Aribert Waescher Movies
- 1948
Long before he played the corpulent Goldfinger, German actor Gert Froebe was a scarecrow-skinny comedian. In Berliner Ballade, Froebe makes his screen debut as Otto, a feckless Everyman who tries to adjust to the postwar travails of his defeated nation. Stymied by black-market profiteers and government bureaucrats, Otto begins fantasizing about a happier life at the end of that ever-elusive rainbow. Director R. A. Stemmle doesn't have to strive for pathos: he merely places his gangly star amidst the ruins of a bombed-out Berlin, and the point is made for him. Filmed in 1948, Berliner Ballade was later released in the U.S. as The Berliner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1938
Die Gelbe Flagge (The Yellow Flag) was based on a novel by Fred Andreas, which gained a huge audience when it was serialized in German newspapers in 1937. The immensely popular Hans Albers stars as devil-may-care aviator Peter Diercksen. When a deadly plague breaks out, Diercksen risks his neck on a near-hourly basis to fly in much-needed medicine and supplies. Somehow he pauses long enough to get mixed up with a hostile cannibal tribe -- and even more frightening, a bevy of desirable females. Dorothea Wieck, another top German screen attraction, is cast as a dedicated nurse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hans Albers, Dorothea Wieck, (more)
- 1937
With a plot that twists like a plumber's snake, this is more a story of family secrets than anything else, in which the British commander of a West African garrison has to prevent the exposure of an ugly scandal involving his daughter. The story was based on a novel by Lewis Robinson entitled The General Goes Too Far. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lionel Atwill, Lucie Mannheim, (more)
- 1937
This German adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary seldom appears in the standard movie source books (certainly never as often as the 1949 Vincente Minnelli version!), but it might well be worth seeing again. This time, the magnificent Pola Negri is cast as Emma Bovary, the unhappy bride of bourgeois Charles Bovary (Arlbert Wascher). Bored with her husband's narrow-minded attitudes and provincial lifestyle, Emma dreams of great wealth and a "perfect" romance with a young lover. When she gets the chance to escape her boredom, it is with handsome Roudolphe Boulanger (Ferdinand Marian). Alas, Madame Bovary's dreams of lasting happiness are doomed from the start, not so much by fate as by her own inner demons. The German Madame Bovary was consummately produced and acted, yet failed to strike a responsive chord with the public, possibly because Negri was too dynamic a performer for the limits of her role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pola Negri, Ferdinand Marian, (more)
- 1936
The title of this German murder mystery translates literally as Stronger Than Paragraphs. Paul Hartmann stars as criminal attorney Dr. Birk, at present defending an accused killer. In the course of the trial, another person is arrested for the crime on circumstantial evidence and subsequently sentenced to death. It is at this point that Birk discovers the surprising truth and is forced into a most difficult dilemma. Should Birk betray his attorney-client confidence in order to save an innocent man from execution? Staerker als Paragraphen was based on a novel by Curt I. Braun. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Hartmann, Karl Hellmer, (more)
- 1936
Ein Seltsamer Gast (A Strange Guest) was based on a novel by Kurt Heuser. The story concerns the theft of a valuable necklace, which leads to a baffling murder. Alfred Abel heads the all-star cast as Bruneaux, a mysterious art dealer whose connection with the robbery and murder are made clear only in the final reels. Most of the action takes place in a "respectable" Parisian hotel room, which by film's end has more traffic than the Champs Elysses. Given the methodical nature of mid-1930s German films, it's no surprise that the country turned out so many above-average murder mysteries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alfred Abel
- 1936
Set during the Napoleonic era, Der Hoehre Befehl (Higher Command) nonetheless manages to accommodate huge heaping helpings of pro-Nazi propaganda. The story concerns the breakup of the alliance between France and Prussia, galvanized by the imprisonment of an English envoy. The prisoner is set free by a young German officer who despises Napoleon and realizes that the only hope for Prussia's future lies in independence -- and if that independence is won through a betrayal of trust, so be it. Box-office favorite Lil Dagover adds a touch of glamour as a slinky French spy. Director Gerard Lamprecht, one of Germany's most conventional and least adventuresome filmmakers, does his usual perfunctory job with Der Hoehre Befehl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karl Ludwig Diehl, Lil Dagover, (more)
- 1936
Based on the stage favorite Lilac Time, Drei Maederl um Schubert re-creates incidents in the life of composer Franz Schubert (Paul Hoerbiger). The story concerns his romantic entanglements with three sisters: Hederl (Greti Theimer), Heiderl (Maria Andergast), Hannerl (Else Elster). All three girls have a profound effect on Schubert's work, though none of them is able to land him as a husband. The music has been adapted from Schubert's best-known compositions, with emphasis on his Unfinished Symphony. The direction of Drei Maederl um Schubert was evenly divided by E. W. Emo (from UFA studios) and Hans Sassman (from the original stage production). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Hoerbiger, Gustav Waldau, (more)
- 1935
Considering how much Adolf Hitler relied upon his scientists during WWII, the anti-technology stance of Der Herr Der Welt (Ruler of the World) is amazing. After a long absence, Dr. Heller (Walter Janssen) returns to his laboratory, where he learns that his demented chief assistant (Arlbert Waeschler) has developed a robot. Dr. Heller approves of this, but he's less happy with the fact that the robot is equipped with a death ray. His objections don't carry too much weight, however, inasmuch as Heller is quickly dispatched by the homicidal robot. The story briefly goes off on another tangent as Heller's widow Vilma (Sybille Schmitz, of Vampyr fame) falls in love with handsome mining engineer Baumann (Sigfried Schuerenberg). Ultimately, both Vilma and Baumann must contend with thousands upon thousands of killer robots, who've been programmed to take over all jobs -- and, eventually, the world. Die Herr der Welt was the last of director Harry Piel's quartet of science fiction films, which began in 1915 with Die Gross Wette. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Janssen, Sybille Schmitz, (more)
- 1935
The English-language title of this complex German romantic melodrama is Love, Death and the Devil. After three years at sea, sailor Kaethe Von Nagy stops over at a strange novelty shop where he comes into possession of an old, old bottle. Legend has it that the genie in the bottle will grant three wishes, whereupon the owner's soul will be turned over to Satan until said owner is able to sell the bottle for a lower price to someone else. Thanks to his new possession, Von Nagy inherits a fortune and marries gorgeous native girl Brigette Horney. But when it becomes obvious that he and Horney will be forever damned unless he gets rid of the bottle, he searches around desperately for a buyer. Alas, the most recent asking price for the bottle was a half-penny -- and there's nothing of lower value than that! Liebe Tod and Teufel is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's The Bottle Imp. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kaethe von Nagy, Albin Skoda, (more)
- 1933
The most popular of Reinhold Schuenzel's German directorial efforts, Viktor und Viktoria is a spoof of such music-hall "male impersonators" as Vesta Tillie. Unable to get a show-business job, would-be singer Renate Muller is urged by her somewhat epicene friend Hermann Thimig to adopt a brand-new stage persona. Our heroine re-invents herself as a cross-dressing entertainer, posing as a man (Viktor) who poses as a woman (Viktoria)! The fun begins when Muller falls in love with Adolf Wohlbrueck, who can't quite understand why he's so attractive to the aggressively male "Viktoria." Viktor und Viktoria was remade in England by Jessie Mathews as First a Girl (1936), then of course by Blake Edwards as the 1981 Julie Andrews vehicle Victor/Victoria. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renate Mueller, Hermann Thimig, (more)
- 1931
Kaethe Von Nagy stars as Ronny, a pretty costume designer in the mythical European kingdom of Perusa. Willy Fritsch co-stars as the Perusian prince, who also dabbles in composing operettas. When the star of the Prince's latest extravaganza walks out, Ronny goes on stage in her place, becoming an overnight sensation. Sensing that the Prince is in love with the girl, his faithful prime minister (Willi Grill) tries to train Ronny to become an acceptable court mistress (as a commoner, she could never become his wife). But both Ronny and the Prince object to this, preferring to make their relationship legal -- and permanent. This is the sort of German musical in which even the Royal Army dances in unison. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kaethe von Nagy, Willy Fritsch, (more)
- 1930
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
- Starring:
- Otto Gebuhr, Renate Mueller, (more)
- 1930
Zweierlei Moral (Different Morals) was adapted from Pearls' Comedy, a play by Bruno Frank. A string of pearls figures into the plotline in which the sexual double-standard separating men from women is elaborated upon. Critics familiar with the original stage play found the film version inferior, complaining that the direction was slow and ponderous and the acting over-emphatic. Also attacked were the costumes worn by the actors, which were described variously as ill-fitting and in bad taste. Only leading players Aribert Waescher and Ida Wuerst were singled out for any other praise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Rilia, Aribert Waescher, (more)
