Milza Korjus Movies
Polish colortura soprano Milza Korjus was best known for her European performances during the late '20s and early '30s. Though she worked with a number of different opera companies, she is best known for her work at the Berlin Opera. In the late '30s, Korjus came to MGM, Hollywood to co-star in The Great Waltz, a biography of Johann Strauss. She earned an Oscar nomination for her work, but unfortunately, never made another film. She did however continue making concert appearances. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1938
The Great Waltz was the first of two films bearing the same title which told the life story of Austrian "Waltz King" Johann Strauss. European singing sensation Fernard Gravet stars as Strauss, while MGM's two-time Oscar winner Luise Rainer is top-billed as Poldi Vogelhuber. Poldi is the wife of Strauss, but she is forced to sit and sulk as her husband carries on a lengthy affair with opera singer Milza Korjus (in her only American film). Husband and wife mend their differences shortly before being introduced to the court of Emperor Franz Josef. The scene everyone remembers is the one in which Gravet and Korjus improvise "The Tales of the Vienna Woods" while taking a buggy ride in the country. It's as corny as all get out, but never fails to earn applause when seen today. Dmitri Tiomkin was given the unenviable task of adapting the original Strauss tunes to conform with the concept of the film, while an uncredited Josef Von Sternberg assisted official director Julien Duvuvier in several crucial scenes. The 1972 The Great Waltz, which starred Horst Buchholtz, is generally conceded to be a disaster. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luise Rainer, Fernand Gravey, (more)
