Bachelor of Hearts

This is a pleasant little film, jam-packed with amusing stereotypes of the English and university life as seen through the eyes of exchange student Wolf Hauser (very young and good-looking Kruger) If this movie had been made even 10 years later I wonder if there would have been a deeper exploration of Hauser's attempts to fit in with his surroundings and his very German presence in a still anti-German post-war England?

As it is, the movie is memorable for the glorious footage of Cambridge (undoubtedly one of the most photogenic places in England) and the lovely Sylvia Sims, who manages to sweetly steal every scene she appears in. She is very reminiscent of Kristen Scott Thomas at times, with her terribly english loveliness. Strong supporting cast including Ronald Lewis and Eric Barker help a lot.

Cute, harmless comedy when there's nothing better to do.

This had the bones of a good film but just disintegrated into a poor slap stick.

This is a quirky little movie with Hardy Kruger playing a young college graduate. Nice performance from Kruger in a sort of Brian Rix farce at the end when he is trying to entertain several girls - the reason why he is doing this escapes me at the moment. This is very much in the vain of the Ealing comedies - don't try to find the hidden depths there aren't any. Just go along with it and enjoy. Hardy Kruger is very popular with English audiences - he fits in well with our vision of the likeable German. Obviously his main claim to fame is the aircraft designer in "Flight of the Phoenix", but he has appeared in several war movies over the years.

This gentle comedy really scores for me. Hardy Kruger is very good, then again so are all the players in this film. However, I have to admit that one of my favourite actresses, the beautiful Sylvia Syms not only steals the film but also my heart. The Cambridge scenes and scenery are beautiful too, and as someone who lives near that iconic City it really is shown off at it's best. Others have suggested this is a film to watch if you have nothing else to do, I disagree, this feelgood film for me is a joy and as such needs to be watched and appreciated for what it is - a lovely piece of our past when things were simpler, happier and more innocent.

One thing is clear from the get-go in Bachelor of Hearts: In European films, Hardy Kruger was seen for the cutie-pie he was. Americans could rarely get over a German actor's nationality (hence why Curd Jurgens probably wasn't considered for The Sound of Music), so Hardy often played Nazis - and we wonder why he retired early. But when the films weren't geared primarily towards Americans, his characters were pretty hunky! In Bachelor of Hearts, he plays a German exchange student new to England and her customs during his first year at university. Immediately, he puts the moves on the first girl he sees, despite her already having a boyfriend, and she has to force herself to resist him. He's charming, he's adorable, and it's a shame America didn't get the memo.

If you're not in it for the eye candy, however, you shouldn't be in it at all. This is a very silly movie, akin to America's High Time, but without the seriousness of the adults. It's just a gigantic advertisement for parents not to pay for their kids' college educations. They take four years, all paid for by Mommy and Daddy, to party, sleep around, and participate in stupid hazing rituals. Hardly anyone knuckles down and wants to learn, as you can see in this movie. Even Hardy, bless his heart, gets criticized repeatedly when he tries to stick to his studies. One of his professors literally says, "You can read books in Germany." Instead, to truly get an education, he has to party, sleep around, and participate in stupid hazing rituals. However, the movie isn't a total bust. Hardy is extremely cute.