The story of Johann Strauss the elder and younger. Senior thinks little of Junior's musical abilities while Junior is torn between baker's daughter Resi and countess Helga who both contribut... Read allThe story of Johann Strauss the elder and younger. Senior thinks little of Junior's musical abilities while Junior is torn between baker's daughter Resi and countess Helga who both contribute to his composing the famous "Blue Danube".The story of Johann Strauss the elder and younger. Senior thinks little of Junior's musical abilities while Junior is torn between baker's daughter Resi and countess Helga who both contribute to his composing the famous "Blue Danube".
- Lady's Maid
- (as Betty Huntley Wright)
- Engine driver
- (uncredited)
- Mme. Fouchett
- (uncredited)
- Domeyer
- (uncredited)
- Carl
- (uncredited)
- Boy
- (uncredited)
- Secretary
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn his interview with François Truffaut in 1964, and in many other interviews, Sir Alfred Hitchcock referred to this movie as "the lowest ebb of my career."
- GoofsThe plot centers around the composition of the "Blue Danube" waltz and its place in the rivalry between Johann Strauss Jr. and his father. While the rivalry between them was real, the "Blue Danube" was composed in 1866; Johann Strauss Sr. died in 1849, and hence could not have been late to the premiere of the "Blue Danube," since he was "late" already.
- Quotes
Johann Strauss, the Younger: Oh Resi, stop please, you- you must let me explain, I- Oh listen Resi, I- I'll give up my music altogether. It's the only thing to do.
Resi Ebezeder: You mean you'd really give up your music for me?
Johann Strauss, the Younger: Of course I will, you mean more to me than- than ambition or anything.
- Crazy creditsThe opening credits expounds on the source material as "the great Alhambra London success".
- ConnectionsFeatured in Reputations: Hitch: Alfred the Great (1999)
- SoundtracksRadetsky March
Composed by Johann Strauss Sr.
What makes this film notable is that the director is Alfred Hitchcock. Alma Reville is listed as one of the writers.
From the opening scene, the film is unusual. The film starts with a closeup of a fire team racing to a fire in a confectioner's shop. The scene is obviously fake because of the background and the fake horses. The actors jostle about and spout wisecracks. At the scene of the fire, we see a madhouse of onlookers and employees. The employees are taking tables and chairs out of the shop and setting them up in the street to avoid losing customers. The confectioner is in a panic as he tries to save a huge wedding cake. Smoke billows from the building but upstairs there is music and singing as Strauss and Rasi go through one of his compositions. The sequence is manic, full of pratfalls and sight gags.
At a dress shop across the street the countess is trying to buy a dress but the models are all watching the fire. When a bumbling fireman carries Rasi down a ladder, she tears her dress off and must run to the dress shop for clothing. She meets the countess who is asking to meet the man playing that piano. Thus begins the triangle.
Almost as a subplot, we get the adversarial relationship between the father and son since the film really focuses on the "love story." Although Hitchcock always thought this film his worst, there is much to enjoy. The pacing is brisk. The dramatic story is lightened by comic episodes. The direction is very fluid (if not florid) like the music, and the music is terrific, especially the climactic "Blue Danube" number.
Also notable are the sets. You would expect very fussy, claustrophobic rooms filled with furniture and ponderous draperies but the sets are mostly spartan, white, softly lit. In one scene the countess sits having coffee in a huge white room before huge curtainless windows. Not what you'd think of for 1850s Vienna.
The acting is uneven, with Matthews and Knight overacting and Gwenn and Compton underacting. The comic scenes are very broad and involve pratfalls into cakes, slapping, falling down stairs, etc. Yet it all seems to work.
Matthews hated this film and Hitchcock. England's premiere musical star of the time doesn't get to dance and only warbles here and there. She definitely takes a backseat to the Strauss music, but she's at her prettiest in this film. Esmond Knight's character reminded me of Marius Goring's manic composer in THE RED SHOES right down to the hair cut. Gwenn, for all his billing, gets less screen time than Matthews, Knight, and even Fay Compton.
Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $121
- Runtime1 hour 20 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1