Sybille Schmitz Movies
- 1937
Though the witty, epigrammatic style of Oscar Wilde would seem best suited to the rhythms of the English language, a surprising number of Wilde's plays and short stories were filmed in Europe. The German Ein Idealer Gatte is a fairly faithful adaptation of Wilde's 1895 play An Ideal Husband. The title character is Lord Chiltern (Carl Ludwig Diehl), a prosperous steel magnate. Blackmailed by an old flame, Gloria Chevney (Sybille Schmitz), Lord C. is at last rescued by the real brains of the Chiltern family, his loyal, supportive and eminently courageous wife (Brigitte Helm). Film buffs take note: Ein Ideal Gatte affords a rare opportunity to see Metropolis star Brigitte Helm and Vampyr star Sybille Schmitz in the same picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karl Ludwig Diehl, Brigitte Helm, (more)
- 1936
Der Unbekannte (The Unknown) was adapted by director Frank Wysbar from his own novel (co-written by R. C. Muschler). Sybille Schmitz, who was previously so memorable as the attractive blood-sucker in Dreyer's Vampyr, heads the cast as woman-of-mystery Madeleine. The story begins at the ending, as Madeleine's dead body is pulled from the river. With no identification on her person, Madeleine remains unidentified -- to everyone but the viewer, who is apprised of the girl's melancholy history via flashback. As it turns out, Madeleine was the sort of woman to whom breaking hearts and ruining lives was second nature -- until she met her match in the form of handsome young Thomas Bentick (Jean Galland). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sybille Schmitz, Jean Galland, (more)
- 1935
Considering how much Adolf Hitler relied upon his scientists during WWII, the anti-technology stance of Der Herr Der Welt (Ruler of the World) is amazing. After a long absence, Dr. Heller (Walter Janssen) returns to his laboratory, where he learns that his demented chief assistant (Arlbert Waeschler) has developed a robot. Dr. Heller approves of this, but he's less happy with the fact that the robot is equipped with a death ray. His objections don't carry too much weight, however, inasmuch as Heller is quickly dispatched by the homicidal robot. The story briefly goes off on another tangent as Heller's widow Vilma (Sybille Schmitz, of Vampyr fame) falls in love with handsome mining engineer Baumann (Sigfried Schuerenberg). Ultimately, both Vilma and Baumann must contend with thousands upon thousands of killer robots, who've been programmed to take over all jobs -- and, eventually, the world. Die Herr der Welt was the last of director Harry Piel's quartet of science fiction films, which began in 1915 with Die Gross Wette. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Janssen, Sybille Schmitz, (more)
Vampyr ranks in many circles as one of the greatest horror films of all time. Inspired by Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, the story concerns a mysterious series of killings, committed by a crone of a female vampire (Henriette Gerard). The story is told through the eyes of a holiday reveller (Julian West), who at first scoffs at the notion of a supernatural murderer, but who is eventually forced to believe that there are more things in heaven and earth. Dreyer offers few explanations of the phenomena he presents on screen: the strange and frightening happenings just happen, as casually as any everyday occurrence. As was his custom, Dreyer mostly uses nonprofessionals in his cast. Vampyr is available in a wide variety of severely edited and duped versions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julian West, Maurice Schutz, (more)
