Jack Mylong-Muenz Movies
- 1931
Der Zinker (To Squeal) was based on The Squeaker, a mystery play by Edgar Wallace. The hero is a Scotland Yard detective who poses as an ex-convict. It's all part of a strategy to capture a notorious and elusive fence known as "The Squeaker," who cloaks his criminal activities behind a facade of charitable respectability. Evidently, this German adaptation ran far afield of the Wallace original, since its plot was disjointed and its character motivations unbelievable. An English-language version of The Squeaker, directed by Wallace himself, was released in 1930. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lissi Arna, Karl Ludwig Diehl, (more)
- 1931
Der Pranke translates as The Paw, a title that makes more sense within context. It's an action thriller, utilizing as background an auto race in Rome. The excitement quotient is offset by humor and romance, not to mention villainy from unexpected sources. The comely Charlotte Susa plays the object of everyone's affections, while Fritz Rasp, best known for his work in the films of G.W. Pabst, likewise figures prominently in the story. Critics in 1931 admired the film's direction and cinematography but felt that the sound quality left a lot to be desired. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlotte Susa, Fritz Rasp, (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)
- 1930
Zweierlei Moral (Different Morals) was adapted from Pearls' Comedy, a play by Bruno Frank. A string of pearls figures into the plotline in which the sexual double-standard separating men from women is elaborated upon. Critics familiar with the original stage play found the film version inferior, complaining that the direction was slow and ponderous and the acting over-emphatic. Also attacked were the costumes worn by the actors, which were described variously as ill-fitting and in bad taste. Only leading players Aribert Waescher and Ida Wuerst were singled out for any other praise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Rilia, Aribert Waescher, (more)
