Der Kongreß tanzt (1931)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Erik Charell

Writers:

Norbert Falk (writer)
Robert Liebmann (writer)

Release Date:

25 April 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Plot:

Vienna glove-sales-lady Christl falls in love to Czar Alexander. Metternich tries to use this to keep...

Cast

Lilian Harvey	...	Christel Weinzinger, Gloves-seller
Willy Fritsch	...	Czar Alexander of Russia (as Willi Fritsch)
Otto Wallburg	...	Bibikoff, his Adjutant
Conrad Veidt	...	Prince Metternich
Carl-Heinz Schroth	...	Pepi, his Secretary (as Carl Heinz Schroth)
Lil Dagover	...	The Countess
Adele Sandrock	...	The Princess
Margarete Kupfer	...	The Countess
Julius Falkenstein	...	The Minister of Finance
Max Gülstorff	...	The Bürgermeister
Paul Hörbiger	...	Heurigen Singer
Boris Romanoff	...	Dancer

Runtime:

85 min | Sweden:101 min | Spain:93 min (DVD edition) | Soviet Union:101 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Klangfilm)

Certification:

Spain:T | Germany:(Banned) (1937-1945) | Germany:12 | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Neubabelsberg, Brandenburg, Germany

Company:

Universum Film (UFA)

Goofs:

Anachronisms: At the Vienna Congress held in 1815 the orchestra in a canteen played Franz Schubert's "Military March," which was composed in 1818.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Das hab ich von Papa gelernt (1964)

Soundtrack:

Das muss ein Stueck vom Himmel sein, Wien und der Wein

Classic Film Operetta

It may not be perfect technically, but this is a sensual, made with great fun, original, capricious and extravagant operetta. It has elegance, a great cast, brilliant music and songs, wit, great sets; some scenes are even a bit bizarre and fetishistic. This is not a filmed operetta, but a real film-operetta. More than just direct, Erik Charell choreographed the film. Although the film stands on its own feet, the influence of Ernst Lubitsch (pictures) is evident.

Amongst the memorable scenes (and there are many) there is the - in its time - technically challenging sequence with energetic Lilian Harvey singing "Das gibt's nur einmal". Indeed: many operetta films have been made, but none so innovative, brilliant as this one.

This first and only German film of Erik Charell is not only a classic of early German sound film, showing all the capabilities of the UFA, but also a promising start of a film career that was not to be realized: Charell had to leave Nazi-Germany and was unable to continue his career as a film director abroad. It is curious that the film was banned by Goebbels only but in October 1937.