Attila Hoerbiger Movies

Karl May chronicles the life of the extremely popular 19th-century German novelist who lived from 1842 to 1912. Karl May's copious output included dozens of adventure novels set in the American Wild West; they are distinguished by their sympathetic portrayal of Native Americans, and many feature the beloved Native American character Winnetou. May was among the most popular novelists ever to have written in the German language, and the idyllic simplicity of the rustic life portrayed in his works is thought to have inspired the early Nazis, who would probably have horrified May. In the last 12 years of his life, he was involved in a series of lawsuits to clear his name from a number of libelous assaults. These charges came after he had achieved prominence as a cultural figure and his prior conviction and imprisonment for petty theft was discovered. The movie catches up with him in the midst of his fight against these slanders. This film is the second in director Hans-Jurgen Syberberg's German Trilogy, consisting of Ludwig, Karl May and Hitler - Ein Film Aus Deutschland. In order to highlight the continuity between May's vision and the Hitler regime, all the actors in the film were either prominent during the Nazi era, or began their careers then. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This 1955 drama was based - like Istvan Szabo's masterful Colonel Redl (1985) - on the life story of Alfred Redl, a Ukrainian man who worked his way up through the hierarchy of the Austrian army in the early 20th century, while concealing his own homosexuality. In time, when others learn of his gayness, Redl is blackmailed by the Russians into taking counter-espionage maneuvers against the Austrians, and is ultimately forced to commit suicide. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

God's Angels are Everywhere was originally released as Gottess Engel Sind Uberall. Just before the end of WWII, a soldier returns to his hometown of Vienna. Here he meets his spiritual alter ego, a young war refugee searching for his mother. Forming a strong alliance, the soldier and the boy find they have a lot more in common than they ever imagined. As indicated by the title, the film's denouement is largely shaped by divine intervention (or at least that's what the audience is supposed to conclude). God's Angels are Everywhere possesses an indefinable appeal that reached far beyond its target Austrian audience. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Austrian musical Premiere showcases the talents of Swedish stage and screen star Zara Leander. It's a backstage drama with the action equally divided on both sides of the curtain. As Fraulein Leander prepares for opening night, her life is thrown into turmoil by a variety of romantic misadventures. But she manages to show up on stage at the appointed time, scoring a huge success. It was reported that, during the filming of Zara Leander's musical numbers, the audience (ostensibly made up of paid extras) broke into spontaneous applause; when the film premiered in Vienna, the first-night moviegoers did the same. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sehnsucht 202 (Longing 202) is all about a not-so-slight misunderstanding. A pretty young millionairess places an "Object: Matrimony" newspaper ad, signing herself "Longing 202." At the same time, a poor shop girl, in search of a job, places a separate classified ad -- likewise identifying herself as Longing 202. The inevitable mix-ups occur, with the millionairess landing a department store job and a handsome husband, and the shop girl landing a handsome husband and a "job" of a different sort. The film's two heroines are played by Magda Schneider (mother of Romy Schneider) and a Vienna-born newcomer named Luise Rainer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

More formerly known as Das Floetenkonzert von Sanssouci, this German historical drama is set during the reign of Prussia's Frederick the Great (here played by Otto Gebuehr, who made a career out of the role). Forced against his will to go back to war by his enemies, the King stirs up the patriotism of his countrymen by staging the titular flute concert. At one point, Frederick rails against the iniquities of "peace treaties," an obvious -- and anachronistic -- swipe at the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. This propagandistic sidebar is quite surprising in a pre-Third Reich German film but should not be constituted as being pro-Nazi (indeed, director Gustav Uelcky was forced to flee Europe when Hitler came to power). Still, it cannot be denied that Floetenkonzert is a glorification of war and warfare, no matter how prettily it was put together. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide