Love Is Only a Word (1971)
"Liebe ist nur ein Wort" (original title)

Verena Angenford, the beautiful and sensible wife of a powerful banker falls in love with the 21 year old school-boy Oliver Mansfeld. They start a love affair, believing that Verna's ... See full summary »

Director:

Alfred Vohrer

Writers:

Manfred Purzer, Johannes Mario Simmel (novel)

Stars:

Judy Winter, Herbert Fleischmann, Malte Thorsten

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Judy Winter	...	Verena Angenfort
Herbert Fleischmann	...	Manfred Angenfort
Malte Thorsten	...	Oliver Mansfeld
Donata Höffer	...	Geraldine Reber
Karl Walter Diess	...	Leo
Joey Schoenfelder	...	Hansi
Konrad Georg	...	Professor
Friedrich Siemers	...	Dr. Florian
Bernd Redecker	...	Walter Colland
Manuel Iregsusi	...	Raschid
Friedrich G. Beckhaus	...	Kommissar Hardenberg
Holger Hagen	...	Dr. Haberl
Inge Langen	...	Olivers Mutter
Dieter Wagner	...	Deutschlehrer
Ossi Eckmüller	...	Zollbeamter (as Oskar Eckmüller)

Storyline

Verena Angenford, the beautiful and sensible wife of a powerful banker falls in love with the 21 year old school-boy Oliver Mansfeld. They start a love affair, believing that Verna's husband doesn't realize what's happening. Verena and Oliver spend a wonderful time together, months full of love and passion, until Paul Angenford forces Verena to stop their affair. But the young couple are willing to fight for their love and resist Angenford's threats...

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Plot Keywords:

adultery | torture | intolerance | assassination | schoolboy | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

12 November 1971 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

El amor no es más que una palabra

Filming Locations:

Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roxy Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Von Sex bis Simmel (2005)

User Reviews

Surprisingly modern adaptation

This surprisingly modern and elegantly directed film is by far one of the best post-war German melodramas and could easily be compared with "Love story", which clearly had an influence on this film. Leaving out most of the critical elements the novel had in its portrayal of West-Germany's post war society and updating the story to the early seventies the films lacks the historical relevance of the book, but leaves more room for an exercise in style and emotion. Performances are all excellent and it is a pity that newcomer Malte Thorsten did not get another chance in the German cinema of the seventies. Judy Winter is perfect as the initially reserved, then more and more enamored wife and Herbert Fleischmann gives an impressive portrait of well-mannered evil, very much in the tradition of Hitchcock and Chabrol. The main musical theme by Erich Ferstl is catchy and the hand-held camera superb. Unfortunately, most German critics of the time were focusing only on the works of Fassbinder, Schloendorff and Herzog, but the film was a big hit in the theaters, sold well internationally and earned Malte Thorsten a well-deserved German film award.