Gertrud Arnold Movies
- 1930
While attending an operatic performance, wealthy Otto van Lingen (Gustav Gruendgens) is smitten by beautiful chorus singer Floriane Bach (Alexa Engstroem). Van Lingen sends his secretary Richard Faber (played by director Carl Froelich) to arrange a romantic rendezvous between Van Lingen and Floriane, which leads to the girl's being cast in the female lead of Jacques Levy Offenbach's Tales of Hoffman. But instead of falling in love with her patron, Floriane goes ga-ga over Faber. Van Lingen is incensed, but all is forgiven when he and Floriane are rescued by Faber from an opera-house fire (hence the film's title, which translates as "Fire in the Opera"). Featured in the cast of Brand in Der Oper are several world-renowned opera luminaries, including the great Czech singer Jarmilla Novotna. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Fröhlich, Gustaf Gründgens, (more)
- 1930
Rosenmontag (U.S. title: Carnival's End) was based on the novel of the same name by Otto Erich Hartlebein. Thanks to ugly gossip, a young Army lieutenant is convinced that his sweetheart is an unfaithful trollop. He becomes engaged to another woman then marches off to war, having promised to forsake all other women. Eventually, he discovers that the stories about his first love were all lies. He returns to her and rekindles the romance, whereupon he remembers vowing eternal devotion to his present fiancee. Rather than sacrifice his honor, the lieutenant resorts to extreme and tragic measures to keep his promise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gertrud Arnold, Eduard von Winterstein, (more)
- 1924
This lushly produced UFA production from Fritz Lang was adapted from the Norse sagas, and also from the Wagner operas Siegfried, Gotterdaemmerung, and Lohengrin. There is also a sequel -- Kremhilde's Revenge (Kriemhild's Rache). Siegfried (Paul Richter), son of King Siegmund, masters the art of forging a sword at the shop of Mime (George John). On his journey home, he hears tales of Kriemhild, the princess of Bergundy (Margarete Schoen). En route to Bergundy, Siegfried slays the dragon Fafnir, and bathes in his blood. This mades him invulnerable to attack -- except for one spot on his shoulder blade which he has missed. After finding the treasure of the dwarfs, Siegfried arrives in Bergundy. He meets the beautiful Kriemhild and accompanies King Gunther (Theodor Loos) to Iceland. The king wins the powerful Brunhilde (Hanna Ralph) as his wife, and Siegfried weds Kriemhild. Brunhilde plots to have Siegfried killed and makes up lies about him to the King. Gunther's uncle, Hagen Tronje (Hans Schlettow), finds Siegfried's weak spot and pierces it with a spear. After confessing that she made up stories about Siegfried, Brunhilde kills herself. An interesting side note: Adolf Hitler and Josef Goebbels both claimed this film as one of their favorites. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Richter, Margarete Schoen, (more)
- 1924
The second portion of German director Fritz Lang's two-part silent epic Die Nibelungen (part one was 1924's Siegfried), Kriemhild's Revenge opens with mythical heroine Kriemhild (Margarethe Schoen) vowing to avenge the murder of her husband Siegfried. Realizing that her brother, King Gunther (Theodor Loos), is too weak-willed to bring the culprit--her villainous half-brother Hagen Tronje (Hans Adalbert Von Schlettow)--to justice, Kriemhild plots her own private vengeance. Later, Kriemhild is obliged to participate in a "marriage of state" to Burgundian King Etzel (Rudolph Klein-Rogge, who later played Rottwang in Lang's Metropolis). At the wedding festival, she takes the Burgundian revellers hostage, promising to free them if they'll kill Hagen Tronje, who is one of the guests. Their refusal leads to the film's climactic bloodfest, during which Kriemhild metes out justice with Siegfried's magic sword. An astonishingly elaborate and expensive effort (much more so than any American film of 1924), Kriemhild's Revenge is admittedly rough sledding until its lively finale, especially when shown in its original 140 minute length (cartoon director Chuck Jones managed to compact the same basic story into his 6-minute masterpiece What's Opera, Doc?) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margarete Schoen, Rudolf Rittner, (more)
