at Internet Archive
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I am the first to comment here, and I'll gladly do. Although the one and only external review at http://www.cinepassion.org/Reviews/b/BarteredBride.html already gives a good idea.In a nutshell: Marie, daughter of the mayor, is to be engaged with Wenzel, son of a rich farmer. But they don't agree and find other interests: Marie, the postmaster (coach driver) Hans; Wenzel, the circus gypsy girl Esmeralda. Complications ensue, of course...This is said to be the first opera movie ever. With many speaking scenes, I'm not sure - while Smetana's original was a comic opera, this film thankfully embeds slightly more realism (or not, in the Valentin/Karlstadt appearances: "How many staff?" - "Seven, almost eight." - "So let's write eight." - "Oh no, eight is too much, it's rather five.") The outdoor scenes (most are), especially with the postal coach, are really thrilling. Or the bear chase. All in all, it's just a rom-com, but (to me at least) very enjoyable. Freely available (original German sound, English subtitles) at archive.org
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