Curd Jürgens Movies
German actor Curd Jurgens worked as a journalist until his first wife, actress Louise Basler, persuaded him to take up acting. In 1935 he began appearing on the German stage and screen, and gradually increased his career status until 1944, when he was sent to a concentration camp at the order of Dr. Goebbels. After his release he continued to appear in German films, gaining international recognition with his work in The Devil's General (1955). Jurgens went on to be a leading star of the European stage and international films; onscreen he often played urbane villains, and sometimes was cast as a Nazi. Although he appeared in over 100 films, he considered himself primarily a stage actor. He directed a few films with limited success, and also wrote screenplays. Jurgens was married five times; one of his wives was actress Eva Bartok. He authored an autobiography, Sixty and Not Yet Wise. ~ All Movie Guide- 1959
Feeling hamstrung and confined by Hollywood, writer/director Robert Siodmak returned to Europe to make most of his latter-day films. Produced in France, Magnificent Sinner stars Curt Jurgens as Czar Alexander II, with Romy Schneider as schoolgirl Katja. The Czar takes Katja as his mistress, elevating her to princess status. The romance leads to court intrigue, and is instrumental in Alexander's ultimate assassination. Magnificent Sinner was originally released as Katia; it was a remake of a 1938 French film of the same name, which starred Danielle Darieaux. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Romy Schneider, Curd Jürgens, (more)
- 1959
Filmed in Germany, Duel in the Forest is set in the 18th century. Feudal lords regularly oppress the German peasantry, taxing them into starvation. From out of the hills rides a band of highway robbers, acting as Teutonic Robin Hoods, to steal from the haves for the benefit of the have-nots. Duel in the Forest is so obscure that it virtually never appears in the official credits of its stars Curt Jurgens and Maria Schell. The film did not receive an American release until it was sold to television in the early 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
May Britt attempts to follow in the footsteps of Marlene Dietrich in this glossy Hollywood remake of the German classic. Professor Immanuel Rath (Curt Jurgens) is shocked to discover a number of his students have been frequenting a nightspot called the Blue Angel, where a scandalous entertainer named Lola (May Britt) performs. Rath attends the show one night in order to catch some of his boys in this den of wickedness, but he is soon drawn into Lola's sensual spell, and in time becomes involved in an obsessive romance with her that costs him his job, his savings and his dignity. Josef von Sternberg's original version of The Blue Angel was actually a good bit franker and more sensual than this version, which adds a happier ending, along with color and CinemaScope. A year after this film's release, star May Britt made headlines when she married entertainer Sammy Davis Jr.. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Curd Jürgens, May Britt, (more)
- 1958
Adapted from a novelette by Prosper Merimée, Tamango ran into censorship problems in the U.S. for several reasons, not least of which was the fact that its director, John Berry, had been blacklisted during the Communist witch hunt. Set during the early 19th century, the story concerns a slave revolt engineered by newly captured African warrior Tamango (Alex Cressan). Though the revolt is violently put down, the legend of Tamango lives on in the hearts and minds of black slaves everywhere. One of the most controversial aspects of Tamango was its depiction of a romance between white ship's captain Curd Jurgens and slave woman Dorothy Dandridge. This alone was enough to deny the film bookings in certain Southern regions of the U.S. Since that time, Tamango (which was filmed simultaneously in an English- and French-language version) has gained a cult reputation among film buffs, and as such is a movie that deserves to be better known. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Dandridge, Curd Jürgens, (more)
- 1958
This Happy Feeling is based on the F. Hugh Herbert play For Love or Money. Debbie Reynolds plays impulsive Janet Blake, who develops a crush on retired stage star Preston Mitchell (Curt Jurgens). Rejuvenated by Janet's ardor, Mitchell decides to return to the stage, where he must contend with predatory leading lady Nita Holloway (Alexis Smith) and pretentious method actor Tony Manza (Troy Donahue). Meanwhile, Janet begins evincing a preference for Mitchell's neighbor Bill Tremaine (John Saxon), who is closer to her own age. Some extra laughs are provided by the booze-laced pancakes served up by pixieish housekeeper Mrs. Early (Estelle Winwood). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debbie Reynolds, Curd Jürgens, (more)
- 1958
In this drama, a Jewish refugee finds himself stranded in Paris just as the Nazi invaders arrive. Desperate to escape, he commanders the car of a Polish colonel who hates Jews. In order to save himself, the colonel helps the fellow escape. En route, they pick up the officer's girl friend. Trouble begins when the girl finds herself attracted to the Jewish fellow who is really quite witty and charming. The colonel is not amused, but eventually they three end up hiding in a castle. Unfortunately, they are captured anyway. To help them out, the Jewish fellow pretends the colonel is his cousin and they manage to escape. This causes the colonel to change his attitudes and the two become friends. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Kaye, Curd Jürgens, (more)
Alan Burgess' novel The Small Woman was the source for the British/American co-production Inn of the Sixth Happiness. Set in the China of the 1930s, the film stars Ingrid Bergman as real-life missionary Gladys Aylward. Against the advice of practically everyone, Gladys heads into the war-ravaged interior to spread the Christian gospel. She finds a powerful ally in the form of an elderly Mandarin (Robert Donat) who, despite his early efforts to rid himself of the troublesome Gladys, eventually converts to Christianity. Gladys' burgeoning romance with Chinese army officer Lin Nan (Curt Jurgens) is interrupted when she is obliged to guide a group of Chinese children to safety over some of the most treacherous of Northern China's mountain regions. Inn of the Sixth Happiness retains its entertainment value some four decades after its production, even allowing for the preponderance of Occidental actors in Oriental roles. The film also served to breathe new life into the old children's nonsense song "This Old Man" (aka "Knick, Knack, Paddywhack"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ingrid Bergman, Curd Jürgens, (more)
- 1958
In this big-top melodrama, a circus barker gets involved with a lovely-high diver and murders her husband. He beats her, then steals her savings. She ends up dumping him for a photographer, but then goes back for more. He obliges and begins choking her to death. The simpleton strongman comes to her aide, and crushes the barker to death. The high-diver then returns to the photographer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Director Andre Cayatte's first film in two years, Oeil pour Oeil (An Eye for an Eye) was adapted from a novel by Vahe Katcha. The scene is Lebanon, where doctor Curd Jurgens, worn out by a hard day, refuses to examine the wife of Folco Lulli. When the wife subsequently dies, Lulli holds Jurgens responsible. Stalking the doctor day and night, Lulli goads Jurgens into proving that he isn't neglectful. En route to a call at a remote desert outpost, the doctor discovers that his car has been sabotaged. Marooned in the middle of the desert, Jurgens meets his fate at the hands of Lulli in a scene straight out of Von Stroheim's Greed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Curd Jürgens, Folco Lulli, (more)
- 1957
Filmed in 1955, Les Espions (The Spies) was based on Midnight Patient, a novel by Egon Hostowsky. The scene is a rundown sanitarium, which is subtly but thoroughly taken over by a ruthless gang of international spies. One of the new "patients" is purportedly the inventor of a new nuclear explosive device, which of course attracts the attention of Russian and American counterspies. When it turns out that the inventor is a phony, it throws the entires espionage community into a frenzy. Before long, it is impossible to tell the good guys from the bad. As confusing as it sounds, Les Espions has the advantage of a superb international cast, including Curt Jurgens, Sam Jaffe, and Peter Ustinov. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Curd Jürgens, Véra Clouzot, (more)
In Nicholas Ray's WWII drama, two British officers, Captain Leith (Richard Burton) and Major Brand (German character actor Curd Jürgens, who would later play Bond foe Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me), a South African, are being considered to lead a daring raid to steal crucial documents from a Nazi stronghold in Libya. The two don't seem particularly fond of each other. Brand's wife, Jane (Ruth Roman of Strangers on a Train), arrives on the base. There's an odd awkwardness when Brand introduces her to Leith at the officers' club. It turns out the two already know each other, intimately. They were romantically involved long ago, until Leith broke it off without warning. Jane later met Brand. Leith and Jane keep their relationship a secret from Brand, but he realizes something's up when he goes out for a bit and comes back to find them dancing together. He later gets angry when his wife slips up and refers to Leith as "Jimmy." Brand and Leith are chosen to lead the mission together. Jane says goodbye to Leith, and Wilkins (Nigel Green of The Ipcress File) and some other soldiers see them together. The raid goes fairly smoothly, until Brand can't bring himself to kill a German sentry, and Leith feels compelled to step in and do it for him. Brand's resentment of Leith grows. The team steals the documents and heads out across the desert to make their escape. They're attacked by a German patrol, and after the melee, Brand arouses suspicious when he orders Leith to stay with three badly wounded soldiers while the rest of the group leaves for the rendezvous point. Bitter Victory is based on the novel by René Hardy. Jean-Luc Godard famously said of the film in his review, "Nicholas Ray is cinema." ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Burton, Curd Jürgens, (more)
The Enemy Below is a study of submarine warfare from the vantage point of both sides. Robert Mitchum plays the captain of an American destroyer, who despite having lost his family in the war endeavors to let his head rule his heart in combat. Curt Jurgens co-stars as a German U-boat commander, depicted as being as honorable and compassionate as Mitchum. The two men develop a grudging mutual respect as they pursue one another throughout the North Atlantic. Based on a novel by D. A. Rayner, The Enemy Below was the last theatrical film directed by Dick Powell, who hereafter concentrated on his extensive television work. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens, (more)
- 1957
An Arab man enters a desert to chase the doctor who caused his wife's unexpected death. ~ All Movie Guide
This Roger Vadim production was released in the US as ...And God Created Woman. Vadim's then-wife Brigitte Bardot plays the central character, a curvaceous nymphet with a voracious sexual appetite. In fact, it isn't what Bardot does in bed but what she might do that drives the three principal male characters (Curd Jurgens, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Christian Marquand) into an erotic frenzy. Most available prints of ...And God Created Woman have been heavily edited to conform with the prevailing censorial standards of 1957. Vadim remade his own film in 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brigitte Bardot, Curd Jürgens, (more)
- 1956
This war drama is based on actual events from World War II. The Nazis invade the Netherlands and capture an important British agent who relays daily messages from Amsterdam to London. When the Germans continue to send these messages (unknown to the British), it creates havoc for the British and Dutch underground. Many agents are captured or killed, and the British must smuggle a female agent into Amsterdam to access the troubled situation. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Curd Jürgens, Dawn Addams, (more)
- 1956
The Russian Czar's special courier, Jurgens, is entrusted with an important message destined for the Czar's troops and he sets off across the Tartars' land with Page in this 19th century setting. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Curd Jürgens, Geneviève Page, (more)
- 1956
Lilli Palmer stars in the German Teufel in Seide (Devil in Silk). Lilli plays Melanie, the new wife of famed concert pianist Thomas Ritter (Curd Juergens--later known as Curt Jurgens). It isn't long before Ritter discovers that his wife is jealous to the point of insanity. When Melanie finds Ritter in the arms of another, she kills herself, carefully arranging the evidence to make it seem as though her husband killed her. Based on a novel by Gina Kaus, Teufel in Seide was released in the US with English subtitles, though Lilli Palmer certainly could have dubbed her dialogue into English had she been asked to do so. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lilli Palmer, Winnie Markus, (more)
- 1955
When director Robert Siodmak filmed a German-language version of the Gerhardt Hauptmann play Die Ratten he simultaneously shot an English version of the same film with the same cast, which would later be released in Australia as The Rats. No, this isn't a Willard-style horror film. Maria Schell stars as an East German girl anxious to get a fake passport to the West. To raise the necessary funds, she sells her illegitimate baby to another woman (Barbara Rush), who hopes that the child will bring her closer to her husband. There are rats scampering on the set and chewing up prop food, but the actual "rats" of the title are of the human variety--notably the petty crook (Curt Jurgens) who impregnates Ms. Schell in the first place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Schell, Heidemarie Hatheyer, (more)
- 1955
The Devil's General (Des Teufels General) stars Curt Jurgens as a courageous Luftwaffe officer. Jurgens loves the service, even though he barely tolerates the Hitler regime. Sickened by wartime Nazi atrocities, Jurgens renounces his government, and is imprisoned and tortured as a result. Once released, the general takes pity on a downtrodden Jewish family. This isolated act of kindness is a point in his favor when Jurgens stands before Satan himself for his final judgment. The Devil's General was based on an immensely successful postwar play by German author Carl Zuckmeyer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Curd Jürgens, Viktor de Kowa, (more)
- 1955
A good cast smooths over the rough spots of Les Heros sont Fatigues. The scene is the African republic of Liberia, which in this film proves to be a stopping-off point for a number of shady characters. Yves Montand plays a French ex-pilot who becomes involved in a scheme to smuggle stolen diamonds. His cohorts include a Nazi collaborator, a German refugee, and the white mistress of a prominent Liberian. A romance develops between the ex-pilot and the aforementioned mistress. Meanwhile, one of the conspirators (Curt Jurgens) has a last-minute attack of conscience, effectively queering the deal. The steamier romantic passages in Les Heros sont Fatigues had to be trimmed for American consumption. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yves Montand, Maria Felix, (more)
