Kleider machen Leute (1940) User Reviews

A nice fantasy film from Helmet Keuntner

[cynthiahost · 10/10 · 22 February 2009]

I saw this picture for the first time last night.It's an early Helmet Keuntner picture.It's a cinder fella type story.Heinz portrays a frustrated tailor assistance,who wishes he was wealthy and important and had better clothes,who lives in a Heimat village near Christmas or at least it looks that way, as the caroler's sing in front of the shop.Other assistance laughs at him when he has to over work to create a coat for the Burgermeister. He has a fantasy about being an important person. a sex fantasy too when his fantasy bride shows up topless before it turns into a wedding dress.YES Goebbels and Hitler did not mind showing a flash of womens bare breast in films of the time as long as innocent people could be murdered at Aushawitz, that was real hypocrisy.He decides to make the coat for himself f- the mayor. He get's fired the next day.Starving in the December,maybe,winter he meets a gnome who gives him one wish that because of the coat he shall become important and wealthy.Before you know hes being treated right in the village. Everybody thinks he's something.Before you know it he's wearing the best clothes eating the best foods, mainly sweets and wine or that what it looks like.Important people,of the village, associates with him. He gets engage to a higher up Frau,played by Hilda Sessack, but ends up falling in love with middle class women, played by Hertha Feiller. Well, the jealous assistant finds out and destroys the spell. This has a wizard of oz type quality.This could of been chosen as Germany's first color production but it was looked over.that would of been a good enhancement to the story and plot.Quite entertaining

Everybody not yet at their best

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 23 June 2016]

"Kleider machen Leute" is not only a German proverb that says that you are what you wear, but also a German 90-minute film from the year 1940. If you hear Germany in 1940, you will know immediately that World War II was going on, so the population was certainly glad to watch some comic relief. But this is not really what this black-and-white film is about. It is one of the rare earlier Heinz Rühmann films that has a considerably defining dramatic plot as well. But honestly, I personally felt that his dramatic talent was not yet at the level like it was in the 1950s where he appeared in several strong films that were at least as much drama s they were comedy. Admittedly, you have to say in Rühmann's favor that the fairly mediocre script by Helmut Käutner (who also directs) is not helping matters at all. Käutner also improved a lot in later years. What stays is a film that is from 1940, but not a Nazi propaganda movie. However, it also offers little in terms of relevant drama, entertaining comedy or convincing and interesting characters. i give it a thumbs-down. Watch something else instead.