Elsa Wagner Movies
- 1974
The Pedestrian (Der Fussganger) was the second filmed directorial effort of German actor Maximillian Schell. Billed third under Gustav Rudolf Sellner and Ruth Hausmeister, Schell plays Andreas Giese, a Krupp-like industrialist whose past suddenly returns to haunt him. A newspaper article reveals that Giese was responsible for the wartime destruction of a Greek village and the wholesale slaughter of the villagers. Whether or not Giese feels remorse for his actions is ultimately beside the point: his family is torn apart and his son kills himself as a result of the accusation. Here as in other films, Schell exhibits his fondness for female European film stars of days gone by: Elizabeth Bergner, Lil (Metropolis) Dagover, Francoise Rosay and Peggy Ashcroft appear in key minor roles. The winner of several international awards and a "best foreign picture" Oscar nominee, The Pedestrian was also produced and written by Schell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
This German comedy is basically a star vehicle for Heinze Erhardt, a comedian so deeply beloved by German audiences that the content of this film is of secondary importance to the fact that he appears in it. The character he plays is a very agreeable retired financier, a "soft touch," who is perpetually short of money. He decides to take a job to help keep up with his debts and chooses to be a salesman. He keeps at it despite being fired a few times, and things eventually turn out well. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1967
The fine line between drama and real life is crossed with tragic results in this German horror mystery film that is set in modern London and centers on a stage production of Jack the Ripper's life. During the run of the play, a series of murders, eerily similar to Jack's, occur. This doesn't bother the lead actor too much until he discovers that his fake knife has been replaced by a real one during a performance. Horrified, he flees the theater. Pursued by Scotland Yard, he must somehow prove his innocence lest he be sent to the gallows. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hansjörg Felmy, Marianne Koch, (more)
- 1964
Erich Kastner's oft-filmed children's story Emil and the Detectives was given the Disney treatment in 1964. Though the plot is still set in Berlin, the younger characters have been extensively Americanized, none more so than the title character (played by Bryan Russell) and aspiring teenaged detective Gustav (Roger Mobley). Travelling by bus to visit his aunt, Emil loses an envelope of money to sneak thief Grundeis (Heinz Schubert). The boy enlists the aid of a gang of young detective-story aficionados, led by Gustav, to locate the thief. This leads to a perilous adventure when it turns out that Grundeis is in league with an erudite master criminal known as The Baron (Walter Slezak), who is planning a major heist. The film waves uncertainly between pure-and-simple kiddie entertainment and a dead-serious "caper" effort; surely some of the worldly, cynical dialogue spoken by Walter Slezak went way over the heads of Disney's 8-to-14-year-old target audience. Still, the performances are lively and the Berlin locations well chosen. Emil and the Detectives wasn't as successful as Disney's previous release Mary Poppins, but it managed to make back its cost overseas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Slezak, Bryan Russell, (more)
- 1950
For some reason, there were a great many filmed operas on the international movie market in the immediate postwar years. This German adaptation of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro is faithful to its source -- too faithful to fully succeed as cinema. The comic elements of Figaro's impending marriage and the many complications ensuing therefrom are surprisingly down-played. Put simply, the laughs are few and far between. The singing, however, is superb: Susannah (Angelika Hauff) and Figaro (Willi Domgraf-Fassbender) do their own vocals, while the rest of the cast is dubbed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angelika Hauff, Willi Domgraf-Fassbender, (more)
- 1947
Like so many postwar European films, the German City of Torment includes a plot tangent involving the Black Market. Hans Albers plays returning war veteran Hans Richter who has trouble finding work. With nowhere else to turn, Richter gets involved with black market activities. This so disgusts Richter's son, blind ex-soldier Edwin (Paul Edwin Roth), that the boy literally disowns his father. Hans eventually mends his ways, but not before several other devastating setbacks. City of Torment was originally released in Germany in 1947 as Und uber uns der Himmel; at that time, it represented Hans Albers' return to films after a four-year absence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hans Albers, Paul Edwin Roth, (more)
- 1938
The title Die Entfuehrung translates as The Abduction, but it's a comedy, so no one gets hurt. Marieleuse Claudine plays Suzanne, an impressionable young miss who frets over her mother Yvonne's (Lola Chlud) clandestine romance with a smarmy lothario. With papa (Walter Janssen) away on business, Suzanne decides to take matters in her own hands. She fakes her own kidnapping, stowing away on the yacht of family friend Gerard Frehl (Gustav Froelich). Though poor Frehl takes his lumps from the Law, it all turns out okay when Suzanne's mom comes to her senses and her dad realizes how neglectful he's been. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gustav Froehlich, Walter Janssen, (more)
- 1936
Also known as Morality, this German comedy makes light of the hidebound and hypocritical moral standards of the 1890s. Disturbed by the popularity of French can-can dancer Ernina Lamponne (Fita Benkhoff), a group of outraged German citizens organize the "Society for Raising the Standard of Morality." They enlist the aid of a local Princess (Roma Bahn), who considers Lamponne a threat to her own love life. The Society's noble purpose proves to be a sham when Lamponne uncovers several skeletons in several local closets. Moral was based on a stage play by Ludwig Thoma. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- G.H. Schnell
- 1936
The popular stage drama Das Maedchen Irene (This Girl Irene) was adapted for the screen by director Reinhold Schuenzel. Sixteen-year-old Irene (Sabine Peters) is one of two daughters of widow Jennifer Lawrence (Lil Dagover). When Jennifer announces her plans to remarry, Irene is shocked and disappointed, determining to despise her stepfather before she even meets him. Her hatred becomes an obsession, and by the third act Irene has vowed to shoot and kill her mother's new husband! Though disaster is ultimately averted, things get mighty tense in the last few moments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lil Dagover, Sabine Peters, (more)
- 1935
As indicated by its title, Baracole is adapted from The Tales of Hoffman. Gustav Froelich stars as Colloredo, who enjoys nothing more than boasting about his sexual conquests. A friend wagers that Colloredo will be unable to seduce the beautiful Giacinta (Lida Baarova). It so happens that Giacinta's wily husband Zubaran (Willy Birgel) overhears the wager, thereby setting in motion a counter-wager that will ultimately result in Colloredo's downfall. The ultimate winner in these sordid surroundings is Giacinta, who is never made aware that she has become a pawn in a dirty game of sexual one-upmanship. Though set in Venice, Baracole was shot entirely within the confines of Germany's UFA studios. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lida Baarova, Edwige Feuillère, (more)
- 1922
While he was working in his native Germany, Ernst Lubitsch directed a number of historical pictures -- although this one is not that well-known today, it was one of the most spectacular. Emil Jannings stars in the title role of the Egyptian Pharaoh. Samlak, the king of the Ethiopians (Paul Wegener) plans to give his daughter Makeda (Lyda Salmonova) in marriage to Pharoah Amenes (Jannings), thus joining the two countries in friendly relations. However, the Pharaoh has fallen in love with Theonis, a slave girl (Dagny Servaes), who has run away from Samlak with the help of Ramphis (Harry Liedtke), the son of Egypt's main architect (Albert Bassermann). The Pharoah separates Theonis from Ramphis and forces her to marry him. Because of the rejection of their princess the Ethiopians declare war on Egypt. But Theonis does not love the Pharoah and he locks her away. Ramphis finds her, then when the Pharoah has been wounded in battle, he leads the Egyptians to victory. Ramphis now becomes ruler of Egypt and he takes Theonis as his bride. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emil Jannings, Harry Liedtke, (more)
In one of the most influential films of the silent era, Werner Krauss plays the title character, a sinister hypnotist who travels the carnival circuit displaying a somnambulist named Cesare (Conrad Veidt). In one tiny German town, a series of murders coincides with Caligari's visit. When the best friend of hero Francis (Friedrich Feher) is killed, the deed seems to be the outgrowth of a romantic rivalry over the hand of the lovely Jane (Lil Dagover). Francis suspects Caligari, but he is ignored by the police. Investigating on his own, Francis seemingly discovers that Caligari has been ordering the somnambulist to commit the murders, but the story eventually takes a more surprising direction. Caligari's Expressionist style ultimately led to the dark shadows and sharp angles of the film noir urban crime dramas of the 1940s, many of which were directed by such German émigrés as Billy Wilder and Robert Siodmak. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, (more)
