Margot Hielscher Movies

Director Christian Blackwood has brought forth more than 40 documentaries in 25 years, most of them specializing in artists' and filmmakers' work and/or biographies. This docudrama represents a new approach and melds the single-minded adoration of one fan, Paul Seiler, with film clips and archival interviews with Swedish Zarah Leander, an actress from the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. She was a haunting chanteuse whose distinctive voice and great beauty captivated many during the era of the Third Reich. She ultimately left Germany for Stockholm in 1943, in spite of Goebbels attempts to keep her working in the Nazi film industry. In this fictionalized drama, Paul watches a documentary about her on television while he intermittently spills out his emotions and history as one of her most ardent fans. Paul became friends with the star and attended her recording sessions, held her hand when she got bad reviews, corresponded with her on a regular basis, and personally questions her ethics in refusing to face up to Nazi atrocities. His psychology, her own personality, and their interaction make for an intriguing and unusual docudrama. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Doktor Faustus was adapted from Thomas Mann's epic novel of the same name about a composer, Adrian Leverkuehn (Jon Finch), who sells his soul to the devil for the acquisition of genius in his lifetime. Leverkuehn intentionally contracts syphilis from an infected prostitute because he believes that a side-effect of the disease is intense, sustained creativity; no matter that death from syphilis as it enters the brain is extremely unpleasant -- the composer wants his moment of greatness. That is where Satan comes into the picture, and Leverkuehn agrees to Satan's terms in exchange for creative genius: he is not to have any close human contacts. Being only too human, the composer violates the terms only to see his two closest friends, a cellist and his little nephew, die as a consequence. At this point, after extensive philosophizing and rumination, the Satanic deal just does not have the same allure, and Leverkuehn's own life is quickly deteriorating, much faster than he can handle. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This drama from author Thomas Mann fails to translate well to the screen because of some underdeveloped characterizations. Count Arnstadt (Rudolf Forster) and the Countess Isabella (Margot Hielscher) are the parents of the beautiful but conceited Sieglinee (Elena Nathanael). When the young Lieutenant Beckerath (Gert Ballus) declares his love for Sieglinde, she agrees to marry him if he rides naked through the town. After he performs the task, Beckerath has more difficulty because the girl is reluctant to leave her beloved brother Siegmund (Michael Maien). The controversial feature was shown at the 1965 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Explicit scenes are a regular feature in this sexually oriented drama by German director Rolf Thiele. The story is set at the beginning of the 20th century when a young man who lives along the Rhine awakens sexually and has his first, highly erotic affair with an alluring actress. His socially well-placed father is not happy and sends the lad off to a remote school in the provinces, thinking that might help him settle down. Instead, the son continues his escapades with a variety of women, including his landlady. But the libidinous lothario's one-track mind is forced to rethink his actions when World War I alters the European panorama. In relation to the title, the former imperial German flag was black, white, and red in color. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Like many of its Hollywood counterparts, the German all-star musical Schlagerparade (Hit Parade) is more memorable for its individual components than the sum total. For the record, the plot is as old as the Alps. Young composer Walter Giller can't sell his tunes; his girl friend Germaine Damar sneaks one of Giller's songs into a publisher's office; the song becomes a hit, but no one knows who wrote it; by the end of the story, they know who wrote it. On this fragile storyline are hung 16 songs, each performed by an international musical favorite. Guest stars include Maurice Chevalier, Stan Kenton, Margot Hielscher, and the Barnabas Von Geszy Orchestra. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi