''Like Once Lili Marleen'' (German: ''...wie einst Lili Marleen'') is a 1956 West German romantic

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch director, producer and screenwriter, active in the Netherlands, France and the United States. His blending of graphic violence and sexual content with social satire is a trademark of both his dram ...

and starring

Adrian Hoven Adrian Hoven (18 May 1922 – 28 April 1981) was an Austrian actor, producer and film director. He appeared in 100 films between 1947 and 1981. He was born in Wöllersdorf, Austria as ''Wilhelm Arpad Hofkirchner'' and died in Tegernsee, G ...

Marianne Hold Marianne Hold (15 May 1933 – 11 September 1994) was a German movie actress who became popular in the 1950s and 1960s for her numerous roles in the ''Heimatfilm'' genre—romantic comedy films set in rural, especially Alpine, areas. She ser ...

and

Claus Holm Claus Holm (4 August 1918 – 21 September 1996) was a German film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1943 and 1979. He was born in Bochum, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography * ''Floh im Ohr'' (1943) - Knecht Ha ...

.Lehrke p.128 The title refers to the popular wartime song "

Lili Marleen "Lili Marleen" (also spelled "Lili Marlen'", "Lilli Marlene", "Lily Marlene", "Lili Marlène" among others; ) is a German love song that became popular during World War II throughout Europe and the Mediterranean among both Axis and Allied troo ...

" popularised by Lale Anderson, who performs it at a concert at the end of the film. It was shot at the

Spandau Studios The Spandau Studios or CCC Studios were film and television studios located in Spandau, a suburb of Berlin. They were established in 1949 following the Second World War by the producer Artur Brauner controller of CCC Films, on the site of a form ...

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Albrecht Hennings and Karl Weber.

Synopsis

Violinmaker Franz Brugger is in love with Christa. When he is

conscripted Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

she promises to wait for him. He fights on the Eastern Front for four years and then is held as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

by the

Soviets Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union. Nationality policy in ...

for a further ten. All along he is kept going by the song "Lili Marlene" and the thought of Christa. When at last he is released he returns home to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

and finds the world significantly changed from that which he remembers. Worse, Christa is engaged to be married to another man. He sets out to win her back.

Cast

as Franz Brugger *

as Christa Schmidt *

as Oberarzt Dr. Robert Berger *

Hannelore Schroth Hannelore Emilie Käte Grete Schroth (; 10 January 1922 – 7 July 1987) was a German film, stage, and television actress whose career spanned over five decades. Career Born in Berlin in 1922, she was the daughter of popular stage and film actor ...

as Klärchen Müller *

Peter Carsten Peter Carsten (30 April 1928 – 20 April 2012) was a German actor and film producer. He appeared in 90 films between 1953 and 1999, including in supporting roles, ''Dark of the Sun'' (1968), ''Hannibal Brooks'' (1969), ''Madame Bovary'' (1 ...

as Toni Knoll *

Käthe Haack Käthe Haack (born Käte Lisbeth Minna Sophie Isolde Haack; 11 August 1897 – 5 May 1986) was a German stage and film actress. She appeared in more than 200 films and 30 television productions between 1915 and 1985. Life and career Käte Li ...

as Frau Schmidt *

Wolfgang Preiss Wolfgang Preiss (27 February 1910 – 27 November 2002) was a German theatre, film and television actor. The son of a teacher, Preiss studied philosophy, German, and drama in the early 1930s. He also took private acting classes with Hans Schlen ...

a Alfred Linder *

Lucie Englisch Lucie Englisch (8 February 1902, in Baden bei Wien – 12 October 1965) was an Austrian actress. She was married to the actor Heinrich Fuchs. Selected filmography * ''The Night Belongs to Us'' (1929) * ''Three Days Confined to Barracks'' (1930 ...

as Minna Lauck * Roma Bahn as Fräulein Korn *

Kurt Vespermann Kurt Vespermann (1 May 1887 – 13 July 1957) was a German stage and film actor. Career Vespermann was born into an actor's family in Culmsee, West Prussia, Imperial Germany today Chełmża, Poland. Already his great-grandparents were ac ...

as Portier Krause *

Gudrun Schmidt Gudrun Schmidt (born 7 February 1941) is a German former cross-country skier. She competed in three events at the 1968 Winter Olympics, representing East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deut ...

as Schwester, Lene *

Ralf Wolter Ralf Wolter (26 November 1926 – 14 October 2022) was a German stage and screen actor. Wolter appeared in nearly 220 films and television series in his over 60 years as a character actor. Life and career Wolter began his long career on the B ...

as Deutscher Soldat * Hildegard Grethe as Frau Berger *

Else Ehser Else Ehser (1894–1968) was a German stage actress. She also made numerous appearances in German films in supporting roles, such as her performance as Maria Theresa of Spain in the 1935 film ''The Private Life of Louis XIV''.Klossner p.223 Selec ...

as Aufwartefrau *

Lale Andersen Lale Andersen (23 March 1905 – 29 August 1972) was a German chanson singer-songwriter and actress born in Lehe (now part of Bremerhaven). She is best known for her interpretation of the song ''Lili Marleen'' in 1939, which by 1941 transcend ...

as Singer 'Lili Marleen' - 'Südseenacht'

References

Bibliography

* Lehrke, Gisela. ''Wie einst Lili Marleen: das Leben der Lale Andersen''. Henschel, 2002.

External links

* 1956 films 1956 drama films 1956 musical films German musical films German romantic drama films West German films 1950s German-language films Films directed by Paul Verhoeven (Germany) Constantin Film films Films shot at Spandau Studios Films set in Berlin German World War II films 1950s German films German black-and-white films {{1950s-Germany-film-stub