Wunschkonzert (1940)

At the Olympic games in Berlin 1936 Inge Wagner falls in love with Luftwaffenleutnant (Airforce Lieutenant) Herbert Koch. They want to marry, but he receives orders to go to Spain - ... See full summary »

Director:

Eduard von Borsody

Writers:

Felix Lützkendorf, Eduard von Borsody,

Stars:

Hedwig Bleibtreu, Joachim Brennecke, Heinz Goedecke

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hedwig Bleibtreu	...	Frau Wagner
Joachim Brennecke	...	Helmut Winkler
Heinz Goedecke	...	Himself
Paul Hörbiger	...	Himself
Carl Raddatz	...	Herbert Koch
Heinz Rühmann	...	Himself
Ilse Werner	...	Inge Wagner
Ida Wüst	...	Frau Eichhorn
Hans Hermann Schaufuß	...	Hammer
Hans Adalbert Schlettow	...	Kramer
Malte Jäger	...	Lehrer Friedrich
Walter Ladengast	...	Schwarzkopf
Albert Florath	...	Physician
Elise Aulinger	...	Frau Schwarzkopf
Wilhelm Althaus	...	Capt. Freiburg

Storyline

At the Olympic games in Berlin 1936 Inge Wagner falls in love with Luftwaffenleutnant (Airforce Lieutenant) Herbert Koch. They want to marry, but he receives orders to go to Spain - incognito, without permission for any contacts to his friends and relatives. Inge is still waiting for him. After the beginning of WW II, German radio starts broadcasting the "Wunschkonzert für die Wehrmacht" - a program made of wishes from the soldiers. He hears the song, he wanted to hear, and so does Inge. A friend of Inge, who hopes she is willing to marry him, comes to the same squadron where Koch flies. Koch and Inge arrange a date at a Hamburg restaurant, but he and Ilse's friend are shot down the day before. In the hospital Koch finds out, that he and his friend love the same girl. He thinks they are already engaged and is willing to give her up.

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Plot Keywords:

german | flirtation | propaganda

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Genres:

Musical | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

30 December 1940 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Request Concert

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cine-Allianz Tonfilmproduktions GmbH, Universum Film (UFA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Edited into Germany Awake! (1968)

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Soundtracks

"Gute Nacht Mutter"
Music by Werner Bochmann
Lyrics by Erwin Lehnow
Sung by Wilhelm Strienz

User Reviews

I won't go so far as to say a "guilty pleasure," but...

I saw this film a few years ago at a UCLA showing of Nazi-era German films. It's a big, fluffy blend of music, comedy and romance with several story lines, and is very well-crafted and entertaining. You forget you're watching a Nazi film until someone gives the occasional Hitler-salute, or someone speaks of "chopping up Englishmen," and then you're unpleasantly--if temporarily--jarred back into an awareness of the historical and political context of the film. Thus, it is a valuable springboard for reflections on the nature of mass entertainment, escapism and propaganda, both in Nazi Germany and one's own country, and also suggests (as has been focused upon in recent historical scholarship) that for the average German, life in the early years of the Third Reich wasn't all that "unusual" or ideological by modern standards. The elderly German man sitting in front of me in the theater was quite excited by the many cameo appearances of mid-20th century German entertainers--much as my parents would be delighted to uncover an old gem featuring Bogart, Hayworth, Abbott & Costello, etc. So, it's all very interesting.