Dannazione

'Liebe, Tod und Teufel' is nothing more than a creaky melodrama. It has dated terribly, boosts lackluster performances and a so-so story. The cheap film is not worth remembering.

Well, in all fairness, the whole show comes to live for around five minutes, when utterly beautiful Brigitte Horney croons Theo Mackeben's great song 'So oder so ist das Leben'. With her earthy charm, prominent cheekbones and deep, sultry voice Miss Horney created quite a sensation in 1934. In the right hands, with good directors and handsome production values she might have become bigger than Dietrich. Alas, her considerable talent was wasted in second banana roles and third-rate melodramas.

In later years Miss Horney played cameos in big budget WW II epics like the superior, much, much underrated 'Nacht fiel ueber Gotenhafen' and found work in mindless Edgar Wallace adaptations.