Irene loves films - and writes about them - Classics and Moderns - Hollywood and others, too. As long as it is connected with films - it might appear on this blog..
What the ...
This blog is actually written for those who
like films - the non-profesional viewer especially. I believe that if you do something you should enjoy it.. And maybe you'll find something here you think you might enjoy to watch - or an actor/actress you'd like to see more of..
There will be some reviews, picture posts and several series on this blog.
Somehow everything is related to films..
Enjoy!
Irene
Errol Flynn: "My wicked, wicked ways",
David Bret: "Joan Crawford - Hollywood Matyr",
Stone Wallace: "George Raft - The Man who would be Bogart",
Paul Donnelley: "Judy Garland",
Jerry Lewis: "Dean & Me (a Love Story)",
Lee Server: "Ava Gardner - Love is Nothing",
James Cagney: "Cagney by Cagney",
Lilli Palmer: "Change Lobsters and Dance",
Harpo Marx: "Harpo speaks",
Groucho Marx: "Groucho and me",
Jeff Lenburg: "Peekaboo - the Story of Veronica Lake"
Lucille Ball: "Love, Lucy"
Alexander Walker: "Vivien - the life of Vivien Leigh"
and one or two other books.. ;")
are - if not further stated - originating from free graphic sources. In case I hurt someones right: Please inform me and I will remove the pictures immediately. Thank you.
Some of you might remember that in the beginning of this year I was ardently telling you about a series of a Hanover, Germany cinema which was called Filmcafe and which showed classic films. Well.. I do not know what happened but after they showed CASABLANCA (USA, 1942) which I enjoyed tremendously of course - they never went on with classic films there. (Shame on them.. well.. Now I spent my money on other things..)
After all there are several cinemas in Hanover and one of my favourites is a very small cinema showing a really interesting program aside from the big blockbuster films.. Usually they show of course recent films - but now and then.. Well.. - last week I was unbelievable lucky to get the chance to see a classic there:
A FOREIGN AFFAIR (USA, 1948)
by one of my favourite directors: Billy Wilder.
In a nut-shell:
Berlin, Post WWII. Congress woman Phoebe Frost (Jean Arthur) comes alongside with some other congress members to investigate the morals of the G.I.s in occupied Berlin. Soon she finds out that night club singer Erika von Schlütow (Marlene Dietrich) - who once was the girlfriend of a high-ranked Nazi - now is protected by an US officer.. To learn more she asks Captain John Pringle (John Lund) to be of help - not knowing that he is Erika's lover.. Things get really complicated when Phoebe falls for John - and John finds out that his heart merely beats for a little congress woman from Iowa than for a German Fräulein..
~ Well.. who of those three might be not aware of the real situation?? ... ~
Do you like...
... Billy Wilder films?
... Jean Arthur?
... films set post WWII?
... Marlene Dietrich?
... German FrƤuleins and G.I.s?
...well - maybe you should watch this film!
~ Notice something there, Miss Arthur? ~
You know that I am always honest about my feelings and everything else - so I have to admit that I was not too ethusiastic when I first saw this film years ago. Maybe it was simply to cynical for me.. And yes.. since I am a German Fräulein myself in a certain way it was kind of hard for me to see how all those characters seemed to act just out of egoism. Yes.. I know.. Quite naïve.. Well.. Over the years I just grew fond of this film. I really do like it - and that I now had the opportunity to see it on big screen made it even better for me.
Since I love the "German FrƤulein (and allied Soldier resp. G.I.)" theme that much I might do a little series about that.. I will have to think about how that one could look...
~ G.I.s chatting up giggling German FrƤuleins.. ~
I love Erika von Schlütow.. Though having a family name with an Umlaut apparently is kind of vulgar in Phoebe Frost's point of view.. Fräulein von Schlütow for sure knows how to survive.. and believe me when Marlene Dietrich says: "Oh.. Johnny..." even a German accent can be sexy.. I could listen to her saying that over and over again.. She makes "Johnny" one of the most attractive names ever.. sorry.. now I am rambling.. you really have to hear it.. And: yes.. somehow I can relate to her.. maybe it's just the national background.. I do not know.. Oh - and please: have a good look at post war Berlin... It looks at the same time creepy and kind of poetic..
~ Millard Mitchell as Col. Rufus J. Plummer
showing destroyed Berlin to congress men (and woman).. ~
Jean Arthur is very, very cute as Phoebe Frost - and she really has some unbelievable funny scenes.. like in the beginning of the film when she puts her things away - completely deadpan and very, very long-winded.. Jean Arthur is one of the most funny actresses I know.
~ yes.. a key scene.. indeed.. ~
Also John Lund is quite good in his part - though he has the bad luck to star against two great leading ladies.. Millard Mitchell who plays his superior has some quite funny lines in this film - and for sure will give most of you some laughs.. Please watch out for the pianist in this film - like in Billy Wilder's ONE, TWO, THREE (USA, 1961) it's Friedrich Hollaender. You will hear one of Billy Wilder's themes as this film also has the melody of "Isn't it romantic?" - a song I really like.. There are a lot great songs in this film - and even Jean Arthur will be singing..
~ getting sentimental - and musical.. ~
To see classics on big screen is something I really enjoy - it is great to sit in a room with others who will laugh at scenes or shriek at several moments just like you.. It brings a film to live - and I will not even start to tell you how marvellous it is to see those beautiful classic ladies in all their charms like that..
~ Marlene - and her good friend Friedrich Hollaender at the piano ~
As most of you will know the filming wasn't too harmonic since Jean Arthur and Marlene Dietrich didn't get along too well - and also Billy Wilder who got his nerves worn out stated later:
"I have one dame who is afraid to look at herself in a mirror and another who won't stop looking!"
I think that Billy Wilder was a genius when it comes to films - but not neccessarely a gentleman or easy to be with - and for sure no genius in diplomacy..
~ defenitively a kind of "Star Wars" going on.. if you pardon the pun.. ~
CASABLANCA-fans might like to watch out for Ilka Grüning - who was Mrs. Leuchtag there (the refugee German lady heading for USA with her husband). In A FOREIGN AFFAIR she played a "German wife".
~ yes.. the ways a German FrƤulein works... *wink* ... ~
At last just one little hint - when you (like me) happen to like Marlene Dietrich's Erika von Schlütow you might be interested in WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (USA, 1957) also by Billy Wilder - where she actually plays another character which is kind of related to this German Fräulein... It could be easily taken as a spin off.. ..but of course that's just my opinion..
~ sigh.. just have a look at her shoes.. no question left why I love her - hm? .. ~
Thank you very much for going with me to the movies!
Frankly I feel like it is my duty to talk a little bit about the country I grew up in since there are not so many German bloggers talking about classic films in English.. Besides that I think Germany isn't quite the country most bloggers who take part in this blogathon will talk about or would think of as a country to visit.. So I saw a little gap that I could fill.. Maybe.. I will for sure talk about some films set in other countries, too.. But let's start with the film most international classic film fans will think of when the words "German film" and "vacation" a mentioned:
MENSCHEN AM SONNTAG - EIN FILM OHNE SCHAUSPIELER (= PEOPLE ON SUNDAY - A FILM WITHOUT ACTORS)
(Weimar Republic, 1930)
by Curt Siodmak, Robert Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer, Fred Zinnemann and Rochus Gliese - written also by Billy Wilder!! (Now that's quite a Hollywood-list, isn't it?)
Before I start to tell you what this film is about you have to know that this film is no usual film for it is really made without professional actors. It has "just" people acting as themselves - no actors acting in characters. It is a mixture of a narrative classic film telling you a story and a documentation. In fact it is one of the first independent films - if I may say so.. Very low budget was used - which was reportedly from the savings of the directors..
It is also one of the last German silent films - but don't be afraid: It has very little captions - so there is not too much to read - in case that would be your main problem with this film..
~ Stars who were no stars.. ~
In a nut-shell:
Berlin, Germany: On a Saturday jack-of-all-trades Wolfgang (Wolfgang von Waltershausen) meets film-extra Christl (Christina "Christl" Ehlers) and after they drink a coffee together they decide to meet again on the next day - Sunday..
Meanwhile taxi driver Erwin (Erwin SplettstƶĆer) has a little fight with his girlfriend - Annie (Annie Schreyer) who is working as a model - ending with them snatching off star postcards of their wall.. (including several Greta Garbo pictures of whom apparently esp. Erwin is fond and at least one picture of German film star Willy Fritsch - apparently Annie's crush.. - and yes - though they are not married they share the same flat - and bed..) The little dispute ends as Wolfgang appears and he and Erwin start to play cards instead..
~ shirty Erwin - also: Greta Garbo and Willy Fritsch.. ~
Sunday - the next day: Erwin, Wolfgang and Christl spent the day at Nikolassee - a lake in Berlin-Nikolassee - together with Christl's best friend Brigitte (Brigitte Borchert), a salesgirl in a record shop. They will go for a swim, eat, listen to music and go for a walk..
~ a little picnic.. ~
After Christl refuses Wolfgang's advances he turns to Brigitte - who is much more of an easier prey for him - they will spent some apparently very, very, VERY intimate time under a tree while Erwin is asleep and Christl is sulking..
~ Wolfgang and Brigitte getting to know each other.. ~
After this little encounter all four of them spent some time in a pedalo on the lake - where Wolfgang and Erwin become interested into two other girls in another boat - much to the chagrin of Christl and Brigitte.
~ Christl and Brigitte - learning a lesson - and not amused about it.. ~
Finally they return to Berlin and Brigitte hopes for another Sunday with Wolfgang - who agrees towards her on that - but as we will learn rather will go with Erwin to a soccer game (I bet right now there are several German ladies living trough exactly that scenario since these days the European Championship is on..)
Annie has overslept the whole day..
~ Sleepy Sunday for Annie.. ~
A new week is starting the next morning.. It's Monday again in Berlin..
Please, watch out for:
Kurt Gerron, Ernƶ Verebes, Heinrich Gretler and Valeska Gert.
~ Kurt Gerron ~
To be honest: I only noticed Valeska Gert.. I am ashamed of myself.. Especially since Kurt Gerron is one of my favourites.. He will receive a post of his own on this blog for sure.. He was not only an actor - you might know him from THE BLUE ANGEL with Marlene Dietrich - but also a great director. He was killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944..
~ Dancer Valeska Gert in her short appearance in PEOPLE ON SUNDAY ~
Schmooze:
There is no full copy of this film saved since the original version was lost. So the remaining film is about 74 minutes long.
PEOPLE ON SUNDAY was merely filmed on Sundays in summer of 1929 due to the fact that all leading "actors" were working in their business for the rest of the week.
The film was made after a report Curt Siodmak wrote. At this time his name was written "Kurt".. Billy Wilder wrote the script after this report.
It was the first time that Curt and Robert Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer and Fred Zinnemann worked as directors. How amazing is it to have those plus Billy Wilder together in one film??
ForRochus Glieseit was his second to last work as a director.
Cinematographer Eugan Schüfftan also worked on EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1960) (<- you can read my review on this film here..)
~ Brigitte playing records.. ~
Let's face the music..
There is a new score by Elena Kats-Chernin with Czech Film Orchestra - I like that score - though some parts I find rather irritating - especially when they contain singing voices.. There is also an alternate soundtrack by Steven Garling which is a soundtrack completely made of percussion sounds. I find also that one a bit challenging.. Steven Garling himself was an expert when it came to Silent movies. He did not only work with those but also intoned Bible passages since he was a believing Christ. He died in 2008 at the age of 39 years due to cancer.
~ Brigitte at work - re-arranging the shop windows. ~
He appeared in two other films directed by Robert Siodmak: ABSCHIED (FAREWELL) (1930) and VORUNTERSUCHUNG (INQUEST) (1931).
-----
... Brigitte Borchert (November 15, 1910 - August 7, 2011)?
PEOPLE ON SUNDAY was the only part she would play for a film - she did appear though in a documentation about this film in 2000. She married illustrator Wilhelm M. Busch in 1936.
~ Pen drawing by Wilhelm M. Busch ~
Last year when she died with almost 101 years of age several newspapers here wrote about her and commemmorated PEOPLE ON SUNDAY.
-----
...Wolfgang von Waltershausen (1900-1973)?
He appeared also in two other films: EIN BURSCHENLIED AUS HEIDELBERG (1930) by Karl Hartl and in DER MANN, DER SEINEN MĆRDER SUCHT (LOOKING FOR HIS MURDERER) (1931) by Robert Siodmak. Both films were also written by Billy Wilder.. Sidenote: LOOKING FOR HIS MURDERER is due for a review here on this blog, too..
-----
... Christina "Christl" Ehlers (March 10, 1911 - February 2, 1960)?
She left Germany in 1933 with her father Alfred Ehlers (a well-known artist and architect) who tried to help as many Jewish people (including his family) as possible to escape from Nazi Germany. First they went to Spain but when Civil war broke out there Christl Ehlers, her father and her four year old son left for Great Britain. Later Christl would follow her mother - famous harpsichordist Alice Ehlers who already lived in Los Angeles. Alice Ehlers was a friend of Albert Schweitzer and they used to write several letters.. She also appears in WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)... Christl Ehlers appeared besides PEOPLE ON SUNDAY only in ESCAPE (1940)by Mervyn LeRoy in a small part as a student. In 1947 she married Hampden Wentworth and they would have four other children. In 1960 they both died due to a plane crash in New Mexico leaving behind their children - and Christl's by that time of course grown-up son..
... Annie Schreyer ?
Yes.. embarrassing.. but I couldn't find information about her..
Cinematic World Tour Blogathon:
I chose this film because I think people everywhere on this world can relate to it. Most of us will go on a little trip when we have a day off - and it doesn't have to be a travel around the world.. And for we never traveld too much when I was a child I can relate to this little Sunday trip to a near by lake very much..
~ Christl and Brigitte ~
On Germany and German customs:
As far as I can tell: In this country soccer isn't just a sport - it's a religion. You don't make fun of it. (Trust me - I tried.. Grave mistake..) Frankly, I am not very interested in this sport - but I will get every info of it - since every information magazine in telly will talk about it - and my neighbour is shouting at "his boys" (no matter if it's "just" his home team or the national team like yesterday..) while they're in a game - apparently they won yesterday since my neighbour after that excersised his conjugal rights quite noisy.. - in case they would have lost there would just have been a certain tapping sound against my walls.. (Gosh.. I am soo wishing for thicker walls around here..)
~ ... ~
Another quite strange German custom you can see in this film celebrated by a group of young men (around 36:16 in the clip below): They spank each other. It is an old custom and I think not that much celebrated these days - aside from special occasions.. There are several rules and different ways to "play" it - but I think this certain game they play here is: some guy is spanking another - and the one who got spanked has to guess who spanked him.. yes.. yes.. the days before World of Warcraft..
Have a look:
Again - there are not so many captions - and those which are there are translated into English.. Besides with 74 minutes it's not a very long film.. (just saying..)
Brigitte Borchert once stated that though the critics were enthusiastic about this film most "ordinary" people she spoke to were not.. They went to cinema to see a more glamourous life - not their everyday life. To see how four (resp. five) young people spent their Sunday they would not have to go to the pictures for.. They were for sure right about that - still the film was a hit.
For me (and as I think also for many other admirers of this film) especially the scenes showing daily Berlin life in that era are the basic for this film's charme. Berlin is one of my favourite cities - and I would love to live there once.. There are few (maybe none) places in this world I feel that much at home like I do in Berlin..
~ this looks so much like the summers we spent as children on the countryside here.. ~
Besides that as I stated before it also has much relation to how I spent my summers as a child and teenager.. Just by the way there are a lot of children in this film - and sometimes one wonders what became of them.. I love all those scenes showing ordinary people and their everyday life. Yes, I love the realism of PEOPLE ON SUNDAY. It is the complete alternative draft to Hollywood's star cult - hands down: of course there was also a star cult in German cinema - and here we had (and still have) stars, too.. But it wasn't that industrialised.. (not that they didn't try..)
About the "triangle":
~ While Christl is sleeping on his one hand.. ~
~ ... Wolfgang's other hand is handling.. uhm.. someone else.. ~
I think it's quite interesting to see Wolfgang hunting for skirts.. - or.. well.. what's under them.. I don't think he is a character I like.. But he really appears realistic to me - so do the others. None of them seems to act in a set up way - though of course there was a script. This film also has a humour I enjoy - the scene in which Brigitte and Wolfgang will get some.. uhm.. "action" ... - the camera turns slowly away along some trees - and will end at the sight of a rubbish heap to turn back to the couple - who by now re-arrange their clothes.. (Notice that Wolfgang's shirt is tattered now and Brigitte has to fix her gaters..)
Besides: some of the scenes in this film have a certain poetry in it..
Though this film shows apparently bygone times - it shows you very much where I come from - since for me when you change the dresses and add a better dental care it shows you how Summer did look and still looks to me..
(Don't panic! - it's just the German film poster.. ;"p )
Based on 1929 Hungarian one-act play EGY, KETTĆ, HĆROM by Ferenc MolnĆ”r (1878 -1952) – who just by the way wrote several plays which later were adapted to the screen - Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond wrote the script of the famous cold war comedy which Billy Wilder directed and which targets them all: Americans, Germans, Russians, Communists, (Ex-) Nazis and capitalists: ONE, TWO, THREE (1961).
Today it’s exactly 50 years the Berlin Wall was build on August 13, 1961 so.. ..what better “excuse” is there to watch and talk about this film??
In a nutshell:
C.R. MacNamara (James Cagney), Top manager of the German Coca Cola branch in West-Berlin, is ordered to babysit his boss Wendell P. Hazeltine’s (Howard St. John) daughter Scarlett (Pamela Tiffin).
Scarlett secretly marries Otto Ludwig Piffl (Horst Buchholz), who lives in East-Berlin and is a convinced communist. But now Hazeltine and his wife Melanie (Lois Bolton) are up to visit West-Berlin – and their daughter of course. So MacNamara has to get rid of Otto...
Simple: just let him get arrested by the GDR police!!
But - to top it all: Scarlett is preggers.. Now Otto has to return..
"It’s not Anti-America. It’s Anti-Yankees.”
Watch out for:
Frederick Hollander who conducts a band which is playing “YES WE HAVE NO BANANAS” (sung in German) in “Grand Hotel Potemkin”, which was actually just the ruin of Anhalter train station in Berlin- Kreuzberg.
Come across:
As almost always it’s more fun to watch Billy Wilder films when you know some classics – so you will get some of the “targets”:
Red Buttons as the MP guy does kind of a James Cagney's gangster character impression from Cagney's 1930s flicks..
James Cagney (5' 6½" (1.69 m)) is referring to fellow gangster performer Edward G. Robinson with the famous quote from THE LITTLE CESAR (1931): “Mother of mercy – is this the end of little Rico?” - well, ok - in THE LITTLE CESAREdward G. Robinson (5' 5" (1.65 m)) somehow skipped that "little" part.. ;") ~ just for my own pleasure: yay! Edward G. and I have the same height!! yay!!! .. ahem.. ok.. where was I? oh, yes - I know.. ~
Cagney refers to his own character Tom Powers from THE PUBLIC ENEMY (1931) when he pretends to push a grapefruit into Otto’s face.
The three Russian commissars Peripetchikoff (Leon Askin), Borodenko (Ralf Wolter) and Mishkin (Peter Capell) are a reference to NINOTCHKA (1939) to which Billy Wilder co-wrote the script..
“I wish I were in hell with my back broken.” is also used by Humphrey Bogart’s character Linus Larrabee in SABRINA (1954) - as is known also written and directed by Billy Wilder.
Mrs. Hazeltine’s (Lois Bolton) first name is Melanie and her daughter’s (Pamela Tiffin) is Scarlett – hm, where have I heard these names before.. And they come from Atlanta.. Gee.. that sounds mighty familiar.. I must have Rhett it somewhere.. ... Well, somehow it's GONE WITH THE WIND I fear.. ;")
Schmooze:
James Cagney paused from appearing in films for 20 years after ONE, TWO, THREE.
The Pepsi references in final scene are due to Joan Crawford who was appointed to the board of directors of Pepsi-Cola and protested against using Coca Cola instead of Pepsi Cola for this film.
The east German police man who confiscates the Coca Cola at the Brandenburg Gate when MacNamara (James Cagney), Schlemmer (Hanns Lothar) and FrƤulein Ingeborg (Lilo Pulver) pass the Gate to get Otto back is Helmut Schmid. From 1961 to his death he was Lilo Pulver’s husband.
The Coca Cola residence in Berlin-Lichterfelde (yes, the original building was used for this film..) was left in 1992 – it is still possible to visit it. It was also used in a German comedy movie about the German reunification: GOODBYE LENIN! (2003)
Horst Buchholz was sometimes quite difficult to be with – not to the delight of the through and through professional James Cagney.. or like Cagney put it: "[I] was going to knock Buchholz on his ass, which at several points I would have been very happy to do." ...uhm.. nice..
Some sources say it was also due to his troubles with Buchholz that Cagney decided to retire from film business..
But actually - I think Billy Wilder - who was without question a genius - wasn't that easy to work with, too.. Appearently James Cagney had to do one scene about 30 times till Wilder was satisfied..
(I imagine that Cagney's grip was slightly more firm as soon as that photo was taken..)
The voice for Count von Droste Schattenburg (Hubert von Meyerinck) is delivered by Sig Ruman who was Col. Ehrhardt in TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942).
The German voice of James Cagney in ONE, TWO, THREE is Werner Lieven, who – isn’t that just amazing?? – dubbed Sig Ruman in TO BE OR NOT TO BE.. yeah.. however..
The film was shot from June to September 1961 in Berlin and Munich. The Brandenburg Gate was rebuilt in Bavaria Film Studios in Munich - due to the building of Berlin Wall the crew wasn’t allowed to film at the actual Brandenburg Gate in Berlin throughout the whole filming period.
A nodding acquaintance:
You may know Horst Buchholz as Chico from THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960) or from his appearance in FANNY (1961). He also appeared in Roberto Benigni’s LA VITA Ć BELLA (1997) (-> LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL).
Leon Askin is probably best-known as Col. Burghalter from TV show HOGAN’S HEROES (1965-1971).
(Peter Capell, Leon Askin and Ralf Wolter as ONE.. TWO.. THREE russians..)
Murphy’s law:
The sign saying: “Achtung! You’re now leaving West Berlin” was no actual sign used back then in Berlin – the signs there would have been in just one language - German, English, Russian or French – no mixed languages there..
In the German version Schlemmer (Hanns Lothar) recognizes his "SS-Obersturmführer"(Til Kiwe) – in the original his superior is an „Oberleutnant“ which was actually a rank of the Wehrmacht - German army during WWII - but probably easier for the US audience to recognize than “Obersturmführer”, I guess.. (Not that I would have noticed in the first place.. - but back then the Germans would be a bit more aware of the military ranks of WWII, I think..)
Let’s face the music:
In this film you can hear:
DIE INTERNATIONALE (= THE INTERNATIONALE) - anthem of socialists, communists, social-democrats and anarchists.. - well, you hear just the refrain - there is much more text than here delivered..
SABRE DANCE by Aram Khachaturyan from GAYANEH
ITSY BITSY TEENIE WEENIE YELLOW POLKA DOT BIKINI - I love that song - if you let me wait on telephone or something like that I usually start humming or crooning that song - once my sister who was talking to me at the phone then went away from the phone for a short period of time and left me waiting - my mother came in and found a singing phone..
YANKEE DOODLE
RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES by Richard Wagner from his opera THE VALKYRIE
YES WE HAVE NO BANANAS (here sung in German: AUSGERECHNET BANANEN - which would be literally translated mean: "Bananas - of all things" ) – it seems like this is a Billy Wilder theme song: The same song is used in SABRINA (1954).
Oh.. those Germans:
ONE, TWO, THREE was no payoff in German cinemas in 1961 - I think it was simply to close to the actual events - not a good film for escapism..
For the German version there are some meanderings:
The GDR police men who are arresting and interviewing (well actually torturing) Otto Piffl are speaking with a Saxonian accent in the German dubbing – they do not so in the original version.
Doctor Bauer who reveals that Scarlett is pregnant but doesn't remember the word "pregnant" at first leaves the house singing "Schwanger is pregnant" to the RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES melody - in German he sings: "Schwanger ist prƤchtig - schwanger ist trƤchtig." which means (and I'll leave "schwanger" as it is - you now know that it means "pregnant", don't you??): "Schwanger is splendid - schwanger is heavy with young/ in calf." ...
What ever happened to ...
John Allen - who played MacNamara's son Tommy? - He did several TV appearances and also appeared as porno picket in John Water's POLYESTER (1981) - I don't know if Christine Allen who played Tommy's sister is John Allen's real life sibling.. Apparently it was her only appearance in films...
Not sooo far away from Hollywood:
In this film participated some of my favourite German actors:
e.g Hanns Lothar (Schlemmer), who – like me – is from Hannover. ~ yay for that – doesn’t happen that often that actors from Hollywood films are from the same area like me.. – so if you want to imagine my accent – it might be like his.. Well, without the military attitude.. ;”) ~ Hanns Lothar was an amazing actor - he was the younger brother of Günther Neutze and Horst Michael Neutze, who also were popular German actors. He died in 1967 at the age of 37 due to kidney failure.
Then we have Liselotte “Lilo” Pulver who once was a member of the German SESAME STREET cast, which I loved back then very much.~ and now German followers know that I am over 20 years old… ;”) ~ Lilo is famous for her wonderful laughter:
(her FrƤulein Ingeborg is one of my alltime favourite film characters..– and: oh, I love to hear James Cagney call “FrƤulein Ingeborg!!!” very nice.. )
Ralf Wolter is playing Borodenko – the bold headed Russian– as a child I loved him just because of his squeaky voice – well, he was a popular comedian actor. It’s quite funny that when he speaks German in ONE, TWO, THREE to the GDR police men you can actually hear his slight Berlin accent.. ;”) I love that!
And then we have my beloved Hubert “Hubsi” von Meyerinck (Count of Droste-Schattenburg) who is sadly dubbed – he dubs himself for the German version though.. His own voice is very distinctive: High pointed, arrogant and a bit “swishy”. He was very often casted as a General or anything else with a high military rank - most of them mean. Especially in postwar Germany when the military was more or less forbidden for Germany he was famous for his campy generals..
He never made a mystery out of his homosexuality - even during the 3rd Reich - and he always supported endangered friends. - I am up to read his memoirs – a very witty, funny and a bit malicious man. I love him.
And Karl Lieffen (Fritz the chauffeur) usually had minor parts in German films. In most of them he was a meanie – just because he was able to make his voice sound very, very sharp and malicious. Yes, I love him, too.. He is great.
Horst “Hotte” Buchholz (Otto Ludwig Piffl) was called a kind of a German James Dean/Marlon Brando. He was the classic “angry young man” of German film back then. The information that he was bisexual made some fuss in Germany some years ago – some tough guys from the 1950s didn’t find it too amusing that their hero wasn’t just into girls...
Quotes corner:
“Haben Sie eine Tattoo on your Glockenspiel?”
uhm.. better don't ask that a girl you just met - really, I am only concerned about your safety, folks! - because this means - in case you don't know already: "Do you have a tattoo on your boobies?" .. though.. you will have kind of a conversation after this entrance line.. oh - just btw. it would be "ein Tattoo" - not "eine".. hey - when some Germans are going to smack you it shouldn't be for grammatical errors, should it? .. ;")
But there are some other good lines in this film (really - Billy Wilder films are full of quotes..):
"Put your pants on, Spartacus."
or
"It's old Russian proverb: Go West, young man."
Here is one of my favourite one-liners (though the dialogues are just great in this film, too.. like always..):
"You are back in the SS. Smaller Salary."
or the one that takes my breath away:
"The hell with Frank Sinatra!" - excuse me??!?!
There is just one more thing:
Some parts of this film are in German – are there subtitles in the US/UK (/wherever else)DVD release in this parts of the film? Or is it just left in German – with those of you who don’t speak German puzzling about what happens?
Some of Irene's favourite directors (in no particular order)
Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang, George Cukor, Michael Curtiz, Douglas Sirk, Ernst Lubitsch, Preston Sturges, Tim Burton, Otto Preminger, Tarsem Singh, Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola, William Wyler...