Leonard Steckel Movies
- 1964
Friedrich Durrenmatt's misanthropic theatrical piece The Visit has never been totally successful in any production, not even in the original Broadway presentation starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. The film version keeps this failure record consistent. Ingrid Bergman plays a fabulously wealthy woman who returns to her impoverished home town. Years earlier, she had been driven from town in disgrace after sleeping with solid citizen Anthony Quinn. She now offers a deal to the city elders: Bergman will alleviate the city's financial difficulties--in exchange for Quinn's life. The original play ended with the lynching of the seducer; the film ends with Bergman halting the execution, proclaiming that by allowing Quinn to live, the townsfolk will be forced to feel the pangs of guilt over what they might have done for the rest of their lives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ingrid Bergman, Anthony Quinn, (more)
- 1962
During the 1960s, there were two series of theatrical programmers based on the works of mystery maven Edgar Wallace; one group of films was lensed in England, the other shot in Germany. Secret of the Black Trunk is something of a cross-pollination; it was produced by Germans, and filmed in England! The story is the usual Wallace blend of scheming schemers, "perfect" crimes and workaday detectives who meticulously unravel the most confusing of mysteries. The setting of Secret of the Black Trunk is a popular hotel which suddenly becomes the site of several murders. Sensuous actress Senta Berger adds a bit of visual dynamics to the talky goings-on. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Der Arzt von Stalingrad (The Doctor of Stalingrad) was one of four films directed in 1958 by the prolific Hungarian-born helmsman Geza von Radvanyi. Set in a Russia POW camp during WII, the film concentrates on an imprisoned German doctor, played by O.E. Hasse. Denied sophisticated surgical tools, the doctor relies solely upon his medical skill to pull his patients through. He manages to win the confidence and respect of his Soviet captors when he removes a brain tumor from the son of the commandant. Less happy are the results of a wartime romance between the doctor and a female Russian physician. Though not altogether sympathetic to the Russians, neither can Der Arzt Von Stalingrad be considered 100% pro-German. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- O.E. Hasse, Eva Bartok, (more)
- 1956
1956's Captain from Koepenick was the second film version of Der Hauptmann von Koepenick, a play by Carl Zuckmayer (the first was directed by Richard Oswald in 1931). This fact-based seriocomedy stars Heinz Reuhmann as Berlin shoemaker Wilhelm Vogt, who in 1906 finds himself in possession of a Prussian military officer's uniform. Donning the outfit, Vogt struts about posing as a Captain, going so far as to declare martial law on the town of Koepenick, arresting the mayor in the process. Then he commandeers the town's cashbox and heads for the hills--as newspapers all over Germany celebrate his "scam". Helmut Kautner, director of The Captain from Koepenick, appears in a bit part as an organ grinder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hannelore Schroth, Martin Held, (more)
- 1954
Director Paul Verhoeven manages to cut through the sentimental strudel in this biopic of "waltz king" Johann Strauss. Future filmmaker Bernhard Wicki plays Strauss, conveying the charisma and genius of the man without digging too deeply into what made the composer tick. The highlights of Strauss' life are handled sketchily, albeit played out before some of the most gorgeous Viennese locations ever committed to film. The picture's strong suit is its musical score, drawn in toto from Strauss' works. Filmed in 1954, Eternal Waltz was released to the U.S. via television five years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Swiss-German leading actor Paul Hubschmid was still going by his Hollywood-engendered moniker of Paul Christian when he starred in Palace Hotel. The scene is a lavish Swiss resort hotel, where a multitude of subplots wend their way through the corridors. The principal characters include Kaethe Gold as an Austrian chambermaid who pines for her long-missing son; Gustav Knuth as a very proper butler who loses his inhibitions on New Year's Eve; and, of course, Paul Christian, cast as an amorous waiter. Most of the film was lensed on location in St. Moritz. Palace Hotel was the first dramatic feature from the Swiss documentary firm Gloriafilm. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Marie Blanc, Paul Christian, (more)
- 1933
In this thriller, a corrupt business magnate wants to buy a financially troubled oil company. He hires a hitman to kill the struggling company's president, he then plans to replace the man with an imposter who is sent to a meeting with Europa Oil, the rival buyer. The hitman also attempts to kill an engineer who escapes. He enlists the aide of another who helps him locate a photo of the real company president. Meanwhile the imposter cuts a deal with Europa Oil. Just as he attempts to cash the check, the police burst in and arrest him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1932
Max Ophuls' second film directorial effort, Die Verliebte Firma (The Firm in Love) wasn't quite as lavishly esoteric as his later works, but on its own pleased the crowd. While on a location shoot in the mountains, film actress Anny Ahlers quarrels with her husband and walks out of the production. Luckily, Lien Dyers, a beautiful young skier with an even more beautiful singing voice appears out of nowhere. Before long, every male member of the production company has fallen in love with the girl, and it would seem that she is a shoo-in to replace the recalcitrant Ahlers. Alas, Dyers proves to be an inept actress, but she still enjoys a happy ending in the arms of the film unit's production manager. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Fröhlich, Ernst Verebes, (more)
- 1932
The full title of this German musical was Ich Will Nicht Wissen Wer Du Bist, which translates as I Care Not What You Are. Gustav Froelich stars as Bobby, an impoverished baron who takes a job as a chauffeur. Alice (Liane Haid), the niece of Bobby's employer, falls in love with the handsome car jockey, but Uncle will have none of it; he insists that Alice marry someone on her same social level. Amused by the situation, Bobby doesn't reveal his true identity until he is certain that Alice loves him for himself and not his lineage. Originally running 95 minutes, Ich Will Nicht Wissen was cut by a full reel before its American premiere. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liane Haid, Gustav Fröhlich, (more)
- 1932
Gitta Alper is appropriately cast as Gitta, the singing sweetheart of composer Fred (Paul Kemp). Thanks to Gitta's considerable vocal talents, Fred's songs become world-famous, though with fame comes many a heartbreak and setback. With the help of an understanding impresario (Leonard Steckel), Gitta and Fred are reunited in the final footage. Gitta Entdeckt ihr Herz (Gitta Discovers Her Heart) was assembled for the express purpose of transforming Hungarian stage favorite Gitta Alper into a saleable movie star. The fact that it was an excellent film in its own right was as much a factor in its success as its charming leading lady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gitta Alpar, Paul Kemp, (more)
Fritz Lang's classic early talkie crime melodrama is set in 1931 Berlin. The police are anxious to capture an elusive child murderer (Peter Lorre), and they begin rounding up every criminal in town. The underworld leaders decide to take the heat off their activities by catching the child killer themselves. Once the killer is fingered, he is marked with the letter "M" chalked on his back. He is tracked down and captured by the combined forces of the Berlin criminal community, who put him on trial for his life in a kangaroo court. The killer pleads for mercy, whining that he can't control his homicidal instincts. The police close in and rescue the killer from the underworld so that he can stand trial again in "respectable" circumstances. Some prints of the film end with a caution to the audience to watch after their children more carefully. Filmed in Germany, M was the film that solidified Fritz Lang's reputation with American audiences, and it also made a star out of Peter Lorre (previously a specialist in comedy roles!). M was remade by Hollywood in 1951, with David Wayne giving a serviceable performance as the killer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, (more)
