Der Kongreß tanzt (1931)

Vienna glove-sales-lady Christl falls in love to Czar Alexander. Metternich tries to use this to keep him out of the conferences of the Vienna Congress from 1815.

Director:

Erik Charell

Writers:

Norbert Falk, Robert Liebmann

Stars:

Lilian Harvey, Willy Fritsch, Otto Wallburg

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

Vienna glove-sales-lady Christl falls in love to Czar Alexander. Metternich tries to use this to keep him out of the conferences of the Vienna Congress from 1815.

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Plot Keywords:

czar | metternich | vienna austria | body double | kiss on the lips | 

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Genres:

Comedy | History | Musical

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Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

25 April 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Kongress tanzt

Filming Locations:

Neubabelsberg, Brandenburg, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universum Film (UFA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 93 min (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Klangfilm)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The Russian anthem "God Save The Tsar!" accompanying Alexander's official arrivals in the movie has in fact been adopted in 1833 (i.e. 18 years after the depicted events).

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Connections

Alternate-language version of Le congrès s'amuse (1931)

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Soundtracks

"Das gibt's nur einmal, das kommt nie wieder"
Music by Werner R. Heymann
Lyrics by Robert Gilbert
Sung by Lilian Harvey

User Reviews

A masterpiece.

This film is a treasure. It's really witty, funny... full or light eroticism, beautifully performed... lovely songs.

The long sequence of Lilian Harvey being driven to her "new Villa", singing a song is nothing less than a 10 minutes masterpiece in its own right. Harvey is sensational, wonderfully spontaneous. The song is instantly catchy. The hundreds of extras waving at the carriage, throwing flowers and balloons... the children dancing. Everything wonderfully filmed, timed and choreographed. There is a genuine joy in it that will make you feel like a child and smile.

This sequence catches the spirit of the film, but YOU ARE GETTING IT ALL WRONG IF YOU THINK THIS IS THE ONLY PART WORTH SEEING. The film is a wonderfully funny comedy to be compared with a masterpiece like "To be or not to be". In fact my rating is 10.

Films just DON'T GET ANY BETTER.

Sorry if I sound too enthusiastic, but I was just amazed. Don't miss it. It's really special.