Philipp Lothar Mayring

Mother Song

A romance between two temperamental singing stars. Highlights include a lengthy selection from Faust, with Gigli making a most impressive Mephistopheles. The plot takes a melodramatic turn towards the climax, with the lives of the characters mirrored in their on-stage behavior. Director Carmine Gallone was something of an expert in the field of filmed opera, as witness his Tosca, Rigoletto and Il Trovatore.

Die Erbschaft

Short Film from 1936. Banned by the Nazis. First shown 1976. Karl Meier and his wife are some really poor folks. They don't have much to eat and they cannot pay for their flat. Even the bailiff does not know what to take from them anymore. One day they are told that they made an inheritance, because some relatives died recently. Their financial problems seem to be solved now.

Demon of the Sea

Ahab pursues a whale that chewed off a leg when his brother, vying with him for the hand of a minister's daughter, pushed him overboard. When he has caught the monstrous whale he will then deal with his brother.

Viennese Nights

In 1890, Gus Sascher joins the Austrian Army and romances the impoverished girl Elsa Hofner. Elsa instead marries the wealthier officer Franz von Renner, in an attempt at social climbing.

The dance goes on

This is the German-language version of 1930's "Those Who Dance", shot by Warner Bros. in Hollywood with a German-speaking cast.

Leier und Schwert

Atmospheric image from the Wars of Liberation. The poet Theodor Körner, who was later killed in battle, is shown reciting a poem while the soldiers listen with emotion.