Renate Mueller Movies
- 1936
A popular novel by Richard Henry Savage was the springboard for Seine Offizielle Frau (My Official Wife). The story is set in 1910 with the action evenly divided between Paris and St. Petersburg. Basically a comedy, the story concerns a high-ranking British official named Colonel Lenox (George Alexander) who is forced by diplomatic circumstances to pretend that one Mme. Helene (Renate Muller) is his wife. All well and good -- except that the Colonel is already married! My Official Wife was first filmed by Vitagraph in 1916 -- and, contrary to popular belief, did not feature Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky in the cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renate Mueller, George Alexander, (more)
- 1936
Allotria is a catch-all German word which roughly translates as "Hokum." And there's hokum in abundance when lascivious lothario Philip (Adolf Wohlbruck, aka Anton Walbrook) falls into a marriage trap concocted by Gaby (Jenny Jugo) and Viola (Renate Muller). Knowing that Philip prefers the sexual company of married women, Gaby and Viola exchange identities, much to the discomfort of Gaby's jealous husband David (Heinz Ruhmann). The misunderstandings multiply as the four protagonists attend the annual Monte Carlo motor race, then head off for a zany ocean voyage. On the basis of his past box-office track record, director Willie Forst was afforded a huge budget to complete Allotria, and the added expenditure was well worth it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jenny Jugo, Renate Muller, (more)
- 1933
Another spin on the life of "waltz king" Joseph Strauss, Walzerkrug (Battle of the Waltzes) is typical of the escapist musicals produced in Germany during the Third Reich. Having never heard a Viennese waltz, young Queen Victoria (Hanna Waag) orders the British ambassador to Austria to check out a prominent composer named Joseph Lanner (Paul Hoerbiger). The ambassador intends to bring Lanner and his orchestra to England, but is sidetracked when he discovers that first violinist Joseph Strauss (Adolf Wohlbrueck) is the most musically gifted of Lanner's aggregation. When Strauss is presented to Victoria's court, a "war of music" develops between the young violinist and pompous English composer Sir Philip (Theo Lingen). The whole matter is somehow settled when Strauss and Lanner team up to compose the famous Radetzky March (if only WWII could have been so easily avoided!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anton Walbrook, Paul Hoerbiger, (more)
- 1933
The most popular of Reinhold Schuenzel's German directorial efforts, Viktor und Viktoria is a spoof of such music-hall "male impersonators" as Vesta Tillie. Unable to get a show-business job, would-be singer Renate Muller is urged by her somewhat epicene friend Hermann Thimig to adopt a brand-new stage persona. Our heroine re-invents herself as a cross-dressing entertainer, posing as a man (Viktor) who poses as a woman (Viktoria)! The fun begins when Muller falls in love with Adolf Wohlbrueck, who can't quite understand why he's so attractive to the aggressively male "Viktoria." Viktor und Viktoria was remade in England by Jessie Mathews as First a Girl (1936), then of course by Blake Edwards as the 1981 Julie Andrews vehicle Victor/Victoria. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renate Mueller, Hermann Thimig, (more)
- 1931
The title of this German farce translates loosely as The Slight Indiscretion. What makes the story all the more amusing is the fact that the indiscreet hero, Walter Heller (Herman Thimig), is a divorce attorney. When his affections are stolen by femme fatale Lona (Hilde Hildebrand), Heller's wife Erika (Renate Muller) gets even by "vamping" Lona's husband Dr. Eppman (Hans Brauseweiter). A dual divorce ceremony follows almost immediately, but everything is straightened out in time for the closing production number. German audiences were happy with Der Kleine Seitenspring, but American observers felt it was a shade overlong. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hermann Thimig, Renate Mueller, (more)
- 1931
This German-language version of the Italian film Canzone del L'Amore (Song of Love) was based on Silence, a novel by Luigi Pirandello. Upon finding out that her mother has died in childbirth, heroine Lucia (Renate Muller) takes care of the baby herself. To keep her mother's indiscretion from becoming public, Lucia does her best to conceal the child's existence, even going so far as to send her sweetheart Enrico (Gustav Froelich) packing. Years later, both Enrico and the baby's father make unexpected appearances, insisting that they be given custody of the child. Lucia rejects them both, feeling that she alone is best suited to look after the child's welfare. Though the novel ends unhappily, the film does not. For the record, Liebseleid was one of four 1931 films starring Renate Muller, one of German's most popular early-talkie screen personalities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renate Mueller, Gustav Froehlich, (more)
- 1930
More formerly known as Das Floetenkonzert von Sanssouci, this German historical drama is set during the reign of Prussia's Frederick the Great (here played by Otto Gebuehr, who made a career out of the role). Forced against his will to go back to war by his enemies, the King stirs up the patriotism of his countrymen by staging the titular flute concert. At one point, Frederick rails against the iniquities of "peace treaties," an obvious -- and anachronistic -- swipe at the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. This propagandistic sidebar is quite surprising in a pre-Third Reich German film but should not be constituted as being pro-Nazi (indeed, director Gustav Uelcky was forced to flee Europe when Hitler came to power). Still, it cannot be denied that Floetenkonzert is a glorification of war and warfare, no matter how prettily it was put together. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Otto Gebuhr, Renate Mueller, (more)
- 1930
Also known as Darling of the Gods, this was Emil Jannings' second talkie appearance. Jannings stars as famed operatic singer Albert Winkelmann, who is greeted with cheers, applause and romantic propositions whenever he performs in his native Vienna. But when he embarks on a tour of South America, tragedy strikes. The sweltering climate causes Winkelmann to lose his voice on stage, a disaster met with hoots and cat-calls. Dispirited he returns to Europe, where he soon learns that no one is aware of what happened in South America. Intending to retire so as not to be exposed to further humiliation, Winkelmann is goaded back on stage -- where, miraculously, his gorgeous voice returns. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emil Jannings, Renate Mueller, (more)
- 1930
Originally Liebe in Ring, this German part-talkie is a generally agreeable effort to transform heavyweight boxing champ Max Schmeling into a movie star. It's the old saw about an up-and-coming pugilist who ignores his loyal girlfriend in favor of a wealthy adventuress. His new romance nearly wrecks the hero's career, but with the help of his friends -- and of course, his real sweetheart -- he makes a spectacular comeback. The final scenes show Schmeling and his new bride heading for America, which was evidently Mecca so far as pre-Hitlerian German filmmakers were concerned. Max Schmeling's leading lady in Love in the Ring is Olga Tschechowa; in real life, he married the equally popular actress Anny Ondra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frida Richard, Olga Tschechowa, (more)
