Die englische Heirat

The German cinema of the Thirties is definitely better than its reputation. As is often the case with tyrannies, movies were produced for distraction and entertainment. "Die englische Heirat" belongs to these escapist movies. Although slightly out-dated today, it possesses a certain charm one can hardly resist. The cast seems to have enjoyed the comedy that mocks at peculiar English behaviour.

'Die englische Heirat' straddles the line between comedy and drama, and does so very well. Renate Müller plays Gerte Winter, an amazingly emancipated mechanic and driving instructor who has built her own car (a machine that looks more like a rocket on wheels) out of parts cannibalised from older models. She falls for her English student driver Douglas Mavis (Georg Alexander) and accepts his proposal. The problem is his snobby grandmother lady Mavis (Adele Sandrock) back in Britain, who has other plans for her grandson. When Douglas (whom the others call something sounding like 'Döck') proves too much of a coward to tell the old lady of his marriage, complications ensue. Acting is good, with Müller, Sandrock and Anton Walbrook, who plays the family lawyer of the Mavisses, standing out. The plot offers a few interesting turns and funny moments and moves fast - there are no dull moments whatever. 'Die englische Heirat' was of course filmed in Nazi-Germany, but the regime is nowhere in evidence. In fact, Gerte's role as a female mechanic could be read as implicit criticism of the Nazi-government, which had just enacted a law that penalised female participation in the labour market (the aim was freeing up jobs for men and reducing unemployment, with women who lost their work because of this law being expected not to register as unemployed). To some extent, the film does make fun of the British aristocracy, though the Mavis household will remind you a bit of Downton Abbey. All in all it is good, harmless entertainment, very watchable even after almost nine decades.