Der weiße Traum (1943) User Reviews

An excellent musical when the Nazi's began to lose

[cynthiahost · 5 August 2011]

This started with a News reel,Their side. Conquered , so called Reich protector, protecting what?, Frank, is taking the oath to dictate the Czech Republic, at the Spanish room at the state building. Poor little boys, Hitlers youth, are being being taught to be marine Kriegs.. Old Zeig Hile meets frank at the train station. Fat and over weight, Goering is inspecting the Nazis soldiers, you can see him munching on a snack already ,at a distant, as he talks to the soldiers.Russians are being defeated by the Nazis. The Nazis are Bombing their supplies from the air. The Nazis are surprise attacking the British and forcing them to surrender, and more depressing stuff.This is like a Sonia Henning movie and the Ice Follies of 1939 and Vera Ralston's film debut for republic.There is no propaganda in this except for the Beautiful sets of the ice skating music numbers and actress Olly Holzmann, as Liesl and Wolf Aulbach Retty's character who is a Theater architect, Ernst. Well the story goes. Wolf is a part time professional hockey player and a part time set designer for the theater.He and his Hockey team play their sports at a very large ice skating, run by Uncle Strolz, played by Theodore Denegger, who's name did not appear in the credits cause he was gay and was caught during the filming to have sex with a man and ended up in prison for the entire war. He and his partner notice this talented Ice skater,Liesl Niece of the owner of the ice skating rink, who feels that she would be good in the revue, He manages to get to know her and pretends that he's the director , convincing her that she should try out.Well Oscar Sima , who plays Josef Wildner, Owns the theater and insist on the Producer, played by Hans Olden as Schmoller, that his talentless girl friend played the part,Lu Panther,played by Lotte Lang, Every body on the stage is waiting on her . She is late. One actress . who she feels is talented wants the same part, Gertie, played by Petra Trautmen, One of the theater higher ups has promised her. Well Liesl goes into the office thinking that she will get the job. Well the producer and his assistant thinks she's the owners girl friend. She gets the job.The real girl friend shows up and he turn her out. Liesle later discovers that Ernst lied to her and that hes a set designer. But she seems to forgive him. Gerttie is mad that Liesl got the role. So with the help of her boy in the theater, she write a letter the theater owner that his girl friend is carrying on with Ernst, not realizing that this is not the theater owner girl friend. He storms up to the theater and jumps on Ernst. He get's mad at Leisl thinking that she's the owners girls friend.This outrages her and she goes up to the owner and slaps him not realizing who that was.That when everyone realizes that they got the wrong girl.But this one is talented and more attractive. Leisl and Ernst make up and the show goes on. It goes on up until the mishap that as Leisl goes on the stage so does Lu messing up the whole performance. This is when Mr Wildner realizes whats going on and has the whole troupe kicked out of the theater. Leisl is getting ready to leave when Ernst suggest that they have it in the ice castle , when Toni , played by Rudolph Carl, assistant in the rink, informs that Uncle Strol has taken a vacation. He come back when the shows a hit and threatens the police until Toni shows how successful his niece is on the stage. The musical numbers are elaborate. Start with a wintering scene, then Spain the Hungary, then a night club with verboten jazz singing the song,Kuaf Der Einen Bunten luftBallon. The film was a big hit in Germany. I don't' think Miss Holzmann talents were exploited after this and like Sonia Henning , her career in films went down after the war .Available at War films dot com.