Looking for Musicals to see for an ICM challenge,I found a review for a quirky-sounding German flick, but was sadly unable to find it anywhere. Gathering up Musicals to view in the oncoming week, I got very lucky and stumbled on the movie (with Eng Subs!) Which led to me visiting the haunted castle.
The plot:
Bricked into a castle, a group of thieves die and turn into ghosts. Whilst building work is done on the property 100's of years later, the wall is knocked down,and the ghost are freed. Believing they need to make up for their misdeeds,the ghosts start helping heiress Charlotte to keep the place neat and tidy. Trying to deal with the debt that her dad has left it with, Charlotte soon becomes spooked of losing all she owns.
View on the film:
Done as a sequel to Das Wirtshaus im Spessart, the screenplay by Günter Neumann & Heinz Pauck gives a few nods to the first movie, but smartly decide to make this a film that can stand on its own. Going for some dark satirical songs from the ghosts about the last remaining Nazis, the writers' strike a fine "Family Friendly" atmosphere, via satirical jokes and raunchy asides for the adults, and wacky ghost action for the kids.
Although some of the wires are visible, director Kurt Hoffmann & cinematographer Günther Anders mask the limitations with a cheerful atmosphere, where the towering Gothic castle allowing Hoffmann to send the camera gliding round the corridors, which shake with "ghostly" wire work causing funny slap-stick scenes of everything being pushed around. Showing an eye for style in the Musical numbers, Hoffmann makes the appearances of the ghosts impressive, with neon outlines to their headless state giving the wise-cracking ghosts a spooky edge. Trying to keep the family castle, the pretty Liselotte Pulver gives a very good performance as Charlotte,thanks to Pulver making her a damsel who needs no ones help,and also giving Charlotte a comedic grin, in welcoming ghosts to the haunted castle.
The plot:
Bricked into a castle, a group of thieves die and turn into ghosts. Whilst building work is done on the property 100's of years later, the wall is knocked down,and the ghost are freed. Believing they need to make up for their misdeeds,the ghosts start helping heiress Charlotte to keep the place neat and tidy. Trying to deal with the debt that her dad has left it with, Charlotte soon becomes spooked of losing all she owns.
View on the film:
Done as a sequel to Das Wirtshaus im Spessart, the screenplay by Günter Neumann & Heinz Pauck gives a few nods to the first movie, but smartly decide to make this a film that can stand on its own. Going for some dark satirical songs from the ghosts about the last remaining Nazis, the writers' strike a fine "Family Friendly" atmosphere, via satirical jokes and raunchy asides for the adults, and wacky ghost action for the kids.
Although some of the wires are visible, director Kurt Hoffmann & cinematographer Günther Anders mask the limitations with a cheerful atmosphere, where the towering Gothic castle allowing Hoffmann to send the camera gliding round the corridors, which shake with "ghostly" wire work causing funny slap-stick scenes of everything being pushed around. Showing an eye for style in the Musical numbers, Hoffmann makes the appearances of the ghosts impressive, with neon outlines to their headless state giving the wise-cracking ghosts a spooky edge. Trying to keep the family castle, the pretty Liselotte Pulver gives a very good performance as Charlotte,thanks to Pulver making her a damsel who needs no ones help,and also giving Charlotte a comedic grin, in welcoming ghosts to the haunted castle.