Eugen Burg Movies
- 1932
Der Stolz der 3. Kompagnie (Pride of the Third Company) is set amongst the ranks of the Prussian army. All the standard "military" cliches are in attendance, including the heroic coward, the cowardly hero, the young husband who dies just after learning he's a father, and the rest. Heinz Ruhmann leads a large and stellar German cast, all of whom deliver performances that transcend the hackneyed material. For some reason, Army films were extraordinarily popular with German audiences in the early 1930s, virtually guaranteeing a huge box-office return. The film's oddest on-screen credit was bestowed upon Robert Neppach, whose specialty was listed as "architecture"; could he have been the set designer, or did he actually build the sets? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heinz Rühmann, Anton Walbrook, (more)
- 1932
Mein Leopold was based on the long-running play by A. L'Arronge, originally written in the 1870s. Max Adelbert plays a wealthy old Berlin shoe manufacturer who sacrifices all for the sake of his son Leopold (Harald Paulsen). The boy repays his father's devotion by behaving like a thorough bounder, though he eventually redeems himself through the simple expedient of honest hard work. Meanwhile, a trio of subplots involving three young couples are adroitly woven into the central narrative. A delicate blend of comedy, sentimentality and pathos, Mein Leopold proved to be a box-office bonanza. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max Adalbert, Gustav Froehlich, (more)
- 1932
Telegraph operator Hans Albers wins a fortune at the racetrack, immediately shooting his wad on a new wardrobe. It is Albers' hope to impress Kaethe Von Nagy, the daughter of a wealthy American banker. Even when he's lost all his money, our hero contrives to stay near the girl by hiring himself out as a gigolo in the hotel where she is staying. He ends up back where he started, manning the telegraph board -- and in this capacity he wins the girl by saving her father from financial ruin. Is it any surprise that the film's title translates as The Winner? (Incidentally, the film was ultimately released as Liebe ist Liebe). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hans Albers, Kaethe von Nagy, (more)
- 1931
Outside of Emperor Franz Joseph, there was no member of the Hapsburg dynasty who showed up in films as often as Empress Elizabeth of Austria. Lil Dagover plays the celebrated empress in this film, which deftly combines fact and fiction into one lavish movie package. Though wed to Franz Joseph (Paul Otto) and expected to comport herself in a regal manner, Elizabeth is too much the free spirit to tie herself down to protocol. Escaping the stuffiness of the Austro-Hungarian royal court, she chooses to live a carefree existence among the people. Elizabeth returns to the palace a shade too late to save her unhappy son Crown Prince Rudolf from committing suicide out of love for the beautiful Countess Mary Vetsera (this subplot later served as the basis for the 1937 film Mayerling). Again fleeing her responsibilities Elizabeth wanders aimlessly around the world until her own life is ended by an assassin's bullet. Amazingly, Elisabeth von Oesterreich manages to pack all this into a brisk 74 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lil Dagover, Maria Solveig, (more)
- 1927
Just before launching the American phase of his career, filmmaker Alexander Korda directed his actress-wife Maria Corda in the German production A Modern DuBarry. Corda plays Toinette, a saucy, somewhat amoral scullery maid. Bouncing from bed to bed, Toinette becomes the mistress of Count Martel (Alfred Gerasch) and, ultimately, the King of Andalia (Jean Bradin). This final liaison very nearly topples the Andalian government, but Toinette manages to survive this ordeal with nary a hair out of place, though she does cry and cry a lot when things don't go her way. It was Modern DuBarry, completed in 1926, that landed Korda his Hollywood contract -- and the rest, as they say, is history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
