Lucie Englisch Movies

Also known as Komm' zu Mir Rendezvous, this is the German-language version of the French marital farce L'Amour Chante. To throw her suspicious husband off track, an unfaithful wife hires a total stranger to pose as her singing coach. While our hero doesn't know one note from another, he pulls off his charade so well that he is hired to give voice lessons to the husband's mistress. Sensing a good thing when he sees one, the faux singing teacher sets up a music conservatory, catering exclusively to philandering spouses. Though its direction is sometimes credited to Carl Boese, Rendezvous was actually directed by Robert Florey, who also helmed L'Amour Chante and its Spanish-language version, Professor de mi Señora. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title of this German comedy is derived from a colloquialism which translates as By the Skin of His Teeth. In the tradition of Harold Lloyd and Ben Turpin, leading man Siegfried Arno manages to wriggle in and out of one devastating dilemma after another, always managing to escape by the proverbial teeth-skin. Arno, who later enjoyed a lengthy Hollywood career as a character actor, was a slight, meek-looking individual, making his various on-screen adventures all the more amusing. Critics, then as now, were resistant to such pure-slapstick endeavors as Um Eine Nasenlaenge, and most of them turned thumbs down. But audiences -- especially German audiences -- were too busy laughing to notice the plot and production deficiencies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gustav Froehlich and Charlotte Susa play Rochus and Judith, the zwei menschen (two humans) of the title. Rochus' domineering mother insists that he enter the priesthood, but he is reluctant to break up his blissful romance with the fair Judith. A religious fanatic of the first order, the mother swears before God and her Church that Rochus will indeed take his vows. When this does not come about, she dies of grief, whereupon the guilt-stricken Rochus abandons Judith to become a priest. The girl subsequently commits suicide -- and it is Rochus who must officiate over her body during the funeral. This final scene was excised from the print of Zwei Menschen released in New York, leaving audiences hanging in regard to Judith's ultimate fate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Released in the U.S. as The Alluring Goal and The Enticing Goal, this film represented the second screen appearance in as many months by world-famous operatic tenor Richard Tauber. The story is the old one about the provincial clod who rises to fame on the opera stage only to forget about the truly important things in life. Surprisingly, there's more story than singing in this one, putting Tauber, who musical abilities far outweighed his acting talents, at a distinct advantage. Far better served within the framework is his co-star, soprano Maria Elsner, who not only can act but is easy on the eyes to boot. Highlights include the usual opera vignettes as well as Tauber's rendition of the folk tune Joseph. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide