Paul Hartmann Movies
The Longest Day is a mammoth, all-star re-creation of the D-Day invasion, personally orchestrated by Darryl F. Zanuck. Whenever possible, the original locations were utilized, and an all-star international cast impersonates the people involved, from high-ranking officials to ordinary GIs. Each actor speaks in his or her native language with subtitles translating for the benefit of the audience (alternate "takes" were made of each scene with the foreign actors speaking English, but these were seen only during the first network telecast of the film in 1972). The stars are listed alphabetically, with the exception of John Wayne, who as Lt. Colonel Vandervoort gets separate billing. Others in the huge cast include Eddie Albert, Jean-Louis Barrault, Richard Burton, Red Buttons, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Gert Frobe, Curt Jurgens, Peter Lawford, Robert Mitchum, Kenneth More, Edmond O'Brien, Robert Ryan, Jean Servais, Rod Steiger and Robert Wagner. Paul Anka, who wrote the film's title song, shows up as an Army private. Scenes include the Allies parachuting into Ste. Mere Englise, where the paratroopers were mowed down by German bullets; a real-life sequence wherein the German and Allied troops unwittingly march side by side in the dark of night; and a spectacular three-minute overhead shot of the troops fighting and dying in the streets of Quistreham. The last major black-and-white road-show attraction, The Longest Day made millions, enough to recoup some of the cost of 20th Century Fox's concurrently produced Cleopatra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, (more)
- 1960
A man finds his peaceful existence thrown into turmoil when he recognizes the town's public prosecutor as the former Nazi who almost had him killed for stealing two chocolate bars in a concentration camp in this drama. Strangely the former inmate feels no hostility, nor holds a grudge against the man; instead he wants to put the whole nightmare behind him. Unfortunately, the attorney recognizes him too and is afraid that the man will expose him so he uses his power to try to get the man thrown out of town. As none of the other townsfolk will help him, the man steals some chocolate from a store so he will have to be brought to trial. Sure enough his theft causes the prosecutor to fly into a blind rage during the trial. He then leaves the courtroom and the man is at last free. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Held, Walter Giller, (more)
- 1958
In this routine, slow-paced circus thriller, Bimbo (Claus Holm) is an elephant trainer and a high-wire artist who suffers the tragic death of his wife Marianne (Marina Orachel) in an apparent accident. As time goes by, he rightfully becomes suspicious that the "accident" was anything but, and he starts to look for her killer. Meanwhile, the circus acts continue to entertain, while Bimbo eventually gets a confession out of the guilty party, made slightly more suspenseful because a big-top fire is starting to kindle at the same time. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claus Holm, Germaine Damar, (more)
- 1954
Das Leben Beginnt Mit 17 (Life Begins at 17) is adapted from a novel by Gabor von Vaszary. Sonja Liebermann plays Madeleine, an unhappy 14-year-old who is habitually neglected by her wealthy mother Aline (Anne-Marie Blanc). When Aline is killed in an accident, her lover Raymond (Paul Humschmid), feeling responsible, takes Madeleine into his home. The girl instantly falls in love with Raymond, but he insists upon honoring proprieties, putting her off by saying "Wait until you're 17." The thing of it is, he has already fallen in love with her, but he refuses to cause her the same emotional pain that he'd inflicted on her mother. Despite its darker aspects, Das Leben Beginnt Mit 17 is essentially upbeat entertainment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sonja Ziemann, Paul Hubschmid, (more)
- 1938
Considering Germany's own treatment of Poland in 1939, it is ironic in the extreme that the 1938 German film Um Freiheit und Liebe (For Freedom and Love) is a celebration of Poland's declaration of independence from Russia. Werner Hinz plays Konrad, an idealistic Polish student who courts disaster for his loved ones through his constant harrangues against Russian impression. When his mother promises the authorities that Konrad will cease his protests, he is honor bound to obey her, no matter what the provocation. Drowning his disappointment in liquor, Konrad falls in love with nightclub singer Anna Sasotska (Viktoria von Ballasko). While he never achieves his political goals, Konrad at least finds happiness romantically. The climax of the film is particularly exciting, even though it is motivated by anti-Russian (and implicitly pro-Nazi) propaganda. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Werner Hinz
- 1938
Lil Dagover, appointed Germany's "Actress of the State" in 1937, upholds her lofty title in the romantic melodrama Dreiklang. Dagover is cast as temptress Cornelia Contarini, who brings about the downfall of both an ageing widower named Albert von Moller (Paul Hartmann) and his son Albert (Rolf Moebius). The father's fate is particularly tragic, inasmuch as he is obliged to defend Cornelia's honor after it has been proven beyond doubt that she hardly has any honor left to defend. It is up to Albert to pick up the pieces, sacrificing his own happiness to remove Cornelia permanently from his life. Set during WW1, Dreiklang refresingly bypasses all opportunities to overpraise German militarism, as many films of this era were wont to do. The screenplay was written by Detlef Sierck, who later directed in Hollywood under the name of Douglas Sirk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lil Dagover, Paul Hartmann, (more)
- 1936
The title of this German murder mystery translates literally as Stronger Than Paragraphs. Paul Hartmann stars as criminal attorney Dr. Birk, at present defending an accused killer. In the course of the trial, another person is arrested for the crime on circumstantial evidence and subsequently sentenced to death. It is at this point that Birk discovers the surprising truth and is forced into a most difficult dilemma. Should Birk betray his attorney-client confidence in order to save an innocent man from execution? Staerker als Paragraphen was based on a novel by Curt I. Braun. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Hartmann, Karl Hellmer, (more)
- 1936
Everything For the Woman is the English-language title of this convoluted German romantic drama. Former German flying ace Heinrich Droop (Paul Hartmann) is given a postwar boost in the business world by Englishman Fred Keyne (Gustav Diesel) whose life Droop once saved. Appointed head engineer at Keyne's airplane factory, Droop seems destined for unlimited success. But things go horribly awry when our hero falls in love with Keyne's ex-chorine wife Blanche (Charlotte). Things look bleak when Blanche's former dancing partner blackmails the illicit couple, but all works out for the best in the film's gloriously unbelievable finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Hartmann, Charlotte Susa, (more)
- 1936
The "Castle in Flanders" of the title is where six aristocratic British officers are billeted during WWI. To pass the time, they play a scratchy old record on a ramshackle gramophone, eventually falling in love with the female voice heard on the recording. Meanwhile, the selfsame girl, a Parisian revue artiste named Gloria Delamare (Marta Eggarth) must fend off the attentions of her many ardent suitors. When she finally falls in love, it is of course with one of those six British officers, a man who has gone broke and is now a "suitable" beau for the low-born Gloria. The lucky swain is played by Paul Hartmann, one of Germany's most popular leading men of the 1930s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marta Eggerth, Paul Hartmann, (more)
- 1934
Paul Hartmann stars as businessman Bernhard Fredersen, who tries to make a go of his inherited business in South Africa. When Fredersen begins losing his eyesight, he is deserted by friends, business associates, and clients; only his wife, Agnes (Charlotte Susa), remains faithfully by his side. The villain of the piece is Eugen Schliebach, a Teutonic "Uriah Heep" who takes advantage of Fredersen's blindness to try to seduce the long-suffering Agnes. Schliebach is played by Gustaf Gründgens, one of the leading lights of the German theater, whose film appearances were infrequent but always welcome. Produced in Bavaria, Inheritance in Pretoria smells a bit of the lamp, with grandiose gestures and stagey direction carrying the day. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Hartmann, Charlotte Susa, (more)
- 1933
In this thriller, a corrupt business magnate wants to buy a financially troubled oil company. He hires a hitman to kill the struggling company's president, he then plans to replace the man with an imposter who is sent to a meeting with Europa Oil, the rival buyer. The hitman also attempts to kill an engineer who escapes. He enlists the aide of another who helps him locate a photo of the real company president. Meanwhile the imposter cuts a deal with Europa Oil. Just as he attempts to cash the check, the police burst in and arrest him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1933
This deluxe German/British production was originally released as simply F.P. 1. The story and characterizations take a back seat to the massive sets and state-of-art (for 1933) special effects. The floating aerodrome which provides the film's centerpiece is a truly impressive creation, far more so than the penny-dreadful espionage plotline involving plans to sabotage the mid-Atlantic airport. Among the scripters were future directors Curt Siodmak, Walter Reisch and Robert Stevenson, all of whom flourished in the dual Berlin/London market that would be broken up with the emergence of Hitler. Retitled F.P. 1 Doesn't Answer, the film was released in the U.S. by Hollywood's Fox Studios, which bestowed top billing upon American actor Leslie Fenton--over and above the more illustrious Conrad Veidt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hans Albers, Paul Hartmann, (more)
- 1923
At the Grey House was the English-language title of the 1925 German drama Zur Chronik von Greishuus. Advertised as "A Romance of the Moors," the film stars Lil Dagover as Barbara, a servant's daughter. Wealthy young Viscount Heinrich (Paul Hartman) is in love with Barbara, but their marriage is opposed by the boy's guardian Old Greishaus (Arthur Krausmack), who threatens to cut off Heinrich's inheritance. There are many heartbreaks and disappointments ahead for the two lovers, but in the end Right prevails. Variety's critic not only panned At the Grey House but also skewered the introductory comments made by the manager of the New York theater which ran the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Hartmann, Rudolf Forster, (more)
