace are fawning all over the baroness, hoping to be spared her wrath. Grand duke Willy Fritsch suspects that the allegedly scandalous memoirs do not actually exist, but he cares not: by film's end, he's fallen madly in love with the crafty baroness. Some above-average cinematography distinguishes this hectic boudoir farce. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max Hansen
Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler is the eight-reel version of Fritz Lang's twenty reeler, two-part silent thriller, Dr. Mabuse. Mabuse (Rudolph Klein-Rogge) a sinister mesmerist/psychiatrist, toys with the weaknesses of the rich and influential. He worms his way into the confidence of wealthy men, plays cards with them, hypnotizes them into cheating at their businesses, then puts them in a position to be blackmailed so that he can corner the stock market. A devilishly ingenious plan-but Mabuse is up against the plodding, methodical police detective Wrenk, whose subconscious is not so easily swayed...at least, not at first. In 1932, Lang directed a talkie sequel to Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Aud Egede Nissen, (more)
- 1921
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
