Premiere

Even though I have never seen it mentioned anywhere, this outstanding murder mystery / musical made in Austria definitely seems like a remake of the classic Hollywood musical Murder at the Vanities, released a few years earlier in 1934. The plot similarities are obvious: murder occurs during the premier night of a grand scale stage musical and, upon request of the director, the police officer in charge agrees to let the show go on, while they are investigating backstage, solving the case by the end of the show. There are several suspects accused and then dismissed, the possible motives include jealousy involving the main actor and his past and present love affairs and I will not spoil that, but even the motivation and the identity of the culprit is very similar. These are definitely not just accidental similarities as there are just way too many of them.

However there are many differences as well: the background of the main characters is different (ironically in Murder at the Vanities one of the characters is from Austria, where Premiere was made), in the Hollywood version the director does some of the actual detective work instead of the annoying and incapable police officer, while in Premiere the officer does a very good and actually very lifelike detective job, unlike all those amateur sleuths that we usually see at murder mysteries (no wonder the Vienna Police is actually credited for assistance). And the basic tone of the movie is very different as well. Premiere, while still a lighthearted film, has a much more serious tone, while in Vanities the comedy is stronger and it is also know for its extremely risque costumes and dance numbers (being the very last pre-Code musical they really gave it all they could), while here there is nothing like that. The music and the theme of the dance numbers is more typically European / Austrian here and interestingly it is actually Premiere that has better choreography as they did a pretty good job at imitating Busby Berkeley's style, featuring lavish sets and a huge ensemble of dancers.

Both films are great in their own ways, but if I had to pick which one is better... I would probably pick Premiere as it is a very solid effort all-around and also, while clearly based on not just Murder at the Vanities, but also on the popular Hollywood musicals and mysteries of the period in general, it is still distinctively different in approach and tone, making it a very unique film. But on the other hand, Vanities is also unique for its pre-Code role and other reasons... so I would definitely recommend anyone who love either mysteries of musicals of that era to track down both and maybe even watch them as a double feature.

Great fun, a confection of murder-mystery, tap-dancing and comedy during the performance of a revue in front of a fashionable Viennese audience. Think Agatha Christie meets Busby Berkeley. The musical numbers are of the same spectacular quality as anything Hollywood was producing at the time and the cast is interestingly varied and roles well-acted. The show seems to consist only of two songs endlessly repeated (which took me days go get out of my head) and, be warned, there is rather too much frantic noisy tap-dancing. An excellent vehicle too for Zarah Leander who seemed, sadly, to be so badly miscast in quite a few films. She is presented here glossy and groomed to resemble some Art Deco statue set off with the kind of dramatic couture which makes her such an icon in some circles. (She wears too an intriguing dressing gown off-stage which seems to be made of black rubber, but perhaps that's just wishful thinking.) I've seen this film twice in as many months and look forward to seeing it again in the not-too-distant future.

It's a backstage murder mystery that unfolds during the first night performance of a show. It's a bit static and boring but has an interest in that it is the first film that Zarah Leander made in Germany. Here she plays the lead character (Daviot) who is the star of the musical. Don't expect any dancing skills and don't expect any decent songs - they all sound the same. Leander is basically a Dietrich replacement and the style of song is the same as you would expect from Dietrich as is the lack of dance ability.

The dancing is provided by the rest of the cast who are endlessly tap-dancing. I would normally enjoy this type of set-up but the dancing is just routine. You watch as it is a spectacle but nothing really grabs you. The film also has an interest because the musical numbers are set in an attempt to copy Busby Berkeley. Only not as well.

So, there is an interest in seeing a German attempt at an art deco musical and in seeing Leander but bear in mind that once the film has finished, there is not much to remember about it. It's ok to pass the time.

Leander came to the knowledge of the German speaking audience with this film - and stayed. Strangely enough this first film is much better than the others that followed: it's a witty comedy/thriller about a murder during an opening night at a revue theatre, and Leander's flirty, overtly sexy appearance suites her much better than the endless row of grand melodramas that were to follow instantly. If only the Viennese dance girls weren't so plump and Leander herself so stout and rigid in her big production numbers, this could easily be one of the best Austrian/German musicals from the thirties. The choreography is very good and copies Busby Berksley's Hollywood work quite openly.

Now I don't understand German but this did not interfere with my enjoyment of the film.Firstly because of the musical numbers which manage to outdo Busby Berkley efforts.Secondly because this film was remade in English in 1938,using the same plot and title.Even the costumes seemed familiar.So the plot is a routine backstage murder mystery