Amphitryon (1935)

Lamenting Thebian women are waiting for the men to come back from war. God Jupiter is attracted to one of them: Alkmene. He goes to earth and tries to seduce her as himself: an old man. ... See full summary »

Director:

Reinhold Schünzel

Writers:

Molière (play), Titus Maccius Plautus (play)

Stars:

Willy Fritsch, Paul Kemp, Käthe Gold

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Willy Fritsch	...	Jupiter / Amphitryon
Paul Kemp	...	Götterbote Merkur / Diener Sosias
Käthe Gold	...	Amphitryons Gemahlin Alkmene
Fita Benkhoff	...	Andria
Adele Sandrock	...	Jupiters Gemahlin Juno
Hilde Hildebrand	...	1. Freundin Alkmenes
Vilma Bekendorf	...	2. Freundin Alkmenes
Annie Ann	...	3. Freundin Alkmenes
Hilde Boenisch	...	4. Freundin Alkmenes
Ewald Wenck	...	Dr. Äskulap
Aribert Wäscher	...	Thebener Kriegsminister
Ellen-Ruth Knapp-Güttingen	...	1. Thebener Ehefrau (as Ellen Ruth Güttingen)
Annemarie Korff	...	2. Thebener Ehefrau
Liesl Otto	...	3. Thebener Ehefrau
Annemarie Schwindt	...	4. Thebener Ehefrau

Storyline

Lamenting Thebian women are waiting for the men to come back from war. God Jupiter is attracted to one of them: Alkmene. He goes to earth and tries to seduce her as himself: an old man. Failing in this, he disguises himself as Amphitryon (Alkemene's husband) and tries again. Next morning Amphitryon and his men come back from war; he suspects adultery and wants a divorce. Jupiter's wive Juno now also comes to earth and clears things up.

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Plot Keywords:

satire | based on play | character name in title | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

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Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

18 July 1935 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Amphitryon - Happiness from the Clouds

Filming Locations:

Ufa-Atelier, Neubabelsberg, Brandenburg, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universum Film (UFA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Alternate-language version of Les dieux s'amusent (1935)

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Soundtracks

Amphitryon-Walzer
("Hoch aus den Wolken kommt das Glück")
Nach Motiven der Music by Franz Doelle zusammengestellt von Walter Borchert
Lyrics by Charles Amberg (as C. Amberg)
Sung by Willy Fritsch

User Reviews

A treasure

I'm an American collector of Ancient World movies, so I was delighted to find this movie on German DVD. I do wish it had English subtitles...but between my knowledge of the plot (based on the play by Plautus) and the addable German subtitles, I had no difficulty following this wonderful romp set in ancient Thebes, as the god Jupiter (assisted by Mercury) descends to earth to woo the lovely Alcmeme by taking the guise of her absent husband, Amphrityon. When the real Amphitryon returns triumphant from the wars, the comic plot thickens. (But unlike the Plautus original, here the interrupted affair between Alcmene and Jupiter does NOT result in the birth of Hercules; how then was the demigod born?)

The music is delightful, the comic confusions are rendered with a light touch, and the elegant sets, costumes, and special effects are pure eye-candy.

A bonus on the German DVD is a half-hour doc giving some background to the story, as well as production stills and footage. Curiously, director Reinhold Schünzel shot a simultaneous version of Amphityron in French with different actors, and some clips show how the two versions look and sound side by side.

Amphitryon is not well known outside Germany but is nonetheless a world cinematic treasure.