Pilote malgré lui

As "Die Feuerzangenbowle" of 1944 this is a classic Heinz Rühmann vehicle from the 40's, and in the meantime has a certain cult status. Rühmann is very good in this film that, due to the direction of Kurt Hoffmann (whose best films were still to come) is entertaining and funny. The flying sequences are great.

The film gave passionate flyer Rühmann the chance to do what was not possible anymore in 1941 in public: to fly. In how much Rühmann was aware of the political tendency of the script and film, will forever remain a mystery. He himself always maintained that it was the flying that attracted him and that during shooting he never had the feeling that it would be a propaganda film.

Close watching of the film will soon show that this film is more than simply entertainment. Quax is an individualist, someone who stands beside the group. When the group of flyers are having a sort of a party with community (!) singing Quax stands aside. He shows skill in flying and is brave and energetic, but always with himself as goal. The whole premise of the film is to direct Quax from his individuality to the interests of the whole group, i.e.: the premise of the film is to show that a person's values only are valid if they are devoted to the group, read: Deutsche Volksgemeinschaft.

On another level this is also an air-propaganda film aimed at the youth: become a pilot for your country. Curiously enough thpugh, if David Stewart Hull is to be believed (and I have no reason to doubt his book), amongst the German youth this film was one of the most disliked films. Something must have gone wrong.

Existing copies that are shown, are with minor cuts (in the dialogue) to cover up the propaganda.

A small town man wins a travel paper's poetry contest, aiming at the third prize - an exotic trip for two. Instead he gets pre-paid flying course - a thing he definitely is not fond of. He decides to call it quits after day one, but upon returning home finds he's the toast of the provincial town as the first flier to emerge. So there's really nothing left to do than to return and make the best of flying. Heinz Rühmann, who can be very tiresome as well as truly lovable, is quite good and self depreciating as a small time ace of the air wannabe. The romance with the compulsory love interest Karin Himboldt doesn't really sizzle, since she does rarely anything else than wrinkle her nose and giggle. The camera work is exceptionally good, and at some points you wonder how they achieved such mobility with contemporary clumsy apparatus. The film also features the super hit of WW II The Stars of the Home Land, so I trust it was a popular film during its time. Some might see it as a propaganda vehicle, but German propaganda films were very subtle (and thus effective), so you won't find a hint of anything irritating. More so - with all the children's choirs and blond girls clad in national costumes, all stupidly praising the office rat pretending to be a big time flier, it seems to be poking fun at the system. A sequel - Quax in Africa - was filmed in 1944 to be released early in 1945, but didn't get a screening before 1947 in Sweden and 1953 in Germany. Be sure to check that one out too.