''Three Men in the Snow'' (German: ''Drei Männer im Schnee'') is a 1974

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

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

Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer (29 December 1914 – 3 February 1986) was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984. His 1969 film ''Seven Days Grace'' was entered into the 6th Moscow International Film Festival. His 1972 ...

and starring

Klaus Schwarzkopf Klaus Schwarzkopf (18 December 1922, in Neuruppin – 21 June 1991, in Bochum) was a German actor. From 1971 until 1978 he starred in the Norddeutscher Rundfunk version of the popular television crime series ''Tatort''. He was also known as a res ...

Roberto Blanco Roberto Blanco (legal name: Roberto Zerquera Blanco), was born 7 June 1937 in Tunis, Tunisia. Of Afro-Cuban origin, Blanco is a German Schlager singer, actor, and entertainer. Early life Blanco is the son of Cuban folklorist and artist Alfonso ...

and

Thomas Fritsch Thomas Fritsch (16 January 1944 – 21 April 2021) was a German film, television and dubbing actor. He was regarded as the "Sonnyboy" in the German cinema of the 1960s, and became one of the best-known actors by his presence in television serie ...

.Bock & Bergfelder p.237 It is an adaptation of the novel of the same title by

Erich Kästner Emil Erich Kästner (; 23 February 1899 – 29 July 1974) was a German writer, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known primarily for his humorous, socially astute poems and for children's books including '' Emil and the Detectives''. He received ...

Plot

The wealthy and eccentric Tobler, a

Geheimrat ''Geheimrat'' was the title of the highest advising officials at the Imperial, royal or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic r ...

and owner of various businesses, enters and wins a competition started by one of his businesses. Using the pseudonym, Schlüter, he wins the second prize: a ten-day stay at the luxurious Grand Hotel in Bruckbeuren in the Alps. The first prize is won by Dr. Fritz Hagedorn, an unemployed copywriter, who lives with his widowed mother and scrapes by on occasional work. Before claiming the prize, Tobler transforms himself into Schlüter and assumes the persona of a poor man. His intention is to carry out a sociological study. Tobler buys old, worn-out, tattered clothes, and manages to pass himself off as destitute. However, as a Geheimrat, he is both practical and pragmatic, and seeks to assure that he still retains access to his everyday luxuries. Thus, he orders his butler, Johann Kesselhut, to take accommodations at same hotel acting as a wealthy man and forbidden to recognize his master. Tobler's daughter Hilde does not like the idea, the arrangements, and these plans. She shares her unease with their longtime housekeeper, frau Kunkel, and they decide that Hilde should warn the management of the hotel of her father's plan. But, as a comedy as this is, when Hilde phones the hotel's management, the faulty telephone lines scramble the message. The hotel's management therefore considers the unemployed and destitute copywriter Dr. Hagedorn, the first prize winner, as the wealthy man living in disguise and decide to treat him lavishly. Schlüter, who looks and acts poor, must sleep in a small attic room, without heating, harassed by the staff and used for occasional work. Kesselhut tries to help as much as he can, and ultimately after a few days, decides to inform Hilde. Hagedorn, Schlüter, and Kesselhut nevertheless bond with each other, and Hagedorn and Schlüter become friendly: a young man unaccustomed to luxury shares what he has with the poor, destitute old man. When Hilde learns how her father is treated, she immediately travels to the hotel in Bruckbeuren with frau Kunkel acting as her aunt. At the Grand Hotel, she is shocked to experience how her father is mistreated. And, she falls in love with Hagedorn, not knowing that he also has a “secret”: poverty. The romance between Hilde and Hagedorn blossoms rapidly to the point that they are planning to marry. Yet, after a few additional days Tobler becomes so disgusted with the daily harassment by the hotel that he cannot take it anymore and rapidly returns to Berlin with his daughter, his butler, and the housekeeper. The sudden departure, with no prior notice or information, leaves Hagedorn confused and saddened. The lovelorn and depressed Hagedorn returns to Berlin to search for Hilde. Not knowing her true name, he looks for the Schlüter’s. That search is obviously unsuccessful. And, one day to Hagedorn's surprise, he and his mother are invited by to them unknown Tobler for supper. When they arrive, the whole drama unfolds: the friendship forged between Tobler, Hagedorn, and Kasselhut strengthens. Hilde identifies herself as Tobler's daughter. Tobler then learns that he already owns the grand hotel - he purchased it and sacked management promptly.

Themes

The story is about male bonding and the comedy of errors cutting across socio-economic lines in the aftermath of the Great Depression, and the rise of the Nazism, in Germany. This book is clearly very apolitical. Kästner was not a favorite of the Nazi cultural elite. His few novels and works he authored at that time, reflect an increasing distance from the day-to-day changes in the public discourse. Throughout the predictable story, Kästner infuses warm humor and creates unusually realistic characters.

Cast

as Otto Tobler *

as Titus *

as Boris Dorfmeister * Susanne Beck as Susanne Tobler *

Grit Boettcher Grit Boettcher (; born 10 August 1938) is a German actress. Early life In 1938, Boettcher was born in Berlin, Germany. Career Boettcher is an actress in various films on German TV and in stage productions. Boettcher is sometimes credited i ...

as Frau Casparius *

Lina Carstens Lina Carstens (6 December 1892 in Wiesbaden – 22 September 1978 in Munich) was a German film and theater actress. On stage she appeared in plays by Gerhart Hauptmann, Arthur Schnitzler, and August Strindberg, and in her old age she starred in the ...

as Frau Tobler *

Elisabeth Volkmann Elisabeth Volkmann (; 16 March 1936 – 27 July 2006) was a German actress and comedian, best known for her part in the German absurd comedy series ' (1973–1979), which was watched by millions of viewers in Germany Herbert Fleischmann Herbert Fleischmann (1925–1984) was a German film and television actor.Goble p.429 He was married several times including to the actress Ruth Leuwerik. Partial filmography * '' Barbara'' (1961) as Gabriel * ' (1963) as Dr. Konetzki * ''Der Ka ...

as Zenkel *

Ingrid Steeger Ingrid Steeger (; born 1 April 1947) (as ''Ingrid Anita Stengert'') is a German actress and comedian. Life Steeger was born in Berlin. She works as a comedian and actress in Germany. She became famous in her role of comedy show ' in the 1970s. ...

as Gundula von Wolzogen *

Fritz Tillmann Fritz Tillmann (December 13, 1910 – October 30, 1986) was a German actor. Selected filmography * ''Hoegler's Mission'' (1950) - Fritz Rottmann * '' The Council of the Gods'' (1950) - Dr. Hans Scholz * '' Master of Life and Death'' (1955) - Dr ...

as Kühne *

Gisela Uhlen Gisela Uhlen (16 May 1919 – 16 January 2007) was a German film actress and occasional screen writer. Biography Uhlen was born Gisela Friedlinde Schreck (German national library entry) in Leipzig, Germany as fourth child of Luise Frieda and ...

as Frau von Wolzogen *

Klaus Grünberg Klaus Grünberg (born 20 November 1941 in Wismar, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous ...

as Ferry *

Franz Muxeneder Franz Muxeneder (19 October 1920 - 3 January 1988) was an Austrian actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1948 to 1987. Muxeneder is best known in Great Britain for his part in the Yugoslav-German television series ''The White Hor ...

as Kommissar *

Rainer Basedow Rainer Basedow (20 May 1938 – 15 May 2022) was a German film, television, and voice actor. He is known for having provided the voice of Pumbaa in the German dub of the ''Lion King'' franchise, up until his replacement with Jürgen Kluckert in ...

as Kellner *

Dieter Augustin Dieter or dieter may refer to: * A person committed to dieting People Dieter is a German given name (), a short form of Dietrich, from ''theod+ric'' "people ruler", see Theodoric. Given name *Dieter Althaus (born 1958), German politician * ...

as Barmann *

Max Strecker Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) (1 ...

as Eduard Schulze *

Ursula Reit Ursula Reit ( Schedereit; 5 March 1914 – 9 November 1998) also Ursula Reith, was a German television and movie actress, best known for her role as Mrs. Gloop, the mother of Golden Ticket winner Augustus Gloop in ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate ...

as Wondraschek, Telefonistin *

Benno Hoffmann Benno may refer to: People Mononym * (927–940), saint * (1049–1061) *Benno I of Osnabrück (bishop, 1052–1067) *Benno of Meissen (bishop, 1066–1106), saint * Benno II of Osnabrück (bishop, 1068–1088) * Benno of Santi Martino e Silvestro ...

as Leo Plotte * Bruno W. Pantel as Richter *

Ulrich Beiger Ulrich Beiger (26 August 1918 – 18 September 1996) was a German actor. Selected filmography * ''The Little Residence'' (1942) - Möller * ''The Trip to Marrakesh'' (1949) - Mixer * '' Sensation in Savoy'' (1950) - young Indian * ''Scandal at ...

as Prosecutor * Joachim Hackethal as Mann in Kneipe * Rolf Castell as Anton

References

Bibliography

* Bock, Hans-Michael & Bergfelder, Tim. ''The Concise CineGraph. Encyclopedia of German Cinema''. Berghahn Books, 2009.

External links