Geza von Bolvary was a great master in melting music with film and "Schrammeln" is clearly his master piece. The Schrammeln did exist in the 19th century and were a Vienna folk music quartet. The movie starts as a comedy, almost as a Hans Moser movie, who plays a minor role as a member of this quartet. Johann Schrammel (played by Paul Hörbiger), the leader of the quartet, wants to compose and play "serious" music rather than folk music until Fiaker Milli, a strong women played by Marte Harell, finally convinced him that folk music is the right music for him. But then the movie becomes a love tragedy, because both he and his much younger and better looking brother Josef (played by Hans Holt) fell in love with Fiaker Milli. To reconcile the estranged quartet Fiaker Milli sacrificed her deep love to the younger Josef Schrammeln and married a millionar instead. When the movie turns into a tragedy, also the music changes and the beautiful song "Man ist einmal nur verliebt" becomes the tragic melody of the film.
Review of Schrammeln
