German Sound Classics box (1930-1945) with English subs

[zedz]

Mine arrived on the weekend, well packed and intact. A very impressive edition, with fully-Englished menus and even the supplementary documentaries are presented with English narration. They seem to be very thorough as well. I've sampled the one for The Blue Angel and it's crammed full of a multitude of film clips, version comparisons and even Marlene's screen tests for the film.

[videozor]

JPC are a very good site, very good customer service in both German and English and they always package well too. My boxset come in a big box full of packing chips to help ensure it arrived without damage.

Mine did as well and only in less than a week from Germany to US.

Thanks, Lubitch, for posting this info

[Timec]

My order also just arrived here in Utah - just based on the packaging it seems like a really nice set, and I'm excited to dive into it. I recently held my own month-long silent film festival, and I ended up focusing almost entirely on German films (I watched 30-something over the course of the month.) That gave me the idea to try to work my way through German film chronologically, and this set (along with Unter den Brücken, which I also ordered) seems like a good next step.

[Perkins Cobb]

Mine showed up today too. I'm not a packaging fetishist, but this is gorgeous, gotta say. I missed most of the early German talkies at MoMA last winter, so this will be a small consolation.

[TMDaines]

Seeing as so many of us received the box at a similar time we should try and make an effort to watch a few of the films over the next few weeks and get some discussion of them going!

And, yes, I echo the thanks on the heads-up!

[Perkins Cobb]

My own mountainous kevyip and the Berlanga/Clouzot retros about to kick off in NYC make that unlikely ... but yeah, I'd love to read everyone else's comments. I've only seen M myself (glad I held off on the presumably inferior Kino editions of some of these films that came out in the US ages ago).

[TMDaines]

So... Die Drei von der Tankstelle. After ten minutes I thought this was going to comfortably be near the bottom of all the German films I've seen so far, but by the end I actually really enjoyed. Musicals aren't typically my cup of tea but once you get into it, it's a really good watch. Charming songs, a fun story and it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's not a film worth analysing too much as it's just a good entertaining piece. The transfer is not great near the start with some clear haloing but it seems to sort itself out as the film progresses - either that or I was just too engrossed to notice!

I've seen some people make some very favourable comparisons between this and Hollywood musicals at the time, in particular nothing that the pieces in this are very much part of the narrative as opposed to singing and dancing just for the sake of it over in America. As I know next to nothing about 1930s US musicals that's properly better left for someone else to elaborate on however.

One thing that's really frustrating me whilst watching the bonus documentaries in this set, however, is the number of clips from films that aren't available on DVD anywhere! I've only watched three of them so far and there's already been at least 12 or so (mainly silent) films of which I've seen clips, which aren't available anywhere and are even difficult to find online!

[Tommaso]

I've seen some people make some very favourable comparisons between this and Hollywood musicals at the time, in particular nothing that the pieces in this are very much part of the narrative as opposed to singing and dancing just for the sake of it over in America. As I know next to nothing about 1930s US musicals that's properly better left for someone else to elaborate on however.

Well, there's not much to elaborate, as this is simply the first film to fully integrate the songs as a narrative factor anywhere. You can make a point for René Clair's "Le Million" and partly also for Lubitsch's "Love Parade" (which is earlier) in this respect, too, but a full narrative integration similar to "Tankstelle" (and admittedly, even better) in US musicals can't be found earlier than in Mamoulian's "Love me tonight" from 1932. And by then, this 'integrated' kind of musical was already a staple in Germany with lots of other films following the same model. Unfortunately, the nazi era brought about a return to the 'number musical' to a great degree in Germany.

One thing that's really frustrating me whilst watching the bonus documentaries in this set, however, is the number of clips from films that aren't available on DVD anywhere! I've only watched three of them so far and there's already been at least 12 or so (mainly silent) films of which I've seen clips, which aren't available anywhere and are even difficult to find online!

Which films were these? I'd be interested to know what is lying dormant in German archives...

[TMDaines]

One thing that's really frustrating me whilst watching the bonus documentaries in this set, however, is the number of clips from films that aren't available on DVD anywhere! I've only watched three of them so far and there's already been at least 12 or so (mainly silent) films of which I've seen clips, which aren't available anywhere and are even difficult to find online!

Which films were these? I'd be interested to know what is lying dormant in German archives...

Well in the documentary for Die Drei von der Tankstelle there are clips of:

- Ihr Dunkler Punkt (Pick, 1928)
- Adieu Mascotte (Thiele, 1929)
- Love Waltz (Thiele, 1929/30)
- Ein blonder Traum (Martin, 1932)
- Ein Walzertraum (Berger, 1925)
- Ich bei Tag und du bei Nacht (Berger, 1932)
- Walzerkrieg (Berger, 1933)
- Prinzessin Turnadot (Lamprecht, 1934)
- Die Toechter Ihrer Exzellenz (Schuenzel, 1934)

, and a few others which I know are on DVD: Frau im Mond, Heimkehr ins Glueck and Hokuspokus.

In the Der blaue Engel doc there were clips of a few Dietrich silents: Manon Lescaut, Eine Dubarry von heute, Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madame, Die Frau, nach der man sich sehnt and perhaps a few others.

Almost without exception the visual quality of them was just as good and a few looked even better than the feature presentation! Bizarre. Germany really, really needs a DVD label, like RHV in Italy, who will mainly focus on Germany cinema and release films that are from beyond the canon in quality affordable editions. Even Arthaus seem to not be interested in German films anymore and the other labels sadly can't even be bothered with Hard of Hearing German subs most of the time.

[Tommaso]

The clips on the "Tankstelle" documentary represent the very best musical comedies of the late Weimar era, and it's such a shame that indeed noone cares to release them. Thankfully I've managed to see all of them one way or other (with the exception of "Ihr dunkler Punkt", of which I'm happy to hear that it still exists), but these films deserve better than to be seen in age-old shoddy VHS recordings off TV. From the list of clips I'd assume that "Hokuspokus" is the 1930 version with Lilian Harvey and Willy Fritsch, and unfortunately, that one isn't out on dvd either (the 50s remake is).

Of the clips on the "Der blaue Engel" disc, only "Ich küsse ihre Hand, Madame" has a dvd release. The others are wasting away in the archives....

Germany really, really needs a DVD label, like RHV in Italy, who will mainly focus on Germany cinema and release films that are from beyond the canon in quality affordable editions. Even Arthaus seem to not be interested in German films anymore and the other labels sadly can't even be bothered with Hard of Hearing German subs most of the time.

Arthaus/Kinowelt has recently been bought by StudioCanal, and it seems that this more or less means the end of their activities regarding classic German filmmaking. And yes, there's nothing that is needed more than such a label (I'd even go down the burn-on-demand route if absolutely necessary), and not only for 'films beyond the canon'. I mean, "Liebeswalzer", "Ich bei Tag und du bei Nacht", "Ein blonder Traum": this is the canon.

[TMDaines]

Of the clips on the "Der blaue Engel" disc, only "Ich küsse ihre Hand, Madame" has a dvd release. The others are wasting away in the archives....

Didn't realise there was a DVD of this. Is it any good or is the TV rip that is floating around much superior?

[Tommaso]

I haven't seen the film yet but I saw some screenshots from the DVD, and it seemed fine to me.

[lubitsch]

I remember that the tape of Ich küsse ihre Hand had a far inferior framing compared to the TV recording, don't have the DVD.
As for Tankstelle besides the historical importance it has songs which are extremely catchy, Ein Freund ein guter Freund is still very famous among Germans regardless of their interest in older films, it has passed into collective memory. What really hurts the film is the dialogue which is disappointingly banal and witless, virtually every other early sound operetta I've seen has better text for the actors. There's even a moment when Willy Fritsch casually uses whore which doesn't fit at all into this kind of film. It's a curious mixture of dilettantism and genius and not as polished like later examples a la Ich bei Tag und du bei Nacht but due to the iconic place in German (and international) film history it's in the box.

[TMDaines]

Now I've watched Der Kongreß tanzt, I have to be honest and say that I didn't enjoy this one anywhere near as much as the first three titles in the box. Tankstelle had a certain charm about it where it didn't take itself so seriously and even poked fun at the genre of operettas. This I just found a little dull at times. The film was a nice spectacle but I felt exactly the same about this as I did about Die Austernprinzessin. Everyone seems to talk about the charm of that film and the magical dancing sequences, while I'm just scratching my head a little and wondering what everyone finds so enchanting. It wasn't a bad film in anyway but after enjoying Tankstelle, somewhat surprisingly so, I thought I'd be in for something special here. Ultimately I didn't find it particularly witty or funny. Lilian Harvey glows in every scene she's in and comes across as very charismatic but there wasn't much else there for me.

[Tommaso]

So you didn't even appreciate the coach ride, done without any cuts in its initial stages, an incredible technical achievement given the time it was made? And no love for the irony of the film, and its satirical exposal of both the popular Vienna myths and the political machinations which those myths hide? And the wonderful acting not just of Lilian Harvey, but also of Conny Veidt and Adele Sandrock? And you were able to get those songs out of your head?

It's such a multi-layered and visually striking film that I'm really surprised that someone can find it dull. But I'm equally surprised that you don't like "Die Austernprinzessin" (one of Lubitsch's very best German films in my view), either. And I do think that "Kongress" only seemingly is the ultimate expression of the Weimar sound film operetta; it of course completely creates that 'sheen', but at the same time it goes beyond it and satirizes the whole dream world it depicts. Not as much as "Ich bei Tag und du bei Nacht" would do one year later, but the film is certainly much more than just escapist entertainment.It was disliked by right-wing and left-wing commentators alike; the nazis actually banned it in 1937, and they had their reasons: it was a far too irreverent picture for them.

[TMDaines]

So you didn't even appreciate the coach ride, done without any cuts in its initial stages, an incredible technical achievement given the time it was made? And no love for the irony of the film, and its satirical exposal of both the popular Vienna myths and the political machinations which those myths hide? And the wonderful acting not just of Lilian Harvey, but also of Conny Veidt and Adele Sandrock? And you were able to get those songs out of your head?

Like I said, I thought it was a nice spectacle and it did have a grand feel to it at times but I can't say I can even remember the tune of one the songs from the film only four or five hours after watching it, but I had Liebling, mein Herz läßt Dich grüßen and Ein Freund, ein guter Freund in my head still today!

[lubitsch]

So you didn't even appreciate the coach ride, done without any cuts in its initial stages, an incredible technical achievement given the time it was made? And no love for the irony of the film, and its satirical exposal of both the popular Vienna myths and the political machinations which those myths hide? And the wonderful acting not just of Lilian Harvey, but also of Conny Veidt and Adele Sandrock? And you were able to get those songs out of your head?

Like I said, I thought it was a nice spectacle and it did have a grand feel to it at times but I can't say I can even remember the tune of one the songs from the film only four or five hours after watching it, but I had Liebling, mein Herz läßt Dich grüßen and Ein Freund, ein guter Freund in my head still today!

Das gibt's nur einmal, das kommt nicht wieder isnt catchy? Naturally this song's text became a nostalgic emblem for the whole UFA era, but regardless of that it seems to be a sure fire hit to me. Even "worse" in this regard is Das muß ein Stück vom Himmel sein, Wien und der Wein which is a pretty ruthless potpourri of Viennese Heurigen cliches, but also pretty inextinguishable from one's memory, at least I thought so.
But then again we can't all like the same films, and going with too high expectations into films is sometimes a drawback because one expects to be awed every second. Despite your reaction at least you could see the birth of the integrated musical or operetta and why these films were international successes before Hollywood took over with Berkeley and Astaire/Rogers focusing on dancing and choreography. It was not until the 40s however that Hollywood films really turned to integrated musicals.

[Tommaso]

Das gibt's nur einmal, das kommt nicht wieder isnt catchy? Naturally this song's text became a nostalgic emblem for the whole UFA era, but regardless of that it seems to be a sure fire hit to me. Even "worse" in this regard is Das muß ein Stück vom Himmel sein, Wien und der Wein which is a pretty ruthless potpourri of Viennese Heurigen cliches, but also pretty inextinguishable from one's memory, at least I thought so.

Absolutely. Unfortunately, the reception of "Das gibt's nur einmal" - as witnessed, for instance, in the title of the 'German version' of "That's Entertainment", the compilation film "Das gab's nur einmal" from 1958 - always centres on the nostalgia and forgets the song's crucial line "das ist zu schön um wahr zu sein", or in the English version of the tune: "Happiness is too good to be true". Voilà. And such a reading against the grain is confirmed by the much 'darker' lyrics of the second verse of the recorded version which alters the lines in the film version, saying that what we see is just a fairy tale that cannot last. Knowing about the implicit irony in Lilian Harvey's signature tune, it's hard to take Hörbiger's "Wien und der Wein" at face value, especially given the melancholic ending of the film which shatters the dreams of our heroine and, with her, those of the audience. That the song is a potpourri of cliches, as you say, is precisely its point. A good bit of the fascination of "Kongress" for me lies in this double-coding of many of its key moments.

In a similar way, the audience seems to have missed the ironies in the films of Willi Forst, who also has often been seen as a Viennese 'sugar baker' only. I think of his signature tune "Sag' beim Abschied leise Servus" here especially. But as none of his films are in this set, I better not digress too much here...

[TMDaines]

So I've not watched the fifth and sixth films of this box: Lachende Erben and Amphitryon respectively, and I must say I enjoyed both.

I'm not sure there's much to say on Lachende Erben. It's your fairly standard run-of-the-mill studio film, which acts as a vehicle for its main star Heinz Rühmann. Nonetheless, despite Ophuels' dismissal of the work, it's a good solid film, which doesn't overstay its welcome. Clocking in at under 80 minutes, it's an entertaining story of a heir to a winery who has to go dry for four weeks in order to be granted the inheritance.

Amphitryon, on the other hand, was quite the surprise. I knew nothing about this film going into it, apart from it being set in the classical period as I gleamed from the cover of the DVD. First impressions weren't great and I thought I was going to hate this when I was only 15 or 20 minutes in. Then the special effects, which still stand up well today, and the juggling of Fritsch's two male leads won me over. The comedy is a little goofy at times but the script itself, which at times is largely in rhyming couplets, is actually very good. The film itself turns into a good comedy caper of mistaken identity and doppelgangers, with Fritsch handling his dual role superbly.

I'm not sure whether it's just a case of these films actually having better transfers than the previous ones but these two didn't look at all bad on the PC with PowerDVD. No real sight of haloing or artifacts from distance.

Six films down and four to go. This box was definitely well worth the cash.

[lubitsch]

I'm not sure there's much to say on Lachende Erben. It's your fairly standard run-of-the-mill studio film, which acts as a vehicle for its main star Heinz Rühmann. Nonetheless, despite Ophuels' dismissal of the work, it's a good solid film, which doesn't overstay its welcome. Clocking in at under 80 minutes, it's an entertaining story of a heir to a winery who has to go dry for four weeks in order to be granted the inheritance.

God how I hated this movie, it's gratingly unfunny. Regardless of our different opinions I think we can agree that this isn't a film which really belongs in this box. Ironically of all transfers in the box this is the single one which is indeed another transfer and a gloriously restored indeed, far surpassing the Black Hill DVD.

[PillowRock]

Just chiming in for a moment because mine finally arrived this past Saturday. I didn't get around to ordering it until I got back from my Christmas visit to family, and then it spent 4 weeks in transit (I'm in the US) after I got the shipping notice. I looks beautiful, and the couple of the extra docs that I watched (didn't get around to any of the full movies over this Super Bowl weekend) made me wonder about some of the other movies that show up in clips.

As a bit of an availability update:
Both of the links in the original post look to be out of stock now. Both Alphamusic.de and Buch.de (mentioned a few posts down) look to be still in stock. The shipping cost to the US was 15 euros from buch.de (they initially charged me the full listed price, then gave back a partial refund for the VAT a day or so after shipping). If I'm remembering right, shipping from alphamusic was either 19 or 19.99 euros to the US.

[TMDaines]

Yeah, looks like this will be unavailable soon.

I've noticed the Goethe Institutes have a few boxes like this, which aren't made available for sale for the public. Absurd. Seems like there's a DEFA box and a Kautner box, both with a multitude of subtitles.

[htdm]

A DEFA box? That sounds really interesting.
Do you have any links to these other Goethe DVDs? I looked online and didn't come up with anything.

[videozor]

A DEFA box? That sounds really interesting.

Second this. Is there a link to their site or/and catalog? thanks

[TMDaines]

Just look at the online film catalogues of some of the various Goethe Institutes. I've seen rips of some these disks floating around in the usual places. Stupid that the retail releases don't have any subs and they are full of them!

Here's the DEFA box. It was seemingly available at Amazon.de at some point, no idea whether it has all the subs the Goethe version has, though the listings reference the same boxset. On closer inspection I can't see any subs listed.

The Montreal branch of Goethe has a lot of stuff. Ridiculous how much stuff has subtitles in languages like Indonesian and Arabic when the retail copies don't even have German subs!