Das Hofkonzert

Saw this film last night at the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris, in the course of the Douglas Sirk "integrale" (complete retrospective). Sirk himself calls this film "Viennese pastry," and adds that, after the heaviness of "Schlussakkord" he felt the need of something light. Light it is, but also marvelously inventive. I was reminded of Ophuls's film of "The Bartered Bride," not only in that the two principals in both films are singers and very appealing, but, too, that Sirk, like Ophuls, tells his tale in a deliciously opulent way. The screen seems to be constantly filled with new and beautiful detail, the camera usually in swinging, swirling motion. A very baroque film.

Marta Eggerth, later well known to American audiences for her appearances in operetta with her husband tenor Jan Kiepura, has the appeal of a European Jeanette MacDonald, and her co-star, Johannes Heesters, is wonderfully handsome, with a winning (and almost ever-present) smile. Charming film, very entertaining, and worth seeing for the mise-en-scene alone.

Douglas Sirk contemptuously called it " a piece of Viennese pastry " , a potboiler made to capitalize on the success of " Schlussakkord " ;this latter film , "zu neuen Ufern " and "la Habanera " (both featuring Zarah Leander) were great vintage Sierck .

"Das Hofconzert " is a musical , the film operetta being at the time a UFA crowd-pleaser ; it may be considered ,from that point of view ,a forerunner of later films such as "meet me at the fair" or "take me to town" ;but beware !it's operetta and has nothing to do with the music which is heard in the above-mentioned later works ; the songs take half of the film and if you do not like the style,you have to move on .

The screenplay is eminently predictable : a diva pretends she is hoarse and thus won't be able to perform for "das HofKonzert " (= the court concert) ; so they hire a younger singer ,Christine , from Munchen , in search of her father who left her mom when she was a baby -the viewer will guess who he is since he appears-;she falls in love with an officer ,a VIP's son ;in parallel ,her maid Babette falls in love too ,but with a soldier .She knows her place .

Don't expect a "liebelei " ! "Your father is ......."hocher " hocher" (=higher ,higher) ;although at first the girl is dismissed ,and even expelled , there won't be any misalliance .Although Tom Ryan ( "exquisite ironies and magnificent obsessions") wrote "it's anchored in a woman's efforts to restore the sense of family ", it remains a light viennoiserie ,as easy to watch as to forget.

Kurt Meisel,cast as Babette's crush , would be later the commandant of the concentration camp in my favorite Sirk movie " a time to love and a time to die"(1958)