''Clothes Make the Man'' (german: Kleider machen Leute) is a 1940 German

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Helmut Käutner and starring

Heinz Rühmann Heinrich Wilhelm "Heinz" Rühmann (; 7 March 1902 – 3 October 1994) was a German film actor who appeared in over 100 films between 1926 and 1993. He is one of the most famous and popular German actors of the 20th century, and is considered a Ge ...

Hertha Feiler Hertha Feiler (3 August 1916, Vienna – 1 November 1970, Munich) was an Austrian actress. She was married to the comedian Heinz Rühmann with whom she starred in several films. She was of Jewish descent. Filmography * '' Darling of the Sailors ...

and

Hilde Sessak Hilde Sessak (27 July 1915 – 17 April 2003) was a German actress who appeared in more than ninety film and television series during her career. She appeared in a number of films during the Nazi era including ''Quax the Crash Pilot'' (1941).Reim ...

. The film is based on the

Novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

'' Kleider machen Leute'', published by realist author Gottfried Keller in 1874. It was shot at the Barrandov Studios in German-occupied

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

as well as at the Babelsberg and Tempelhof Studios in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Cast

Release

The film was released in the USA only in 1958, in German but with no subtitles.

Reception

Thomas Kramer of the ''Reclams Lexikon of the German Films''

References

External links

* Films of Nazi Germany Films directed by Helmut Käutner Films based on Swiss novels Films based on works by Gottfried Keller Films set in the 1830s Films about con artists 1940s historical comedy films German historical comedy films Films shot at Barrandov Studios Films shot at Babelsberg Studios Films shot at Tempelhof Studios Terra Film films German black-and-white films 1940s German-language films 1940s German films {{1940s-Germany-film-stub