Film Review
One of UFA's early sound successes was this pioneering film operetta, an obvious forerunner
of the Hollywood musical and a classic of German cinema. Unlike most such films
of this era, it has a contemporary setting and deals with subjects with which the audience
could readily engage. It combines a popular theme - a comic love story - with an
accurate comment on the prevailing socio-economic conditions of the time.
By the end of the 1920s, Germany was in a state of economic meltdown (a direct result
of the unstable Weimar government and crippling war reparation payments following the
First World War). Inflation was spiralling out of control, banks and companies were
tumbling like houses of cards, and unemployment was plunging millions of despairing souls
into misery. Not, you might think, the obvious inspiration for a light-hearted musical
comedy.
Rather than reminding cinemagoers of their woes,
Die
Drei von der Tankstelle tries to divert them by looking on the brighter side of
life, and in this it is remarkably effective. Whilst it may lack the scale and ambition
of subsequent American musicals which had similar aims in the economically grim 1930s,
it certainly has a lot going for it. There are some excellent comic performances
- Willy Fritsch, Oskar Karlweis and Heinz Rühmann make an exemplary comedy trio -
and Werner Heymann's attractive score includes a number of great songs that would become
well-known hits. The lighting and camerawork are also of a high standard,
making up for the bland staging, which appears cheap, theatrical and unimaginative in
places. The film is a curious marriage of two of the strong artistic influences
of its time - the Music Hall and expressionistic film technique. The result is a
popular comedy with an unexpectedly high art content - a delightful, timeless piece of
cinema.
The plot is essentially a celebration of friendship and love - the two
essentials of human experience that do not come with a price-tag. At the same time,
it makes light of serious themes such a money, work and social responsibility. This
idealistic view of life made the film a popular success, but it was judged to be dangerously
subversive by the Nazis, who banned it in 1937. Another reason for the ban
was that many of those involved in making it were of Jewish connection. Quite a
few of these soon found themselves working in Hollywood, notably its director Wilhelm
Thiele and producer Erich Pommer. Thiele's main claim to fame is
that he gave the iconic French screen actress
Danielle Darrieux
her first screen role in
Le Bal (1931); he also directed many episodes
of the classic American television series
The Lone Ranger in the 1950s.
The actor Kurt Gerron, who played Dr Kalmus (one
of the most memorable characters in the film), wasn't so fortunate. He turned
down the offer of work in Hollywood and ended up dying in a Nazi concentration camp in 1944.
© James Travers 2007
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Returning home from a holiday, three friends - Willy, Kurt and Hans - learn they are bankrupt.
Their fortune has evaporated and their possessions are being seized by the bailiffs.
Undeterred, the three friends sell their car and open a petrol station, taking turns to
man the petrol pump. Each has, as his first customer, Lilian, a beautiful young
woman who easily wins his heart. Lilian, however, realises that she loves only one
of them. How can she break the bad news to the other two without ruining their friendship?
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.