Der Graf von Luxemburg: Mädel klein, Mädel fein

Here's a treat for lovers of light opera; Louise Kartousch and Bernhard Botel sing and dance to the song from the operetta, with Franz Lehar conducting the orchestra! It's one of the later of the sound films produced in Germany from 1906 through about 1910. There was a theater dedicated to showing them in Berlin, French production of similar shorts --initially under the direction of Alice Guy -- was undertaken by Gaumont. Not many are known to survive, and this is one of the few that is not available on the dedicated internet site, but on Youtube.

Like all of the sound films from the era, it is short -- the length of the song -- and cinematically primitive, with a still camera, to which the performers occasionally play. Even with those limitations, it's a pleasure to see these pieces in their own era.