A Friendship in Vienna (TV 1988)

Inge Dournenvald and Lise Mueller are best friends in pre-WW2 Austria, despite the fact that Inge is Jewish and Lise is the daughter of a Nazi sympathizer. When they are forbidden to see ... See full summary »

Director:

Arthur Allan Seidelman

Writers:

Doris Orgel (book), Richard Alfieri (teleplay)

Stars:

Jane Alexander, Edward Asner, Natasha Bell

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jane Alexander	...	Hannah Dournenvald
Edward Asner	...	Opah Oskar Reikman
Natasha Bell	...	Anni
Helen Bourne	...	Marianne Lowberg
Luisa Bradshaw-White	...	Herte
Jeremy Cagan	...	Herbert Lowberg
Magdi Darvas	...	Frau Vollmer
László Dózsa	...	Man in Church
Rosemary Forsyth
Zoltán Gera	...	Building Manager
Kamie Harper	...	Lise Mueller
John Hartley	...	Mueller
Richard Jaromy	...	Heinz
Kenna Kendall	...	Mitzi
Péter Kertész	...	Second SA Officer

Storyline

Inge Dournenvald and Lise Mueller are best friends in pre-WW2 Austria, despite the fact that Inge is Jewish and Lise is the daughter of a Nazi sympathizer. When they are forbidden to see each other, they meet secretly. After the Germans invade Austria in 1938, Inge and her family escape to America with the help of Lise.

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Plot Keywords:

austria | escape | jewish | nazi | best friend | 

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 August 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amistad en Viena

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Television, Finnegan/Pinchuk Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Lise Mueller: But it doesn't change the way I feel inside.
Inge Dournenvald: Well, it changes the way I feel inside!

User Reviews

A Moving Story, Very Nicely Done

This movie is based on the novel 'The Devil in Vienna' by Doris Orgel. The book was written for young adults, and in diary format as told by Inge a young Jewish girl of 13 living in Vienna just before the Nazi takeover of Austria.

The movie is true to the story and the spirit of the book, and tells how these events impact Inge and her best friend Lisette (who is Catholic) and their families. The girls vow to maintain their friendship no matter what happens -- even though Lisette's father and brother are ardent Austrian Nazi's.

The girls are believable in their roles, and Ed Asner stands out as Inge's grandfather. This movie should be enjoyed by girls, as well as people interested in this time period. It especially gives interesting details on how early Nazi laws impacted schools and day to day Jewish lives in Vienna.