Amphitryon (1935) User Reviews

Strength Through Joy?

[Varlaam · 8/10 · 11 November 1998]

Perhaps musicals were part of Dr. Goebbels' propaganda plan, and perhaps the Olympian gods and goddesses did not look like Aryan übermenschen, but here we do have an entertaining, high-gloss, musical comedy about the ancient Greeks and there are few enough films about them as it is. (Even if the Nazis were attempting to buy legitimacy by co-opting the wellspring of Western civilization.)

When I saw this film a couple of years ago, I actually thought I heard a couple of topical jokes slyly directed at the Nazis and assumed I was seeing the last gasp of some still independent liberal Weimar tradition. Maybe I was mistaken, and such a thing was no longer possible two years into the thousand-year Reich.

Anti-militaristic German Musical

[oknorr · 8/10 · 20 November 2005]

Just like the Roman comedy Amphitruo by Plautus, on which the movie is loosely based, Schünzl's musical film-version is a very funny doppelganger comedy.

The romance between Amphitryon (then famous heart-throb Willy Fritsch) and Alkmene (Käthe Gold) is portrayed in rather conventional ways, but the real stars are the minor characters, then well-known comedians Paul Kemp (playing both Mercury on roller skates and Amphityon's drunkard slave Sosia) and Fita Benkhoff as Sosia's wife Andria. Their antics make this movie still worth watching. Similarly, Fritsch in his other role as aged Jupiter, bald and with beer- belly, and his tyrannical wife, truly ancient Adele Sandrock, then the grand old dame of German cinema, are very funny. Both Sandrock and Benkhoff were nominated for the 1935 Oscars, the only foreign actors thus honored that year.

Maybe the best part of the movie, though, is the way director Reinhold Schünzl, a half-Jew who had to emigrate to the United States not much later, slyly parodies German militarism, and that under Nazi-censorship and with SS men as extras (playing Theban soldiers in the mass scenes). I guess Hitler and Goebbels, who both visited the shooting of the movie, were fooled by the National Socialist realism of parts of the set (especially when the Theban army triumphally returns from war), and I guess they also liked the traditional way gender roles are portrayed in the movie (in the end, Andria becomes an obedient wife full of newly gained respect for her husband, the new Sosia (a.k.a. Mercury), and is rewarded with a fashionable hat).

In brief, this is a really funny movie, and I only wish it had already been re- issued with English subtitles so that Schünzl could receive the fame and admiration he deserves.

A treasure

[steven-222 · 9/10 · 9 December 2009]

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.

LAST UFA ELEGANCE AND WIT

[J. Steed · 10/10 · 6 January 1999]

This is one of the last productions in the UFA style at the beginning of the 30s, originally planned as an Erich Pommer production. The productions values are still here, but Pommer had already left for the U.S.A. The sets are fabulous, the dialogue is great (and very funny) and the cast is outstanding (note e.g. Willi Fritsch, showing that he can do more than just smile; and Adele Sandrock). This is Schuenzel's masterpiece: his direction is elegance itself. [Of course Schunzel is also know for the very fine VIKTOR UND VIKTORIA, source for VICTOR/VICTORIA by Blake Edwards.] Many sources claim that contemporary German audience recognized the - concealed - Goering parody and other references to the present situation. After some hesitation the showing of the film was allowed by the ProMi (=Goebbels): it also recognized the Goering parody. The film became a great success. This film should be an international classic; and Schunzel a more known director.

Delightful!

[CultureVulture49 · 16 July 2011]

You can order a subtitled, high quality DVD with no extras from a site specializing in old foreign films: germanwarfilms.com. I've watched this charming film twice and it gets better with each viewing. Production values and performances are first rate. The special effects rival Hollywood's best. Much of the dialog is in rhyming couplets giving the film an almost musical quality before building up to the final musical number that's almost a parody of a crowd scene from 'Triumph of the Will.' In fact this film is equal to any Hollywood musical of that era.

Not all Germam films of this era were propaganda pieces. However the plot cuts both ways. At one point it stresses National Socialist views of wives subordinate to their husbands while it pokes fun of militaristic pomp & ceremony.

The Gods must be crazy

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 13 July 2016]

"Amphitryon - Aus den Wolken kommt das Glück" or "Amphitryon - Happiness from the Clouds" or just "Amphitryon" is a German film from 1935, so this one is already over 80 years old and it is an example of a black-and-white sound film from Nazi Germany that was no propaganda. The writer and director is Reinhold Schünzel, actually a successful actor too, even if he does not perform in here. "Writer" is relative though as he merely adapted the works from Molière, Titus Maccius Plautus and Heinrich von Kleist for his work here. The film is slightly shorter than 100 minutes and has Willy Fritsch play the main character mentioned in the title. I think he is the only one from the cast who is still somewhat known today, even if many more cast members were prolific and successful back in the day. This film is mostly a comedy with some music influences and also a bit of romance here and there. I personally cannot say I enjoyed the watch too much. It was never as funny as I hoped it may be, so I was pretty underwhelmed and the film dragged to me on several occasions. I was also not really impressed by the acting. The whole thing is a bit style over substance with all the costumes and settings and it never manages to be the relevant romance story that we see in the end that it wants to be. I five Amphitryon a thumbs-down. Not recommended.

The only direct propaganda this film haves is Jello

[cynthiahost · 12 November 2011]

Reinhold Schunzel, the director of Ice Follies of 1939 , directed this very entertaining classic from Nazi Germany, now a politically correct dictatorship.It also was unintentionally promoting Americas product in the films. The scene ,as Mercury pretending to be the husband, drunkard Sosias, the slave of Amphityron, this time being domineering and sober to wife Andria ,played by FitaBenkoff, he notices on the dinner table Jello and ask her whats that,She states,"Jello,". His remark," that for toothless old men"!If I can remember I think that's what he said.there is some subtle propaganda in it but what can you say , this was Nazi Germany. Its when the Greek soldiers com back from battle with Willy Frtisch playing,Amphityron,as the leader with his alcoholic slave ,Sosias played by Paul Kemp.The way the Greeks soldiers march are choreographed and then you see the women, Thebe's wives, dancing for joy as their husbands come back. It looks like one of those Leni Riefhenstahl filmed Nazi march conferences mix with Nazis folk women dances. It's a musical but most of the actors , except for Willy Fritsch and Hilda Hildabrand, can't sing, so most of them just sing with pitch. Willy Fritz portrays also God Jupitor, a sickly dirty old man , who so badly want to jump on one of his adult children,Alkamene, with a 1935 hair dress in ancient Greece, played by Kathe Gold,as she is praying to him to protect her husband Amphy. Boy he has to have her. So he and his slave Jupitor go down to earth the day before the men return from war, disguising themselves as the rough Amphityron and his drunken slave Sosias.Well Alkmene is confused but surprised that he comes home a day earlier. Her slave , Andria can't believe her husband Sosia is Sober and so demanding. But Jupitor age hit him and ends up sleeping after his bath. The next day he attempts it but her friends show up for a visit, one of them played by Hilda Hidabrand, she cuts the party off and now her friends thinks that she has an affair. All of a sudden Jupiter gets a cold and now the doctor has made him go to bed . so that delays the seduction. Well by the time the boys from war come back, Juptor has to turn himself back and Sosias comes to the house early catching Mercery kissing his wife. Hegoes berserk and thinks he's going nuts. He goes back to the ship and Amphy has him arrested thinking he has gotten drunk.He comes back and Alc is dispelled and is angry with him about going to war all those month leaving her alone. He than hears rumors from her friend that she might have had an affair with some one. He get's so mad with her even though she did not , he goes to the divorce lawyer. Jupitor and mercury now take over the law office to prevent the break. Jupitors wife, played by Adele Sandrock, so she goes to earth to put an end to this . Juno shows up at Akme's house and accuses her of sleeping with her husband. It's eventually straightened out and it revealed how Acme was faithful to Amphy. It's now available with subtitles in the united states, n.t.s.c. 0 region at germanwarfilms.com 11/12/11