Gustav Froehlich Movies
Gustav Froehlich is best remembered to international audiences for his performance as Freder, the young hero of Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927). The role was an unexpected turn in a career that was already highly varied before he began acting. Born in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Froehlich (also often credited as Gustav Fröhlich) began his dramatic career when he arrived Berlin in 1921, at the age of 19. He had already worked as a journalist and dime novelist, and as a variety-show emcee. What success he enjoyed as an actor was limited entirely to the stage, where he worked with producers such as Max Reinhardt and Erwin Piscator. Onscreen, Froehlich's one major success of the early '20s was his portrayal of Franz Liszt in Paganini (1922).Fate took a hand in 1926, however, when Froehlich was cast in a relatively anonymous role in Fritz Lang's Metropolis -- the original leading man, André Mattoni, portraying the young hero, walked off the set during shooting, infuriated over the hardships imposed by Lang, and Froehlich was pulled out of the ranks of the extras in the cast and thrust into the lead. Though his range was limited in the role, his often overwrought portrayal -- whether expressing horror or joy -- fit well in a film that was filled with symbolic characters, and though the movie was not a success at the time, it established Froehlich as a leading man.
After that, Froehlich was typecast as the fresh-faced, naïve "boy next door." His subsequent movies included Heimkehr (1928) and Asphalt (1929), by Joe May; Voruntersuchung (1931), by Robert Siodmak; and Die Verliebte Firma (1932), by Max Ophüls. Many of Froehlich's films of the early '30s were lighthearted musicals and romances, and Metropolis was far and away the most important movie in which Froehlich ever appeared. He later had a brush with notoriety when he left his first wife, actress/singer Gitta Alpar, to take up with Lida Baarova, the actress and also the future lover of Dr. Josef Goebbels (the head of the Nazi government propaganda machine and one of the most powerful and feared men in Germany during the Hitler era).
Froehlich remained in Germany during the Hitler regime and became a movie director after World War II, helming and also writing a handful of feature films in the postwar era. Froehlich also continued to act on-stage, and in film and television, into the 1960s. He spent the last 30 years of his life living in Switzerland, and died of complications from surgery in 1987, at age 85. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
The biggest-budgeted movie ever produced at Germany's UFA, Fritz Lang's gargantuan Metropolis consumed resources that would have yielded upwards of 20 conventional features, more than half the studio's entire annual production budget. And if it didn't make a profit at the time -- indeed, it nearly bankrupted the studio -- the film added an indelible array of images and ideas to cinema, and has endured across the many decades since its release. Metropolis had many sources of inspiration, including a novel by the director's wife, Thea von Harbou -- who drew on numerous existing science fiction and speculative fiction sources -- and Lang's own reaction to seeing the Manhattan skyline at night for the very first time. There are some obvious debts to H.G. Wells (who felt it "the silliest of films"), but the array of ideas and images can truly be credited to Lang and von Harbou.
In the somewhat distant future (some editions say the year 2000, others place it in 2026, and, still others -- including the original Paramount U.S. release -- in 3000 A.D.) the city of Metropolis, with its huge towers and vast wealth, is a playground to a ruling class living in luxury and decadence. They, and the city, are sustained by a much larger population of workers who labor as virtual slaves in the machine halls, moving from their miserable, tenement-like homes to their grim, back-breaking ten-hour shifts and back again. The hero, Freder (Gustav Froehlich) -- the son of Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel), the master of Metropolis -- is oblivious to the plight of the workers, or any aspect of their lives, until one day when a a beautiful subterranean dweller named Maria (Brigitte Helm) visits the Eternal Gardens, where he spends his time cavorting with various ladies, with a small group of children from the workers' city far below. They are sad, hungry, and wretched looking, and he is haunted by their needy eyes -- something Freder has never seen or known among the elite of the city -- and by this strange and beautiful woman who tells all who hear her, workers' children and ruler's offspring, that they are all brothers. He follows her back down to the depths of the city and witnesses a horrible accident and explosion in the machine halls where the men toil in misery. Haunted by what he has seen, he tries to confront his father, only to find that the man he loves and respects believes that it is right for the workers to live the way they do, while he and his elite frolic in luxury.
Freder decides to do something about it, but he must first learn more, and also locate Maria. With help from Josaphat (Theodor Loos), Fredersen's recently dismissed office manager, he goes below again and takes over the job of one of the workers, in order to find Maria. Meanwhile, Fredersen is concerned about the rumblings of unrest among the workers, and his son's sudden interest in their plight; he assigns "Slim" (Fritz Rasp), his investigator, to follow Freder. Meanwhile, he goes for advice to an old acquaintance, the inventor C.A. Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge). Rotwang once was a rival to Fredersen for the love of the woman Hel, who married Fredersen and died bearing his son, Freder. Rotwang still feels the loss, but he is a cunning and practical man, and is willing to help his old "friend," but not before showing off his latest creation -- a robot that he has modeled in the image of his beloved Hel, that he may have her again. Rotwang answers Fredersen's question by taking him to the catacombs below the modern city, where they see Maria preaching the gospel and counseling patience, in the hope that a "Mediator" -- who will be able to reconcile the "head" and "hands" of society (i.e. the ruling and working classes) -- will come among them.
Fredersen will hear none of it, and sees the need to break the workers' resistance and destroy Maria's influence among them. He arranges with Rotwang to make his robot creation into a duplicate Maria (which requires his kidnapping her), and to send her out among the workers to incite them to violence, so that Fredersen can use force against them. But he doesn't reckon with Rotwang, who despises Fredersen and his ruling class, and has commanded the robot to obey his orders and follow a plan that will destroy the city, both above and below ground. Fredersen also doesn't reckon with his own son Freder, who not only believes in what Maria is preaching but is beginning to see himself as the "Mediator," and is right in the midst of the conflagration when the workers' uprising starts. Soon, fires and floods spread, threatening to doom the children of the workers, abandoned in their parents' frenzied attack on the machines, and the city of Metropolis faces an impending disaster of biblical proportions. Meanwhile, the now-mad Rotwang tries to reclaim his lost Hel, and Maria and her evil robot twin are both stalked by crowds of workers driven to a murderous rage.
When it was premiered in Germany in January 1927, Metropolis ran 153 minutes when projected at 24 frames per second. That complete version was heavily cut for release in America, removing a quarter of the movie -- this included the personal conflict between Fredersen and Rotwang; a subplot involving double-dealing, espionage, and the mysterious "Slim"; a section taking place in the "red-light" district of the city; a good deal of the symbolism in the movie's original dialogue; and a large chunk of the chase at the end. In Germany in the spring of 1927, an edited version modeled roughly on the American edition, though running slightly longer, was prepared and released, and that became the "standard" version of the movie, for both domestic (i.e. German) distribution and export. In subsequent years, other editions were circulated and still others were found deposited in various archives; in a surprising number of instances -- including that of a source stored at the Museum of Modern Art in New York -- there were tiny fragments to be found of the lost, longer version of Metropolis.
The movie's reputation was further compromised with the lapsing of its American copyright in 1953, after which countless copies and duplicates, in every format from 8 mm to 35 mm (and, later, VHS tape and DVD) came to be distributed in the U.S. by anyone who could lay their hands on a print, of whatever quality and with whatever music track they chose (or didn't choose) to put on it. While several versions of the movie from these sources -- each with plot elements missing -- circulated, various restorations of the movie were attempted over the decades by responsible parties, as well. The BBC did a very effective one in the mid-'70s that was a hit on public television in America, utilizing an electronic music track that sometimes mimicked some of the industrial images on the screen. Also, there was the Giorgio Moroder version from 1984, heavily tinted and re-edited, with a rock score grafted onto it, which introduced the movie to a whole new generation of fans and turned it into a modern pop-culture fixture. The copyright was re-established in 1998 by the F.W. Murnau Foundation, and a restoration in 2002 brought the movie back to a 127 minute running time, in addition to utilizing a full orchestral score based on Gottfried Huppertz's original 1927 music. In 2008, it was reported that a significant part of the "lost" footage from the 1927 153-minute version of Metrpolis had been found in Argentina. The newest restoration of the complete Metropolis was on-going as of 2009, and a theatrical premiere was anticipated for 2010. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
In the somewhat distant future (some editions say the year 2000, others place it in 2026, and, still others -- including the original Paramount U.S. release -- in 3000 A.D.) the city of Metropolis, with its huge towers and vast wealth, is a playground to a ruling class living in luxury and decadence. They, and the city, are sustained by a much larger population of workers who labor as virtual slaves in the machine halls, moving from their miserable, tenement-like homes to their grim, back-breaking ten-hour shifts and back again. The hero, Freder (Gustav Froehlich) -- the son of Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel), the master of Metropolis -- is oblivious to the plight of the workers, or any aspect of their lives, until one day when a a beautiful subterranean dweller named Maria (Brigitte Helm) visits the Eternal Gardens, where he spends his time cavorting with various ladies, with a small group of children from the workers' city far below. They are sad, hungry, and wretched looking, and he is haunted by their needy eyes -- something Freder has never seen or known among the elite of the city -- and by this strange and beautiful woman who tells all who hear her, workers' children and ruler's offspring, that they are all brothers. He follows her back down to the depths of the city and witnesses a horrible accident and explosion in the machine halls where the men toil in misery. Haunted by what he has seen, he tries to confront his father, only to find that the man he loves and respects believes that it is right for the workers to live the way they do, while he and his elite frolic in luxury.
Freder decides to do something about it, but he must first learn more, and also locate Maria. With help from Josaphat (Theodor Loos), Fredersen's recently dismissed office manager, he goes below again and takes over the job of one of the workers, in order to find Maria. Meanwhile, Fredersen is concerned about the rumblings of unrest among the workers, and his son's sudden interest in their plight; he assigns "Slim" (Fritz Rasp), his investigator, to follow Freder. Meanwhile, he goes for advice to an old acquaintance, the inventor C.A. Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge). Rotwang once was a rival to Fredersen for the love of the woman Hel, who married Fredersen and died bearing his son, Freder. Rotwang still feels the loss, but he is a cunning and practical man, and is willing to help his old "friend," but not before showing off his latest creation -- a robot that he has modeled in the image of his beloved Hel, that he may have her again. Rotwang answers Fredersen's question by taking him to the catacombs below the modern city, where they see Maria preaching the gospel and counseling patience, in the hope that a "Mediator" -- who will be able to reconcile the "head" and "hands" of society (i.e. the ruling and working classes) -- will come among them.
Fredersen will hear none of it, and sees the need to break the workers' resistance and destroy Maria's influence among them. He arranges with Rotwang to make his robot creation into a duplicate Maria (which requires his kidnapping her), and to send her out among the workers to incite them to violence, so that Fredersen can use force against them. But he doesn't reckon with Rotwang, who despises Fredersen and his ruling class, and has commanded the robot to obey his orders and follow a plan that will destroy the city, both above and below ground. Fredersen also doesn't reckon with his own son Freder, who not only believes in what Maria is preaching but is beginning to see himself as the "Mediator," and is right in the midst of the conflagration when the workers' uprising starts. Soon, fires and floods spread, threatening to doom the children of the workers, abandoned in their parents' frenzied attack on the machines, and the city of Metropolis faces an impending disaster of biblical proportions. Meanwhile, the now-mad Rotwang tries to reclaim his lost Hel, and Maria and her evil robot twin are both stalked by crowds of workers driven to a murderous rage.
When it was premiered in Germany in January 1927, Metropolis ran 153 minutes when projected at 24 frames per second. That complete version was heavily cut for release in America, removing a quarter of the movie -- this included the personal conflict between Fredersen and Rotwang; a subplot involving double-dealing, espionage, and the mysterious "Slim"; a section taking place in the "red-light" district of the city; a good deal of the symbolism in the movie's original dialogue; and a large chunk of the chase at the end. In Germany in the spring of 1927, an edited version modeled roughly on the American edition, though running slightly longer, was prepared and released, and that became the "standard" version of the movie, for both domestic (i.e. German) distribution and export. In subsequent years, other editions were circulated and still others were found deposited in various archives; in a surprising number of instances -- including that of a source stored at the Museum of Modern Art in New York -- there were tiny fragments to be found of the lost, longer version of Metropolis.
The movie's reputation was further compromised with the lapsing of its American copyright in 1953, after which countless copies and duplicates, in every format from 8 mm to 35 mm (and, later, VHS tape and DVD) came to be distributed in the U.S. by anyone who could lay their hands on a print, of whatever quality and with whatever music track they chose (or didn't choose) to put on it. While several versions of the movie from these sources -- each with plot elements missing -- circulated, various restorations of the movie were attempted over the decades by responsible parties, as well. The BBC did a very effective one in the mid-'70s that was a hit on public television in America, utilizing an electronic music track that sometimes mimicked some of the industrial images on the screen. Also, there was the Giorgio Moroder version from 1984, heavily tinted and re-edited, with a rock score grafted onto it, which introduced the movie to a whole new generation of fans and turned it into a modern pop-culture fixture. The copyright was re-established in 1998 by the F.W. Murnau Foundation, and a restoration in 2002 brought the movie back to a 127 minute running time, in addition to utilizing a full orchestral score based on Gottfried Huppertz's original 1927 music. In 2008, it was reported that a significant part of the "lost" footage from the 1927 153-minute version of Metrpolis had been found in Argentina. The newest restoration of the complete Metropolis was on-going as of 2009, and a theatrical premiere was anticipated for 2010. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alfred Abel, Gustav Froehlich, (more)
- 1927
Nemesis is one of the two English-language titles of the German Jugendrausch; the other is Eva and the Grasshopper. Using the "grasshopper and the ant" fable as its groundwork, the story concerns two sisters, one hard-working and industrious, the other footloose and lazy. The boyfriend of the "working" girl is stolen by the "lazy" one, leading to shame and tragedy for them both. But when she returns home, the girl is treated "prodigal-son" fashion by her loving family, much to the chagrin of her more serious sister. Offsetting the "live" portion of the film is a stop-motion animation sequence in which the corpses of genuine insects "act out" the grasshopper/ant parable: these sequences were produced by the brilliant Polish animation director Vladimir Starewicz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warwick Ward, Camilla Horn, (more)
- 1928
Most of the late silent films of German director Joe May exhibited what one cinema historian has described as "a synthesis of Hollywood and Neubabelsberg." Put in layman's terms, May's later films were assembled with his usual German craftsmanship and eye for impressionism, but with most of the audience-pleasing ingredients that would score with American filmgoers. Homecoming (Heimkehr) could just as well have been made by the MGM assembly line as by UFA, but this doesn't diminish its excellence one iota. Set during World War I, the film concentrates on a romantic triangle, utilizing all the "popular" elements within a refreshingly cliche-free framework. The diffused-lens romanticism of Homecoming was not to be found in May's next project, the melancholy "street drama" Asphalt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dita Parlo
Starring American expatriate Betty Amann, this still extant German silent film features a young citizen of Berlin, who, driven into poverty, steals a valuable piece of jewelry. Caught by a handsome policeman (Gustav Froehlich), the girl attempts to seduce him into letting her go. She succeeds beyond all expectation and they marry. Born in Germany to American parents, Betty Amann went on to appear in several Hollywood films, including Nancy Drew, Reporter (1938). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Else Heller, (more)
- 1930
Das Brennende Herz (The Burning Heart) is motivated by the romance between young composer Georg Wittig (Gustav Froelich) and aspiring singer Dorothy Claudius (Mady Christians). Before their first meeting, hero and heroine have their own individual crosses to bear: Georg is saddled with an alcoholic mother, while Dorothy's father is a helpless invalid. On the eve of Dorothy's first singing job, her father dies, and in her grief she turns to Georg for comfort. Their chance meeting blossoms into love, but the drunken rages of Georg's mother put a nearly impossible strain upon the relationship. And just when it seems that things can't get any worse, Dorothy is seriously injured in a traffic accident. Amazingly, there's a happy ending, but by that time the audience has gone through as much of an emotional wringer as the characters on screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mady Christians, Friedrich Kayssler, (more)
- 1930
Originally Der Unsterbliche Lump, this German operetta is based on a popular stage piece by Edmund Eyster. Set on the Austrian Tyrol, the story begins when a poverty-stricken village schoolmaster (Gustav Froelich) proposes marriage to the postmaster's daughter (Liane Haid). The girl's father would prefer that she marry a wealthy farmer, and he sends the schoolmaster packing. Our hero heads to Vienna, where he writes an operetta with the hope of striking it rich and proving to be a suitable bridegroom. In the meantime, however, the girl has been browbeaten into marrying the man of her father's choice. On the opening night of his operetta, the grief-stricken schoolmaster hears the first notes of the aria written in honor of his sweetheart and goes into a rage of hysteria. The production proves a great success, but its author doesn't know it; he has become a hobo and disappeared into the night. Presumed dead, the schoolmaster resurfaces years later when a statue in his honor is erected in his hometown, whereupon his old girlfriend leaves her bourgeois husband and goes "on the bum" with her true love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liane Haid, Gustav Froehlich, (more)
- 1931
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
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Charlotte Susa, (more)
- 1931
The directorial career of Robert Siodmak continue to gain momentum with his third solo effort, Voruntersuchung (Inquest) When a prostitute is murdered, suspicion falls on Gustav Froelich, the son of a magistrate. A victim of circumstantial evidence, Froelich must endure the hell of a preliminary hearing, where he is subjected to the gloves-off approach of the deceptively avuncular prosecuting attorney Albert Basserman. Voruntersuchung was based on a novel by real-life Berlin lawyer Dr. Max Alsberg. It was filmed simultaneously by director Henri Chanotte (under Siodmak's supervision) in a French-language version, Auteur d'une Etiquette. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Basserman, Hans Brausewetter, (more)
- 1931
This German-language version of the Italian film Canzone del L'Amore (Song of Love) was based on Silence, a novel by Luigi Pirandello. Upon finding out that her mother has died in childbirth, heroine Lucia (Renate Muller) takes care of the baby herself. To keep her mother's indiscretion from becoming public, Lucia does her best to conceal the child's existence, even going so far as to send her sweetheart Enrico (Gustav Froelich) packing. Years later, both Enrico and the baby's father make unexpected appearances, insisting that they be given custody of the child. Lucia rejects them both, feeling that she alone is best suited to look after the child's welfare. Though the novel ends unhappily, the film does not. For the record, Liebseleid was one of four 1931 films starring Renate Muller, one of German's most popular early-talkie screen personalities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renate Mueller, Gustav Froehlich, (more)
- 1931
One of several German military comedies of the early-talkie era, Liebeskommando (Command to Love) serves as a vehicle for the personable Dolly Haas. The star is cast as Antonia, the youngest member of a military family. When her brother Francesco (Walter Edhofer) refuses to follow in his father's footsteps by enrolling in a military academy, Antonia disguises herself as a boy and signs up in Francesco's place. She manages to pull off the ruse for three years, though one wonders how she was able to avoid undressing in front of her dorm-mates for so long a period. Eventually she reveals her true identity when she falls in love with her handsome superior officer, Lt. Von Lorentz (Gustav von Froelich). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolly Haas, Gustav Froehlich, (more)
- 1932
Based on the continental musical Waltzes from Vienna, this is the story of the "Waltz Kings," Johann Strauss Sr. (Hans Junkerman) and Junior (Gustav Froelich). Jealous of his son's talents, Strauss Sr. forbids the lad to have anything to do with music. Junior disregards these orders and soon surpasses his dad's popularity. The film ends with a tearful reunion between the two Strausses as Senior breathes his last on his deathbed. An English-language version of Waltzes from Vienna was produced in 1933, with an uncomfortable Alfred Hitchcock in the director's chair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hans Junkermann, Gustav Froehlich, (more)
- 1932
Mein Leopold was based on the long-running play by A. L'Arronge, originally written in the 1870s. Max Adelbert plays a wealthy old Berlin shoe manufacturer who sacrifices all for the sake of his son Leopold (Harald Paulsen). The boy repays his father's devotion by behaving like a thorough bounder, though he eventually redeems himself through the simple expedient of honest hard work. Meanwhile, a trio of subplots involving three young couples are adroitly woven into the central narrative. A delicate blend of comedy, sentimentality and pathos, Mein Leopold proved to be a box-office bonanza. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max Adalbert, Gustav Froehlich, (more)
- 1932
Gitta Alper is appropriately cast as Gitta, the singing sweetheart of composer Fred (Paul Kemp). Thanks to Gitta's considerable vocal talents, Fred's songs become world-famous, though with fame comes many a heartbreak and setback. With the help of an understanding impresario (Leonard Steckel), Gitta and Fred are reunited in the final footage. Gitta Entdeckt ihr Herz (Gitta Discovers Her Heart) was assembled for the express purpose of transforming Hungarian stage favorite Gitta Alper into a saleable movie star. The fact that it was an excellent film in its own right was as much a factor in its success as its charming leading lady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gitta Alpar, Paul Kemp, (more)
- 1933
In this pre-WWII German mystery-comedy, a lovely klepto with a taste for fine jewelry is unable to resist temptation. Strangely, every time she steals something, a mysterious man pays for it. A clumsy detective begins investigating and finds a crucial clue: a strongly scented woman's glove. The perfume is an expensive scent and the detective's pal realizes that it belongs to a popular nightclub singer. The friend quickly becomes enamored of the girl, but then so does her mystery man, a notorious international criminal. Eventually he gets arrested, leaving the detective's pal to move in on the singer. Only one copy of this film exists and it is locked away in a Swiss vault. It is primarily of interest because the screenplay was written by Billy Wilder and it stars Peter Lorre, both of whom later emigrated to the US to become major Hollywood players the year the Nazis took over Germany. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Nora Gregor, (more)
- 1935
As indicated by its title, Baracole is adapted from The Tales of Hoffman. Gustav Froelich stars as Colloredo, who enjoys nothing more than boasting about his sexual conquests. A friend wagers that Colloredo will be unable to seduce the beautiful Giacinta (Lida Baarova). It so happens that Giacinta's wily husband Zubaran (Willy Birgel) overhears the wager, thereby setting in motion a counter-wager that will ultimately result in Colloredo's downfall. The ultimate winner in these sordid surroundings is Giacinta, who is never made aware that she has become a pawn in a dirty game of sexual one-upmanship. Though set in Venice, Baracole was shot entirely within the confines of Germany's UFA studios. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lida Baarova, Edwige Feuillère, (more)
- 1936
The story opens as Hans (Gustav Froelich), a Berlin subway guard, saves department-store mannequin Gerda (Heli Finkenzeller) from committing suicide. Taking pity on Gerda, who had elected to end it all because her brother was in jail, Hans offers to marry her, which proposal earns him a sock on the jaw from his class-conscious father (Otto Wernicke). Feeling that she's responsible for the rift between father and son (which, frankly, she is), Gerda tries to patch things up between the two stubborn men. Her good intentions are nearly dashed when her no-good brother (Paul Hoffmann) shows up with blackmail on his mind. One thing leads to another, and by film's end Hans is obliged to rescue Gerda from self-destruction again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Heli Finkenzeller, (more)
- 1936
Liebesleute (People in Love) was based on Goethe's Herman and Dorothea, updated to 1936 Berlin. Dorothea (Renate Muller), a farm girl, falls in love with wealthy young Herman (Gustav Froelich). This does not sit well with Herman's gentrified parents, who have already selected a "proper" bride for their son. Herman and Dorothea decide to elope to the Big City, where they find that life can be very unkind and unfair. After much heartbreak and disappointment, Dorothea arranges a reconciliation between Herman and his parents. All is forgiven, the lovers are reunited, and, as a bonus, the wheat crop comes in on time! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Heinrich Schroth, (more)
- 1936
The title of this German musical comedy translates as A Song, A Kiss, A Girl. Who could ask for anything more? Well, the critics in 1936 did ask for more, carping that the film's storyline, about the romance between an aspiring actress and an incognito millionaire, was a veritable festival of cliches. Also subjected to critical lambasting was the by-the-numbers climax, as the hero buys out the entire house on the opening night of the heroine's stage debut. Audiences didn't care if they'd seen this story a million times before: they were enchanted by the winning performances of stars Gustav Froelich and Martha Eggerth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Marta Eggerth, (more)
- 1936
The titular "fugitive from Chicago" is Michael Nissen (Gustav Froelich), who arrives in Germany to take charge of an automobile-manufacturing plant. Nissen, however, is operating under false pretenses: he's posing as the genuine auto heir, who's been detained in the Windy City on a murder charge. Despite his utter lack of knowledge of the motorcar business, Nissen manages to carry the day with several moneymaking schemes, proving as worthy of his position as the man he's impersonating. Popular German leading lady Lil Dagover is surprisingly wasted in a minor role. Der Fluehctling Aus Chicago is pure escapism, with no reference whatever to the current Nazi regime in Germany (but with plenty of barbed comments about Chicago gangsterism!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Hubert Von Meyerinck, (more)
