Since Mildred is just mid Heinrich's first Russian trip, have a neat visual Illustration via this clip from the movie Münchhausen. The scene: big reception at Catherine's court. Our hero Münchhausen (Hans Albers), unbeknowest to him, has in fact met Catherine the previous night and flirted heavily with Mysterious German Lady working at court. Now he shows up at the big reception and realises she's the Empress. The opulence of the reception (complete with child piano player inside of a cake) is modelled on the descriptions given of the receptions Heinrich got when he visited St. Petersburg. (Münchhausen being straight, he can of course have an affair with Catherine.) (There are English subtitles.)
The movie Münchhausen is remarkable in many ways. The script was written by Erich Kästner under a peudonym - Berthold Bürger (Berthold Citizen) - since officially he wasn't allowed to work ever since the Nazis burned his books 1933. Kästner probably was the sole author who witnessed his books being burned in 1933 and remained in Germany throughout the Third Reich, surviving first by foreign royalties and then by doctoring and in some cases writing movie scripts (always under fake names). Münchhausen was one of the big UFA prestige objects - one of the early German movies in color - with most good German actors not driven into exile or killed in it. It's still immensly watchable (even the special effects of Münchhausen flying with his canon ball hold up) and has a lot of charm, but if you know it was made while real life bombs were reigning down on Germany (1943/44) to distract the masses, it's really eerie. A French friend of mine once asked whether the present day frame narration is subversive since no one says "Heil Hitler", but actually most German movies made between 1933 - 1945 set in the then present avoid the uniforms and the heil-hitlering, it's as if you're watching an AU where there's clearly SOMEONE reigning but not him. The reason for the lack of overt uniforms and flags is that Goebbels probably figured there was enough of that in rl, and also the 1933 propaganda movies like "Hitlerjunge Quex" flopped at the box office. Propaganda worked better in disguise.
Now Münchhausen is not propaganda and is subversive, but not for that reason. Kästner's script presents two time lines - there the present day where current Baron of Münchhausen and his wife are giving a costume ball (there's a nice fake out intro where the ball starts and sudddenly electric light is switched on). The wife is noticeable older than the baron, who is played by male sex symbol of his day Hans Albers. One of the young female guests is hitting on the baron, and her husband is a bit fascinated by him, too. The baron starts to narrate the story of his ancestor, who is the famous Münchhausen the storyteller/liar and lives in 18th century Rokoko Europe. Cue various adventures fantastical and historical, in which Münchhausen is more a lover than a fighter (hence him hitting it off with Catherine when visiting Russia), though he's brave when needs must. He's got a respected rival/frenemy relationship going on with Cagliostro who because of this makes him immortal. At which point it becomes clear that the present day narrating Münchhausen is in fact the original, and his wife isn't older than him, she's younger, she just ages and he (so far) does not, though in the course of telling his adventures, he finally figures out how he can get rid of the immortality Cagliostro gave him if he truly wishes to. What's extraordinary in a movie made at a time when Germans and Russians were dying by the thousands at each other's hands is that unlike in virtually any other historic movie made in Germany in those years, the Russians aren't the villains here. (Well, Potemkin is a bit of a tempestous braggart, but you know, Potemkin). They're not villainized, and nor is Catherine for her guilt-free sexuality. (She and Münchhausen have great fun together but also eventually take leave of each other without regrets.) In general, war is presented as there, unavoidable, but not glorious or an excuse for patriotic speeches by anyone (in stark contrast to what the propaganda movies at the same time do to Fritz), and Münchhausen, who gets along with people of all nationalities and whose inventiveness and survival skills are presented as the result of him being a clever trickster, is unlike any historic main character you'd expect to find in a German movie made at that time.
Wow, thank you for the clip and the contextual write-up! That was very interesting.
The reason for the lack of overt uniforms and flags is that Goebbels probably figured there was enough of that in rl, and also the 1933 propaganda movies like "Hitlerjunge Quex" flopped at the box office. Propaganda worked better in disguise.
Huh. I had not known and, like your French friend, would not have expected that, but it makes sense.
Münchhausen, who gets along with people of all nationalities and whose inventiveness and survival skills are presented as the result of him being a clever trickster, is unlike any historic main character you'd expect to find in a German movie made at that time.
Which reminds me, the promising-looking satirical miniseries was just released. I'm not much for watching things, and certainly don't have a Hulu subscription, but if either or both of you decide to watch, I look forward to you reporting back. ;)
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rheinsberg
Re: Heinrich readthrough!
The movie Münchhausen is remarkable in many ways. The script was written by Erich Kästner under a peudonym - Berthold Bürger (Berthold Citizen) - since officially he wasn't allowed to work ever since the Nazis burned his books 1933. Kästner probably was the sole author who witnessed his books being burned in 1933 and remained in Germany throughout the Third Reich, surviving first by foreign royalties and then by doctoring and in some cases writing movie scripts (always under fake names). Münchhausen was one of the big UFA prestige objects - one of the early German movies in color - with most good German actors not driven into exile or killed in it. It's still immensly watchable (even the special effects of Münchhausen flying with his canon ball hold up) and has a lot of charm, but if you know it was made while real life bombs were reigning down on Germany (1943/44) to distract the masses, it's really eerie. A French friend of mine once asked whether the present day frame narration is subversive since no one says "Heil Hitler", but actually most German movies made between 1933 - 1945 set in the then present avoid the uniforms and the heil-hitlering, it's as if you're watching an AU where there's clearly SOMEONE reigning but not him. The reason for the lack of overt uniforms and flags is that Goebbels probably figured there was enough of that in rl, and also the 1933 propaganda movies like "Hitlerjunge Quex" flopped at the box office. Propaganda worked better in disguise.
Now Münchhausen is not propaganda and is subversive, but not for that reason. Kästner's script presents two time lines - there the present day where current Baron of Münchhausen and his wife are giving a costume ball (there's a nice fake out intro where the ball starts and sudddenly electric light is switched on). The wife is noticeable older than the baron, who is played by male sex symbol of his day Hans Albers. One of the young female guests is hitting on the baron, and her husband is a bit fascinated by him, too. The baron starts to narrate the story of his ancestor, who is the famous Münchhausen the storyteller/liar and lives in 18th century Rokoko Europe. Cue various adventures fantastical and historical, in which Münchhausen is more a lover than a fighter (hence him hitting it off with Catherine when visiting Russia), though he's brave when needs must. He's got a respected rival/frenemy relationship going on with Cagliostro who because of this makes him immortal. At which point it becomes clear that the present day narrating Münchhausen is in fact the original, and his wife isn't older than him, she's younger, she just ages and he (so far) does not, though in the course of telling his adventures, he finally figures out how he can get rid of the immortality Cagliostro gave him if he truly wishes to. What's extraordinary in a movie made at a time when Germans and Russians were dying by the thousands at each other's hands is that unlike in virtually any other historic movie made in Germany in those years, the Russians aren't the villains here. (Well, Potemkin is a bit of a tempestous braggart, but you know, Potemkin). They're not villainized, and nor is Catherine for her guilt-free sexuality. (She and Münchhausen have great fun together but also eventually take leave of each other without regrets.) In general, war is presented as there, unavoidable, but not glorious or an excuse for patriotic speeches by anyone (in stark contrast to what the propaganda movies at the same time do to Fritz), and Münchhausen, who gets along with people of all nationalities and whose inventiveness and survival skills are presented as the result of him being a clever trickster, is unlike any historic main character you'd expect to find in a German movie made at that time.
Re: Heinrich readthrough!
The reason for the lack of overt uniforms and flags is that Goebbels probably figured there was enough of that in rl, and also the 1933 propaganda movies like "Hitlerjunge Quex" flopped at the box office. Propaganda worked better in disguise.
Huh. I had not known and, like your French friend, would not have expected that, but it makes sense.
Münchhausen, who gets along with people of all nationalities and whose inventiveness and survival skills are presented as the result of him being a clever trickster, is unlike any historic main character you'd expect to find in a German movie made at that time.
That does sound astonishing.
Re: Heinrich readthrough!
And holy cow that cake :P And that was actually real!
Catherine the Great