Charles Regnier Movies
- 1949
In this witty, well-written, and fast-moving drama, director Josef von Baky and scripter Fritz Kortner have fashioned a cutting statement on the nature of prejudice and ethnicity. A professor who emigrated from Nazi Germany to teach in Los Angeles comes back to Germany ten years later, intending to continue his career. He also needs to find out what happened to his ex-wife and son, the biggest motivation for his decision to return. He does find his ex-wife and they are happily reunited but exactly where his son may be is another question entirely. Meanwhile, a professor who stayed through the Nazi period in Germany is resentful of the repatriated "American" German, creating one of several problems that take their toll on the returned exile. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fritz Kortner, Johanna Hofer, (more)
- 1954
O.E. Hasse stars in this "retro" German historical biography as Admiral Canaris, who during WW2 was the man in charge of Germany's home defenses. The film takes great pains to point out the Admiral's essential dislike of Nazism, suggesting that he was sympathetic to the aims of the German underground, even though he himself could not participate. In 1944, Canaris joins the plot to overthrow Hitler, ending up in a concentration camp when the military coup fails. The villain of the piece is Obergruppenfuehrer Heydrich (Martin Held), whose assassination in Czechoslovakia prompted the German high command to order the liquidation of the town of Lidice--thereby thoroughly souring Admiral Canaris on the Hitler regime. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- O.E. Hasse, Adrian Hoven, (more)
- 1955
In this German espionage film, made after WW II, the life of Admiral Canaris, the former head of Nazi counterintelligence, is profiled. Much of the focus is upon the Admiral's gradual disenchantment with Hitler's vision. As the war progresses, Canaris begins looking into anti-Hitler organizations. It is only in 1944 that he grows angry at the destruction of Germany and commits himself to overthrowing Hitler. He fails and ends up losing his rank and being sentenced to a concentration camp. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Filmed in Germany (where it was released in 1954), Republic's Magic Fire is the life story of controversial 19th century composer Richard Wagner. Alan Badel comes off more as villain than hero as Wagner, which though historically accurate makes it hard for the audience to pull for the central character. Wagner's bizarre relationship with Ludwig II (Gerhard Riedmann), the "mad king" of Bavaria, is downplayed, while the composer's vitriolic anti-semitism is ignored altogther. The women in Wagner's life are played by Yvonne de Carlo, Valentine Cortese and Rita Gam, while Carlos Thompson does the "best friend/severist critic" bit as fellow composer Franz Liszt. Dramatically uneven, Magic Fire is rescued by Erich Wolfgang Korngold's orchestrations of Wagner's most famous operatic and symphonic works. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yvonne De Carlo, Rita Gam, (more)
- 1957
Ruth Leuwerik plays the regal title character in the lavish German historical drama Koenige Louise (Queen Louise). The wife of Prussian monarch Friedrich Wilhelm III (Dieter Borsche), Queen Louise quickly becomes one of the most popular women in all Europe. She also convinces her husband to stop squandering his time and talents and to actively participate in the politics of his kingdom. As a result, Wilhelm and the Czar of Russia (Bernhard Wicki) agree to form a united front against the incursions of Napoleon (Rene Deltgren). Alas, this strong political stand proves to be Wilhelm's undoing, and Queen Louise, feeling herself responsible for the political debacle, literally dies of a broken heart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruth Leuwerik, Dieter Borsche, (more)
- 1958
Douglas Sirk directed this doomed World War II love story, seen from the German side of the war, as filtered through a distinctly late-'50s Hollywood banality. The film is based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, the author of the classic World War I anti-war novel All Quiet On the Western Front -- and who makes a cameo appearance in the film as an elderly schoolteacher. The film stars John Gavin as Ernst Graber, a young Nazi soldier home on leave during the height of World War II. While on leave, he falls in love and marries Elizabeth Kruze (Lilo Pulver). With bombs falling all around the young couple, they set up house with a kindly old woman. Then Elizabeth becomes pregnant. But before Ernst can grasp the reality of his becoming a father, he is sent back to the war -- to fight the brutal battle along the Russian front. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Gavin, Liselotte Pulver, (more)
- 1959
The two romantic leads in this standard but well-acted political drama renew a famous pairing that began with The King and I in 1956. Deborah Kerr is Lady Diana Ashmore, caught at the wrong side of the Hungarian-Austrian border in 1956, and Yul Brynner is Major Surov, a Russian commander who works at the border crossing. With the outbreak of the 1956 rebellion, the Budapest airport is shut down and Diana, along with other international travellers, are forced to reach Vienna by bus. Along for the ride is one of the Hungarian dissenters hunted by the police, Paul (Jason Robards, Jr. in his screen debut). Diana and Paul are in love and she is determined to protect his secret. Major Surov suspects a rebel is hidden on the bus, but he does not know which passenger is the guilty one. As interaction continues at the border, Diana is attracted to the Major and his complex character, even against her will. Their developing relationship and strong personalities carry the story from start to finish. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, (more)
- 1959
The Rest Is Silence, a German-made attempt to update Shakespeare, is one of the best and least self-conscious of this minor genre. As indicated by the title, the film's script is a "mufti" version of Hamlet, with young Hardy Kruger trying to prove that his uncle (Peter van Eyck) has killed his father. Direct references to the Shakespeare original abound, right down to the re-enactment of the crime for the benefit of the Uncle and the periodic appearances of the ghost of the hero's father. Interestingly, this 1960 film was released at the same time as a "straight" German version of Hamlet, made for television and starring Maximillian Schell. The original title of Rest Is Silence was Der Rest Ist Schweigen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hardy Kruger, Peter Van Eyck, (more)
- 1959
In this war drama, three Nazi survivors are rescued after their battleship sank. Initially they are given heroes' accolades for their courage, but then it becomes apparent that these men actually jumped ship three hours before the boat sank. The men are tried and subsequently executed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1960
This Man in a Black Derby needs more than a bowler approach to comedy, it needs a bolder approach as well. Feeble and flatter than any hat, the Swiss tale is about an insignificant male of the species who has fallen for a significant female, at least, a significantly rich female. He is convinced he cannot win her affection unless he has some way to outdo her pocketbook. The only way he can devise to overcome his disadvantage is by turning to a particularly gutsy robbery, certain that he has to steal some cash before he can steal his lady love's heart. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sabina Sesselmann, Walter Roderer, (more)
- 1960
In this crime drama, a crook tries to pull off the biggest job of his illustrious career by stealing extremely important, valuable documents. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Françoise Arnoul, Michel Piccoli, (more)
- 1961
Shortly after Soviet tanks crush the 1956 Hungarian uprising, adventurer for hire Mike Reynolds (Richard Widmark) goes to communist Budapest to rescue one of the revolt's leaders, Professor Jansci. There's just one big problem; the professor doesn't want to go. While the plot is minimal, this simple actioner conveyed the dark atmosphere of Cold-War Hungary very well -- and it gave American audiences their first look at a ravishing young Senta Berger. ~ Michael P. Rogers, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Widmark, Sonja Ziemann, (more)
- 1961
This standard melodrama by director Robert Siodmak, active in Germany, France, and the U.S., is nuanced with shades of film noir and tells the story of some underhanded corporate execs and their Nazi past. A big-name engineering company in West Germany is involved with high-rollers in the industrial business who are getting together a lucrative package for investing in the development of Third World countries. Along comes an enigmatic figure who finds out that the executives in the engineering company are ex-Nazis with murky pasts to conceal, and he uses his knowledge as leverage to take over the development project. In the meantime, his personal life is a shambles. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nadja Tiller, Pierre Brasseur, (more)
- 1961
This complex political satire by Kurt Hoffmann pits the supposedly religious Mr. Mississippi (O.E. Hasse) against the revolutionary Saint-Claude (Martin Held), enemies in love and politics. Anastasia (Johanna von Koczian) is the woman in the middle. Saint-Claude, a doctor and her lover, has given her the poison she uses to murder her husband. But Mr. Mississippi, a lawyer, forces Anastasia to marry him after he deports Saint-Claude and poisons his own wife. In the meantime, there is a revolution and counter-revolution going on that mirrors the personal lives of the protagonists, and it does not look like Saint-Claude is going to stay deported. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- O.E. Hasse, Johanna von Koczian, (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
Evil genius Dr. Mabuse hypnotizes the director of an insane asylum in this remake of Fritz Lang's 1933 cinematic landmark. Noted German actor Wolfgang Preiss stars. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
