Hans Leibelt Movies

Based on a play by Eugene Scribe, this witty comedy by director Richter-Helmut Kautner departs from the usual fare of 1950s and early '60s German films. Set at the beginning of the 18th century when Queen Anne (Liselotte Pulver) was on the throne as the British monarch, the story tells of the rivalry and animosity between Lady Churchill (Hilde Krahl), the Duchess of Marlborough and Sir Henry St. John (Gustaf Grundgens), the Viscount of Bolingbroke. While the Queen is depicted as naive and vacillating, the Duchess and Viscount have a great deal to say about the affairs of state. (The Duke of Marlborough was in charge of the armed forces in Queen Anne's war on the continent.) Other affairs are also examined, such as that of the lovers Arthur Masham (Horst Janson) and Abigail (Sabine Sinjen). Flashbacks are shot in black and white, and the skillful use of color in costuming and decor adds a touch of symbolism to the story. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Mein Schulfreund has an ostensible anti-Nazi theme yet there are aspects of this wartime drama that seem ambivalent. At the heart of the story is Herr Fuchs (Heinz Ruhmann), a postman who finally turns against the war when he sees it is killing innocent children -- a remarkably slow realization. So Fuchs writes an emotional protest to his old school chum, Field Marshall Hermann Goering. The letter is intercepted and Fuchs lands in prison though he is not to be executed for his treasonous missive. Instead, orders come down to declare him officially insane. Although that allows him to mouth off against the Nazis, it also has its negative impact on his future. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

A kind of German "Blackboard Jungle," Der Pauker looks at the inner city experience of a new teacher, (Heinz Ruehmann) as he leaves his small-town life behind to tackle some of the roughest kids and biggest challenges in his urban classroom. As might be expected, the situation looks hopeless when he starts out, especially since a gangster is influencing the students. But the teacher decides to stick it out, stick to his belief in his unique teaching methods, and stick it to the gangster at the same time. Fortunately for him, one of his friends is a judo master who taught him some handy moves that greatly enhance his clout with the students. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The classic British stage farce Charley's Aunt is given a Teutonic flavor in this 1956 release. The story is updated and the character names changed, but the plot, about a young man forced by circumstances to dress up as a middle-aged woman, remains intact. Heinz Ruehmann stars as Dr. Otto Dernburg (originally "Lord Fancourt Babberly"), whose friends Charley (Walter Giller) and Ralf (Claus Biederstadt) are expecting female visitors. The girls won't show up without a chaperone, so Otto is inveigled into disguising himself as "Charley's Aunt, from Brazil, where the nuts come from." The comedy of errors and misunderstandings is played to the hilt, with time out for an unexpected musical number. Charley's Tante was one of Germany's biggest film hits of the mid-1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

Filmed on location in the bombed-out titular city, Somewhere in Berlin details the horrendous plight of postwar German citizens, who were as much victims of Hitler's Third Reich as any conquered nation. The film concentrates on a gang of street kids who stumble across a cache of black-market fireworks. As the homeless children play soldier, the rest of the populace suffers from malnutrition, poverty and severe shortages. A few rays of hope emanate from the reunion of a returning soldier and his family. Director Gerhard Lamorecht manages to evoke sympathy for his characters, though the film might have been more effective had not some of the leading actors appeared so healthy and well-fed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Das Maedchen von Gestern Nacht was released outside of Germany under the streamlined and somewhat colorless title of Midnight Happenings. Set amongst England's "upper crust," the film stars Willy Fritsch as devil-may-care bachelor Lord Stanley Stalton. Falling in love with American heiress Jean (Gusti Huber), Lord Stanley isn't prepared for the girl's feisty sense of independence. They fight, make up, fight, make up, fight, make up?..Well, this would go on unabated were it not for the comedy relief of secondary couple Stanley Chestnut (Rudolf Platte) and Evelyn (Ingeborg von Kusserow). The English characters in Midnight Happenings are treated derisively, but not hatefully, as would be the case when Germany went to war against England. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide