Lilli Palmer Movies
The daughter of a German surgeon and an Austrian actress, Lilli Palmer was ten years old when she began appearing in amateur theatricals in Berlin. She studied for a theater career with Ilka Gruning, a character actress best known for her brief appearance as a refugee in Casablanca (1942). Shortly after her professional bow in 1932, Palmer fled from Germany to escape the incoming Nazi government. She worked at Paris' Moulin Rouge, then learned English well enough to appear in British films from 1935 and on the London stage from 1938. In the company of her first husband, Rex Harrison (whom she married in 1943), Palmer came to America in 1945, appearing in such stage productions as Anne of a Thousand Days and Bell, Book and Candle, and in such films as Cloak and Dagger (1946) and Body and Soul (1948). In 1952, she co-starred with Harrison in the film adaptation of the Broadway hit The Four Poster. Her marriage dissolved when Harrison became interested in movie leading lady Kay Kendall; her second -- and last -- husband was actor Carlos Thompson. Resettling in Europe in 1954, Palmer periodically returned to Hollywood for such projects as the well-circulated 1955 TV anthology The Lilli Palmer Theater. She continued to star in films produced in virtually every corner of the world, and to appear on Broadway. A prolific writer, Lilli Palmer published several books, including her 1975 autobiography Change Lobsters and Dance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Walter Slezak plays a guide in a Vienna wax museum in this fantasy. When the tourists get to the figure of Chancellor Metternich, they are magically transported back in time to the Viennese Congress of 1814. The aristocrats are much more interested in parties and social affairs than the affairs of state, leading to a series of amorous escapades. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lilli Palmer, Curd Jürgens, (more)
- 1964
In this thriller three people are murdered during a business power play. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1963
In this French drama, set upon the Riviera, a widow works a jewel thief on the side. She keeps this up until she meets a handsome gent. She soon cleans up her act. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1963
This overdone German film relies on a repetitive plot centered around bedroom antics worthy of daytime dramas. A call girl (Hildegard Knef) teaches the "ways of love" to a boy (Thomas Fritsch). The boy uses the knowledge to seduce the young wife (Alexandra Stewart) of his professor (Martin Held). Meanwhile, the professor carries on with his secretary (Daliah Lavi). The story continues in like fashion, with little else to give it strength. ~ Lucinda Ramsey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lilli Palmer, Nadja Tiller, (more)
In this tense espionage drama set in 1942, William Holden plays Eric Erickson, an American-born Swede who is put on the Allied blacklist for trading oil with the Nazis. Collins (Hugh Griffith), a British intelligence agent, offers to expunge Erickson's name from the blacklist after the war in return for information on the Nazis. Erickson agrees to the plan and proceeds to make it look as if he is pro-Nazi. This subterfuge causes him to be branded a traitor, and his wife, believing Eric to be a Nazi, walks out on him. Nevertheless, Eric continues with his deceit and makes the Germans think that he is planning to construct an oil refinery in Sweden to serve as a fuel supply for Germany. As a result he is allowed entrance to four German oil refinery, and he passes on the information to Collins. But Eric is being put under surveillance by the Nazis. They discover that Eric's lover, Marianne (Lilli Palmer) is working for the Allies. Suddenly both Marianne and Eric are arrested and thrown into Moabit Prison -- with dire consequences for both of them. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Holden, Lilli Palmer, (more)
In a rather confusing and slow-paced manner, this wartime drama about a real-life dilemma is meant to highlight the dedication of Colonel Alois Podhajsky (Robert Taylor), the instructor at a prestigious Vienna equestrian school. The colonel is in charge of the safety and health of the royal Lipizzaner horses and he has a serious problem. He has not been able to secure German permission to leave for a safe haven with the horses and, at the same time, he has to get them together with the Lipizzaner mares in order to continue the species. The trouble is that the mares are in the hands of the enemy. And so the colonel sets out to get the horses through a German checkpoint, and convince General Patton (John Larch) to help him with his mission. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Lilli Palmer, (more)
- 1962
Adorable Julia, by director Alfred Weidenmann, is perhaps a little too provincial or out-moded for most audiences in spite of the sophisticated allure of Lili Palmer and Charles Boyer in the lead roles. Palmer plays the title character Julia, the philandering wife of Michel (Boyer), a very understanding husband. At the moment, the aging Julia is involved in an affair with Tom (Jean Sorel), a younger man more interested in climbing up the social ladder via this liaison than in any real romantic commitment. For several different reasons, Julia finally begins to see the light and starts to reconsider her long and well-established relationship with her husband. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lilli Palmer, Charles Boyer, (more)
- 1962
In this WW II drama, a captain attempts to navigate his Italian submarine through enemy waters. He is stalked by a British commander assigned to destroy the sub. The Italian captain somehow succeeds in getting into neutral waters and is granted permission to stay there a fortnight. The British commander also stays in Tangiers so he can monitor the Italian. During their stay, the two agree not to fight and gradually come to respect each other. Meanwhile an intelligence officer, tries to upset the careful balance between the men. He uses the Italian's lover to get him to make a move. It works, and the Italian accuses his girl of spying and leaves the safety of port. The British commander follows and ends up losing his ship to the Italian's torpedoes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Romance, sex, and marriage are the themes of this episodic Italian comedy. The first of the four vignettes, "The Women" tells the story of a bored adulterer who feels ignored by his gaggle of mistresses and decides to obsess upon seducing an old conquest one more time. He later inadvertently deflowers a virgin. In "The Serpent" an ignored wife endeavors to get her husband to pay attention to her while they are on a Sicilian holiday by faking an encounter with a poisonous snake. She later pretends that two helpful truck drivers, who picked her up after a breakdown, raped her causing their arrest. Later the husband arrives, explains his wife's behavior and promises to be more mindful of her. In "The Soldier" a soldier attempts to seduce a lovely widow during a train ride. She ignores him until all the other passengers leave then in utter silence makes passionate love. Later when the train reaches its destination, the soldier tries to follow her, but her relatives stop him. She gets into a car and disappears down the road. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudia Mori, Catherine Spaak, (more)
- 1961
Mrs. Cheney (Lilli Palmer) is a genteel widow whose outward appearances hide her involvement as a thief. With the help of her faithful butler, she steals diamonds from a wealthy matron. When she falls in love with a handsome international playboy, her thoughts quickly change from larceny to love in this light comedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lilli Palmer, Carlos Thompson, (more)
- 1961
In this dark drama, a married tutor in a French village finds himself obsessed by a beautiful young girl and begins to stalk her. He soon finds out that she is the mistress of the man whose son he has been tutoring. The tutor confronts her, and she denies it. He then makes a pass at her. When she strongly resists, he attempts to kill her and ends up scarring her face. He then goes on the lam. Along the way, he kills an older man. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Jourdan, Lilli Palmer, (more)
- 1961
Based on a play by Samuel Taylor and Cornelia Otis Skinner, The Pleasure of His Company is an old-fashioned romantic comedy. Fred Astaire plays Biddeford "Pogo" Poole, the long-absent prodigal father of Jessica Poole (Debbie Reynolds), who is just about to be married. Much to the dismay of his ex-wife, Katharine (Lilli Palmer), and her new husband, James Dougherty (Gary Merrill), Pogo shows up at the wedding. To get back into the family circle, he puts on the old charm, but before film's end realizes that charm alone is no substitute for parental responsibility. Charlie Ruggles makes a wry turn as Pogo's former father-in-law. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Astaire, Debbie Reynolds, (more)
- 1961
A slight screenplay and surface characterization undermine the telling of this dramatic tale by director Roger Leenhardt. Like a few other directors during this period, Leenhardt works with the idea of the story in a film being juxtaposed with real life. When a film critic comes across a woman crying her heart out during a tragic movie, he decides to find out what is going on. It turns out that Eva (Lili Palmer) the movie fan, has identified herself with the suicidal heroine of the film and plans on ending it all in the same fashion. The celluloid scenes and Eva's own circumstances alternate as the drama unfolds and the film critic tries to find a way to stop her self-destructive obsession. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lilli Palmer, Maurice Ronet, (more)
- 1960
Lilli Palmer stars as a nun in a World War 2-era Italian convent. At the risk of her own life and those of her cloistered colleagues, Palmer hides a group of Jewish orphans from the Nazis. She then attempts to shepherd the kids to the safety of foster homes. Danger looms in the form of Nazi colonel Albert Lieven, who isn't quite as sympathetic as the nuns. Costar Sylvia Syms has some of the film's best scenes. There's little in Conspiracy of Hearts that we haven't seen before, but the actors manage to inject humor, warmth and pathos into the all-too-familiar proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lilli Palmer, Sylvia Syms, (more)
- 1959
For some reason, European filmmakers are irresistibly attracted to the notion of sex and betrayal under the big top. The Austrian/German Hippodrome stars Gerhard Riedmann as a circus tiger trainer, hopelessly in love with ballerina Margit Nunme. The girl plays up to Riedmann so that she can join his act. The trainer is transferred to another circus, so Margit takes up with sharpshooter Willy Birgel. When Riedmann returns, the jealous Birgel drugs his tigers, then kills himself when he's found out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Clark Gable stars in this standard romantic comedy, one of his last films before his death in 1960. Based on the play Accent on Youth, this adaption of the love affair between an older man and his 22-year-old secretary ends differently. Russ Ward (Gable) has been producing for thirty years, and when he decides to call it quits, his secretary Ellie (Carroll Baker) writes him a love note with her resignation. Russ opts for turning this intriguing situation into a hit play -- starring Ellie in the title role. At the same time, he romances Ellie and starts an internal struggle over his May-December affair. The title song, But Not for Me went on to become a popular hit. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clark Gable, Carroll Baker, (more)
- 1959
An unexceptional drama of the exceptional George Bernard Shaw's story of a conflict of morals, Frau Warren's Gewerbe stars Lilli Palmer in the role of Mrs. Kitty Warren and Johanna Matz as her daughter Vivie. The mathematically talented and well-educated Vivie owes her accomplishments to her absentee mother who has paid all the bills in her upbringing. When they meet at last in a country home, Vivie is shocked to discover that her mother not only gained her lucre through prostitution but is still a partner with Sir George Crofts (O.E. Hasse) in the management of several brothels around Europe. That shock is soon followed by another when Vivie finds out the truth about the parentage of her boyfriend Frank. This is all heavy going for the turn of the 20th century when certain topics were still taboo. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Montparnasse 19 is better known as Modigliani, which is also the name of its protagonist. In broad, melodramatic strokes, screenwriter Max Ophuls and director Jacques Becker offer their spin on the tragic, troubled life of Italian abstract painter Amedeo Modigliani. As played by Gerard Philipe, Modigliani is first seen as the derelict he became during his days as a resident of rundown Montparnasse in 1919. His one chance for redemption through the love of the beautiful Jeanne (Anouk Aimee) is thwarted by his hateful family. Another contributing factor to Modigliani's downfall is debauched English novelist Beatrice Hastings (Lili Palmer). The Modigliani depicted in Montparnasse 19 makes Vincent Van Gogh look like Pat Boone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Philipe, Anouk Aimée, (more)
- 1958
French filmmaker Sacha Guitry had intended to direct as well as write 3DLa Vie a Deux3D (3DLife as a Couple3D), but death claimed him before he could bring his plan to fruition. Adapted from Guitry's original by Jean Martin and directed by Clement Duhor, the film offers an all-star cast in a series of seriocomic anecdotes. The narrative is tied together by a millionaire novelist (based on Guitry himself), who on his deathbed wants to bequeath his fortune to several married couples upon whom he'd based one of his books. The proviso is that the couples must have remained happily wed to claim their money. The millionaire's family anxiously hire private detectives to prove that the couples in question are not only unhappy, but shameless philanderers in the bargain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Brasseur, Danielle Darrieux, (more)
- 1958
Christa Winsloe's novel Maedchen in Uniform was first filmed in Germany in 1933. The story, about a sensitive schoolgirl's lesbian attachment to her headmistress, was handled tastefully, albeit with remarkable frankness for its period. The 1958 remake is somewhat toned down and the material directed in a routine fashion, though technically the production has fewer frayed edges than the 1933 version. Romy Schneider stars in the old Hertha Thiele role as the student, while Lili Palmer takes over from Dorothea Wieck as the older woman. Made in 1958, the remake of Maedchen in Uniform was not released in the U.S. until 1965, possibly because it went against the production code edict concerning "suicide as a plot solution." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lilli Palmer, Romy Schneider, (more)
- 1957
All the money in the world cannot provide the security the rich industrialist in this drama seems to crave. Although wealthy and powerful, the man is terribly afraid of losing his beauteous wife to another. His fears rule his private life; to keep her safe, the man begins holding her prisoner. This does not do much for the wife, and the rich man ends up losing her completely. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
