Marianne Hoppe Movies
Her boyish figure a strict departure from such zoftig 1940s German stars as Zarah Leander and Kristina Söderbaum, Marianne Hoppe excelled in the melodramas of Helmut Käutner, notably the home-front morale-booster Auf Wiedersehen, Franziska! (1941). A stage actress of some renown, she had come to the screen in 1933 but didn't really impress until marrying theater legend Gustaf Gründgens in 1936. The Svengali-like Gründgens took hand of her career, both on-stage and on the screen, and she became one of the most popular dramatic actresses of her day, her career continuing unabated after the fall of the Third Reich (and after a brief tenure working in a Berlin refugee camp) and even her 1946 divorce from Gründgens. She has appeared extensively on television. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1989
Elderly female aristocrats gather at an ancient castle to live in grand style and escape the chaos of World War II. Expecting the Russians to arrive any moment, they are instead visited by a group of Nazis who consider making a final stand against the enemy at the castle. One wealthy dowager changes from sable to a feather boa when she is informed the next group of soldiers are Americans and not Russians. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Camilla Horn, Dietlinde Turban, (more)
- 1987
A group of aging friends, foes, and former colleagues gather to celebrate and deride the life of 80-year-old actress Francesca on her birthday. The distinguished thespian appeared on both stage and screen, but was best known for appearing in Fellini's films, particularly her one starring role in Frances Degli Angeli. A true woman of mystery Francesca was an orphan who was discovered by a depressed countess. Her domineering, cruel husband forced his wife to give the baby to a convent. There, some of the good nuns found in her purity and natural goodness, while others found her to be conniving and sly, opposing viewpoints that would dog the enigmatic Francesca for the rest of her life. The fun of this off-beat, satirical German exercise in cinema verite comes from the fact that Francesca is completely fictional. The former Fellini film veterans are not though. Many of the others are not professional actors, and almost all involved were encouraged to improvise by first-time feature film director Verena Rudolph, lending a further illusion of reality ( or surrealism depending on your viewpoint) to the film. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothea Neff
- 1974
The Wrong Move and The Wrong Movement were the English-language titles for German director Wim Wenders' Falsche Bewegung. Made for television, the film is an update of Goethe's Wilhelm Meister. Ruediger Vogeler plays aspiring writer Wilhelm Meister, who goes on a long odyssey in the woods in search of truth. His companions on this journey are pragmatic Therese (Hanna Schygulla), bisexual Mignon (Nastassja Kinski, billed under her real name, Nakszynski), Mignon's hippielike boyfriend Laertes (Hans-Christian Blech), and artistically bankrupt poet Landau (Peter Kean). The foursome accept the hospitality of an industrialist (Ivan Desny), who unbeknownst to all but himself is a deeply troubled ex-Nazi. Novelist Peter Handke wrote the screenplay for Wrong Move. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rüdiger Vogler, Hanna Schygulla, (more)
The third of many film and TV adaptations of the popular Agatha Christie novel And Then There Were None (Ten Little Indians is the title of the American edition, the hit play, and most of the movies), this 1965 version moves the action from a remote island to an isolated ski resort and otherwise rearranges the plot. The basic premise, however, remains the same. Ten strangers, eight of them guests and two of them servants, are lured to a dinner party and then trapped there to be killed one at a time by an unseen host who wishes to punish them for their disparate perceived crimes. The old nursery rhyme provides both the framing device, and, in the source material, the method of execution for each victim. In this version, however, the revised murder scenes include a hapless servant (Marianne Hoppe) falling to her death from a booby-trapped ski lift. Ten Little Indians features a varied cast that ranges from future Bond girls Shirley Eaton and Daliah Lavi to former teen idol Fabian and former Wyatt Earp TV star Hugh O'Brian. It also reunites My Fair Lady co-stars Stanley Holloway and Wilfrid Hyde-White. The film was the final directorial effort of George Pollock, who had previously helmed several adaptations of Christie's popular Miss Marple mysteries, starting with 1962's Murder, She Said. Christopher Lee makes an uncredited appearance as the recorded voice of absentee host/villain Mr. Owen. Despite its mountain setting, the picture was filmed in Ireland. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh O'Brian, Shirley Eaton, (more)
- 1964
There's something positively monolithic about the title Massacre at Marble City. The film's status as a western is, however, given away by its alternate title, Conquerors of Arkansas. And its country of origin is revealed by its original title, Die Golsucher von Arkansas. Brad Harris and Horst Frank star in this German actioner, wherein all heroes and villains converge upon Marble City for a cathartic shoot-out. Until we saw production stills of Massacre at Marble City, we didn't know that the Alps were in Arkansas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Although filmed by a joint German-Yugoslav crew, this European western is set in the Southern United States and involves an oddly-named hero, Old Shatterhand (Lex Barker of Tarzan fame). O.S. has a sidekick, Winnetou, an Apache chief played by a rather understated Pierre Brice. The fuel behind the drama is a hidden map that shows where a secret treasure is buried somewhere around Silver Lake. A gang of outlaws headed by Cornel Brinkley (Herbert Lom) is intent on retrieving the map and the treasure. Just as intent on stopping them are Old Shatterhand, Winnetou, and Fred Engel (Goetz George) whose father was killed by the outlaws' leader. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Brice, Lex Barker, (more)
- 1961
In this mystery, a young countess almost loses her life. Investigators soon discover that the attempt is linked to a murder that occurred 20-years ago. The plot is based on an Edgar Wallace story. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1943
This movie tells the story of a suicidal young woman who became involved with an artist. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1938
Also known as General House Cleaning, this is the story of an enterprising young girl who starts a housekeeping service. While plying her trade in a high-toned mansion, she makes the acquaintance of a wealthy young man, dressed up as common laborer for a masquerade. Never guessing the lad's true identity, our heroine falls in love with him on the spot, leading to complications that should be familiar to any fan of screwball comedy. The American salability of Gross Reinemachen was enhanced by the fact that its star, Anny Ondra, was the wife of former heavyweight champion Max Schmeling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marianne Hoppe, Fita Benkhoff, (more)
- 1937
Der Herrscher (The Sovereign) was based on Before Sunset, a play by Gerhart Hauptmann. The great Emil Jannings stars as Mathias Clausen, a self-made businessman who is forced to do a great deal of soul-searching when his wife unexpectedly dies. Determining to start life anew, he falls in love with his secretary Inken (Marianne Hoppe) and impulsively takes a vacation to Italy. Clausen's selfish grown children, not wishing to share their father's affections -- nor his money -- with his new wife-to-be, go to court demanding that Clausen be declared mentally incompetent. Upon finding this out, Clausen flies into a rage, leaving the audience to wonder whether or not he really as gone off his trolley. Der Herrscher was directed by Veit Harlan, more famous (or notorious) for his viciously anti-Semitic Jud Suess (1940). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emil Jannings, Paul Wagner, (more)
- 1936
Eine Frau Ohne Bedeutung was adapted by Thea von Harbou from the 1893 Oscar Wilde comedy A Woman of No Importance. Though updated to the 1930s, the story, concerning a reconciliation between an estranged father and son as orchestrated by an "unimportant" woman, remains the same. Perhaps Wilde had not intended his third act to be quite so melodramatic, but it must be remembered that von Harbou previously worked on such films as Dr. Mabuse and Metropolis. Without a thorough knowledge of German, one is hard-pressed to determine whether or not Wilde's epigrammatic dialogue survived intact. Still, audiences in 1936 were satisfied, as were the producers when Eine Frau Ohne Bedeutung turned out to be a success. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hans Leibelt, Käthe Dorsch, (more)
- 1935
The popular German stage play Krach um Jolanthe was brought to the screen by producer-director Carl Froelich in 1935. Jolanthe is the name of a prize sow, the pride of a tiny rural community. Trouble begins when the sheriff comes calling, demanding to collect an exorbitant tax on the blue-ribbon oinker. When the owner can't pay up, the sheriff holds an auction to sell the sow to the highest bidder. The loyal townsfolk boycott the event, then plot a "jailbreak" when the sow is placed in custody of the local constabulary. Subtlety is hardly the strong suit of Krach um Jolanthe; the audience is invited to park its dignity at the door and laugh out loud unashamedly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marianne Hoppe
