Gerhard Dammann Movies
- 1932
Though "blessed" with a complex title, which translates as Marriage with Limited Liability, this German comedy was adapted from the more simply titled stage play Causa Kaiser. Composer Georg Kaiser is unable to secure a divorce from his wife, so he "lives in sin" with his singer-sweetheart Causa. The girl's wealthy uncle dies, leaving her millions -- provided she is married to Georg Kaiser. Hoping to take advantage of a legal loophole, Georg seeks out another man named George Kaiser, intending to marry him off to Causa so that she can collect her legacy. Georg Kaiser # 2 is a middle-aged naif who can't understand why his new bride is so cold to him. When he finds out he's been duped by Kaiser #1, Kaiser #2 finds solace in the arms of another woman closer to his own age, which somehow leads to a happy ending for all concerned. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlotte Susa, Hans Moser, (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)
- 1931
Zwischen Nacht und Morgen (During Night and Morning) was based on Dirnentragodie, a play by Wilhelm Braun. Aud Egede Nissen plays an aging prostitute who falls in love with a young, wealthy scapegrace. Soon her new swain leaves her in favor of a younger tart, compelling Nissen to murder her rival. Whether or not this will have any redemptive effect on the young man is left to conjecture; it is certain, however, that Nissen will pay for her crime. The film is a remake of a 1925 silent picture which starred Asta Nielsen and was directed by Bruno Rahn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aud Egede Nissen, Oscar Homolka, (more)
- 1931
It must have galled American filmgoers of 1931 to watch all those happy Germans downing legal flagons of beer in the frothy operetta Bockbierfest. Ludwig Stossel (who years later played the "little ol' winemaker" in a series of TV commercials) plays Livius Heitze, the president of an anti-alcohol society. Though Livius is an abstainer, he's not exactly a prude: one of his two daughters is illegitimate, and neither is aware of the other's existence. By and by, both girls fall in love with men in the beer business, causing a double headache for Livius when he finds out. Bockbierfest is enlivened by three rousing songs, the best of which is If Had My Youth Again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ludwig Stossel, Margarete Kupfer, (more)
