Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious (1965)

During World War II, two Americans are forced to bail out and parachute into a small German town. Herr Frick, being equal parts patriotic and lonely, keeps them as prisoners of war in his ... See full summary »

Director:

Gottfried Reinhardt

Writers:

Jan Lustig, Silvia Reinhardt,

Stars:

Alec Guinness, Mike Connors, Paul Dahlke

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alec Guinness	...	Wilhelm Frick
Mike Connors	...	Sgt. Lucky Finder (as Michael Connors)
Paul Dahlke	...	Herr Neusel
Frank Wolff	...	Quartermaster Sergeant
Mady Rahl	...	Lissie
Anita Höfer	...	Edeltraud
Elisabeth von Molo	...	Wanda
Robert Redford	...	Captain Hank Wilson

Storyline

During World War II, two Americans are forced to bail out and parachute into a small German town. Herr Frick, being equal parts patriotic and lonely, keeps them as prisoners of war in his bomb shelter. While his prisoners go stir crazy, Herr Frick must decide if he's willing to lose their companionship by letting them know the war has ended.

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Plot Keywords:

prisoner of war | new world | pilot | friendless | world war two | 

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Genres:

Comedy | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 January 1966 (France)

Also Known As:

Lage hoffnungslos - aber nicht ernst

Filming Locations:

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title is a variation of an old Viennese saying; "The situation is desperate but not serious." A direct influence on the title comes from Billy Wilder's 1961 film One, Two, Three. In it, Jimmy Cagney coaches Horst Buchholz to tell Buccholz's American father-in-law that the situation is "serious but not hopeless." A flustered Buccholz tells his father-in-law, "The situation is hopeless but not serious."

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Soundtracks

"Situation Hopeless But Not Serious"
Music by Leon Carr
Lyrics by Earl Shuman
Sung by Mady Rahl

User Reviews

If you liked MASH you will like this

One comment that is all there is for this movie one comment. This movie deserves better Robert Redford is hilarious as is Alec Guiness in this wonderfully offbeat story about World War 2 definnetely deserving of a DVD release. It is better than 95 percent of the movies that come out nowadays. I caught it on AMC a few years back and thought the plot was original and entertaining. Catch it if you can.