Annie Markart Movies
- 1937
Though the witty, epigrammatic style of Oscar Wilde would seem best suited to the rhythms of the English language, a surprising number of Wilde's plays and short stories were filmed in Europe. The German Ein Idealer Gatte is a fairly faithful adaptation of Wilde's 1895 play An Ideal Husband. The title character is Lord Chiltern (Carl Ludwig Diehl), a prosperous steel magnate. Blackmailed by an old flame, Gloria Chevney (Sybille Schmitz), Lord C. is at last rescued by the real brains of the Chiltern family, his loyal, supportive and eminently courageous wife (Brigitte Helm). Film buffs take note: Ein Ideal Gatte affords a rare opportunity to see Metropolis star Brigitte Helm and Vampyr star Sybille Schmitz in the same picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karl Ludwig Diehl, Brigitte Helm, (more)
- 1936
Du bist Mein Gluck (You Are My Joy) was the third starring feature for the great Operatic tenor Beniamino Gigli. Gigli's imposing presence and splendid singing notwithstanding, the film is dominated by Isa Miranda in a dual role. After deserting her husband to shack up with Mario Monti (Gigli), Bianca Scarpa (Miranda) returns home years later to beg for custody of her child, only to be throw out into the street. Years later, the child has grown up into a beautiful young woman and an excellent dancer (Miranda plays both mother and daughter). Feeling guilty about causing so much family dissension, Monti tries to arrange for a reconciliation between Bianca and her daughter. The musical highlights in Du bist Mein Gluck feature such operatic luminaries as Hildegarde Ranczak, Maria Cornelius, and Ludwig Weber. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beniamino Gigli, Isa Miranda, (more)
- 1936
Knock-Out is a form-fitting movie vehicle for world heavyweight boxing champion Max Schmeling. Through a masterstroke of casting, Schmeling plays a boxer, named Max Breuer. Allowing success to go to his head, Breur finally comes to his senses through the love of a good woman. If Max Schmeling seems more animated than usual during his love scenes, it may be because his leading lady is his real-life wife Anny Ondra. One wonders if Knock-Out received much attention after Schmeling was defeated in a single round by Joe Louis in 1938. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anny Ondra
- 1934
Thematically related to the popular German "mountain film" genre is the 1934 skiing drama Der Springer von Pontresina. The film catalogs the intensive training program undergone by a Teutonic skiing team in preparation for a championship race. Though Sepp Rist is nominally the star, the script emphasizes teamwork uber alles, thus Rist and his cohorts are what was described by one critic as the "composite hero." The principal dramatic complication concerns the romance between one of the team members and a pretty American girl, which leads to a near-disaster on the slopes. Der Springer von Pontresina was gorgeously photographer in St. Moritz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sepp Rist, Walter Rilia, (more)
- 1932
The title translates as Unfaithful Eckehart, and indeed Dr. Eckart Bleitreu (Ralph A. Roberts) is cheating on his loving wife (Luize Englisch). To throw his wife off his scent, Bleitreu claims that it's his brother-in-law Fritz (Fritz Schulz) who is the philanderer. The doctor's deception backfires when, thanks to his presumed prowess with the ladies, Fritz ends up with a cushy government job and a huge salary. Befitting its subject manner, Ungetrue Eckehart has plenty of old-fashioned door-slamming and ducking in and out of boudoirs. Reportedly, the film was also produced in a French-language version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Arthur Roberts, Lucie Englisch, (more)
- 1931
Harry Piel is both star and director of Bobby Geht Los. The title translates as Bobby Starts Off, which indeed he does -- and what a start-off. Regarded by his fans as the Teutonic equivalent to Douglas Fairbanks, star Piel never stops moving, whether escaping the villains or rescuing the heroine. His peripatetic behavior is offset by the lugubrious antics of the two comic-relief characters, played by Kurt Lillen and Eugene Rex. Proof of Harry Piel's popularity in his native land was that Bobby Geht Los was his 89th vehicle, with number 90 still on the way. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annie Markart, Hilde Hildebrand, (more)
