Sirk in Germany

Although best known for his lavish Hollywood melodramas during the 1950s, director Douglas Sirk had already directed numerous films in his native Germany (under his real name Detlef Sierck) before he fled from the Nazi regime in 1937. This fascinating collection introduces some of his earliest films made in Germany, available as a Limited Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray set.

Although of Danish parentage, Douglas Sirk was born Hans Detlef Sierck in the port city of Hamburg in northern Germany. After a few years in Denmark while he still was a child, his parents returned to Germany and it was there (and from his mid-teens onward) that Sirk discovered his love for theatre, which would ultimately culminate in his career as a film director. The films and shorts selected for this release were all made by German UFA film studios, who remained relatively neutral in their output regarding the increasingly strict censorship, courtesy of the Nazis. Anything that was deemed not ‘Aryan’ enough or fell foul of Nazi ideology caused serious problems not only for the film itself but of course also for the director and the production team. In order to avoid such problems, Sirk managed to come up with movies which, despite not sucking up to Nazi film policy, managed to remain ‘safe’ due to their obvious avoidance of any aspects too controversial or contrary to the politics of the Third Reich. Nonetheless, due to the fact that his second wife was Jewish and he himself had political leanings which ultimately would have endangered him, Sirk and his wife left Germany for good in 1937 and by 1943 he had begun to make his mark in Hollywood with his first American film (produced by MGM), titled ‘Hitler’s Madman’.

But let’s return to Sirk’s country of origin and the first movie on Disc 1: the hilarious screwball comedy APRIL, APRIL! from 1935, which by the way was also his first feature film. April, April! is a German expression meaning ‘April Fool!’ and this is precisely what happens to Julius Lampe (Erhard Siegel), a former baker who has managed to climb the social ladder and now owns a successful noodle factory. Likewise, his wife Mathilde (Lina Carstens) also stems from a humble background but thanks to her wealthy husband, is now in a socially privileged position. In fact, wealth and success have made the couple pompous and arrogant, not to mention their spoiled, grown-up daughter Mirna (Charlott Daudert). When, during one of their many parties in their lavish home, the Lampes’ can’t resist bragging again about their status, one of the guests decides it’s high time to teach Herr Lampe a lesson… During the couple’s next party, Lampe receives a letter from none other than Prince von Holsten-Böhlau (Albrecht Schoenhals) himself, stating that he wishes to place a large order for Lampe’s pasta, with the intent of taking various sorts of noodles on a planned expedition to Africa. And the Prince also wishes to visit the pasta factory in person, to choose from the various types on offer! Upon reading this exciting news, both Herr and Frau Lampe can’t help bragging again and announce the news in front of the assembled party guests, only to order everyone to leave immediately “because they need to prepare for the royal visit”. If only Lampe had an inkling that the letter in question wasn’t sent by the Prince but by one of Lampe’s friends, who, fed up with the ‘nouveaux riche’ man’s pomposity, decided to teach the factory owner a lesson…

Meanwhile, while preparations for the royal visit are in full swing, the Prince reads about his apparent visit to Lampe’s noodle factory in the newspaper (Frau Lampe ensured the titbit will get published in the local paper). Astonished about the news, the Prince reckons that if it’s printed in the paper, it must be true and perhaps his secretary forgot to scribble it in his diary. And so he plans a visit to the factory over the next few days but before he arrives, Lampe’s friend confesses to his prank. Humiliated and angry, the Lampes’ social status demands they can’t lose face (not even in front of their staff) and thus ask a close friend to hire someone posing as the Prince… Just as the fake Prince arrives in the factory office - acting completely in an over the top manner, the real Prince, displaying a more down to earth demeanour, also arrives… He is promptly mistaken for the fake imposter and is asked to leave, although he is immediately smitten by Lampe’s charming secretary, Friedel Bild (Carola Höhn). Assuming the arrogant fake Prince is the real Prince, Herr Lampe now tries his best to hook up his own daughter with him… much to the chagrin of Mirna’s love interest, Reinhold (Werner Fink)…. This is as entertaining as it gets, with as many twists and turns as there are pasta varieties in Lampe’s factory!

There are also three short films included on Disc 1, namely ZWEI WINDHUNDE (TWO GREYHOUNDS) from 1934, Sirk’s first ever celluloid outing. Here, an accountant advertises for a new clerk but since no one has turned up to apply for the post, he decides to embark on a lengthy lunch break. While he is out, an elderly would-be-clerk, Jakob Senf (Hans Schaufuß) arrives but is then told by the secretary, who is also about to leave for lunch, to wait in the office until her employer returns. A short while later, a second man interested in the position, Emil Pinne (Fritz Odemar) also arrives in the office, mistaking Herr Senf for the employer while Senf assumes Pinne is the employer who has just returned from his lunch. Madcap comedy ensues in yet another tale of mistaken identity, while the film is also a subtle satire on the dodgy business practices during the Weimar Republic. In 3 x EHE (THREE TIMES BEFORE) from 1934, a couple keep quarrelling over the same things and thus decide that it’s high time for divorce, however, they accidentally mistake the office of a doctor/psychologist with the one for the lawyer… Finally, DER EINGEBILDETE KRANKE (THE IMAGINARY INVALID) from 1935 is a wonderful adaptation of the famous musical play by Moliére.

Disc 2 shifts considerably in tone and offers two melodramas, the first one being the period drama DAS MÄDCHEN VOM MOORHOF (THE GIRL FROM THE MARSH CROFT; 1935), in which Karsten Dittmar (Kurt Fischer-Fehling), a young farmer, travels to town in the hope of selecting a new maid to help his elderly mother (Jeanette Bethge). Underwhelmed by the girls offering their services, he notices pretty and impoverished Helga Christmann (Hansi Knoteck), a rather taciturn young woman with a ‘tainted’ reputation, that is to say she fell pregnant out of wedlock thanks to her previous employer, whose fault it was to begin with. After a courageous act in the courthouse concerning her filing a paternity suit against said farmer, Karsten is impressed by her and offers her the job, which she thankfully accepts. It doesn’t take long before they fall for each other but status and reputation prevent them from admitting to their feelings. What’s more, Karsten is engaged to Gertrud Gerhart (Ellen Frank), whose parents are wealthier than Karsten’s, meaning a wedding would be a social advantage for the Dittmar family. However, Gertrud is not only wealthy but also jealous by nature and demands that Karsten send Helga packing… having noticed his friendliness towards the maid. But several unforeseen events turn fate around and Karsten’s parents come to accept that social status is not all that matters in life.

The second melodrama, STÜTZEN DER GESELLSCHAFT (PILLARS OF SOCIETY; 1935) is an adaptation of Henrik Ibsens’s play. Set in the early 20th century and starting in the USA, Norwegian immigrant Johann Tonnessen (Albrecht Schoenhals, who had played the Prince in ‘April, April’), has carved out a successful existence as a farmer. When a friend of his, a circus manager, invites Johann to come along on a tour of Europe, including Norway (where Johann was born), he accepts. Meanwhile in his Norwegian hometown, Johann’s brother-in-law, Consul Carsten Bernick (Heinrich George) is one of the town’s wealthiest citizens, who owns a shipyard. His wife Betty (Maria Krahn) loathes her brother Johann as she believes he is the illegitimate father of Dina Dorf (Suse Graf), who the Bernick’s have adopted as their own. Betty also believes that her brother is guilty of embezzlement, which is why he fled to America. But when the circus arrives in town, it doesn’t take long for the dirty truth to come to light and for the real culprit to finally confess to his wrongdoings… It’s an engaging and well-acted morality tale about corruption and hypocrisy.

This Limited Edition Set (2000 copies only) is presented in an O-card slipcase and comes with a collector’s booklet. Further special features include audio commentaries plus ‘Magnificent Obsessions’ - an interview with film historian Sheldon Hall. Films are in German with English subtitles.