''Der Kongress tanzt'' (English: ''The Congress Dances'') is a

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 **Ge ...

musical comedy film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as break ...

produced in 1931 by

Ufa Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...

, directed by

Erik Charell Erik Charell (April 8, 1894 – July 15, 1974), born as Erich Karl Löwenberg, was a German theatre and film director, dancer and actor. He is best known as the creator of musical revues and operettas, such as '' The White Horse Inn'' (''Im weiß ...

, starring Lilian Harvey as Christel Weinzinger, the glove seller,

Willy Fritsch Willy Fritsch (27 January 1901 – 13 July 1973) was a German theater and film actor, a popular leading man and character actor from the silent-film era to the early 1960s. Biography Early life He was born Wilhelm Egon Fritz Fritsch, the only s ...

Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son o ...

and his

doppelgänger A doppelgänger (), a compound noun formed by combining the two nouns (double) and (walker or goer) (), doppelgaenger or doppelganger is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person. In fiction and mythology, a doppelg ...

, Uralsky,

Otto Wallburg Otto Wallburg (21 February 1889 – 29 October 1944) was a German actor and Kabarett performer. He was a prolific film actor during the late silent and early sound era. Wallburg was born Otto Maximilian Wasserzug in Berlin, the son of a Jewish ...

as Bibikoff, his Adjutant,

Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German film actor who attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man Who Laughs ...

as Prince Metternich,

Carl-Heinz Schroth Carl-Heinz Schroth (29 June 1902 – 19 July 1989) was a German actor and film director. He appeared in 60 films between 1931 and 1989. He also directed seven films between 1953 and 1963. He was born in Innsbruck, Austria, to Else Ruttershei ...

as his Secretary, Pepi,

Lil Dagover Lil Dagover (; born Marie Antonia Siegelinde Martha Seubert; 30 September 1887 – 23 January 1980) was a German actress whose film career spanned between 1913 and 1979. She was one of the most popular and recognized film actresses in the Weimar ...

as the Countess and

Alfred Abel Alfred Peter Abel (12 March 1879 – 12 December 1937) was a German film actor, director, and producer. He appeared in more than 140 silent and sound films between 1913 and 1938. His best-known performance was as Joh Fredersen in Fritz Lang' ...

as the King of Saxony. ''Der Kongress tanzt'' is a particularly well achieved move in

's attempt to challenge US supremacy in the European film arena, taking advantage of the introduction of sound. As such, the studio released the movie in three different language versions (MLV): in German, in French as ''Le congrès s'amuse'', and English as ''Congress Dances''. Lilian Harvey played in all three versions, as she spoke all languages;

Henri Garat Henri Garat (born ''Henri Garascu''; 3 April 1902 in Paris – 13 August 1959) was a French actor and singer of Romanian origin.(French) "Du Temps Des Cerises Aux Feuilles Mortes" Selected filmography *'' The Road to Paradise'' (1930) *'' Our Mas ...

replaced

for the French and English versions. Ufa spared no efforts: the cast reads like a who's who of German film, from the top billers of the day to heavy-weight comedians - even the supporting cast is made out of stars. The sets were lavish and top talent made up the entire technical cast. Despite the ambition and the auspicious beginning, Ufa's challenge to US supremacy never materialized, both due to the strength of the Hollywood majors and to the constraints Germany's creative film and performers would suffer from 1933 onwards. "This truffle of cinema unfolds its flavours like a heavenly feast for the anonymous millions it is dedicated to." ''Lichtbild-Bühne''.

Plot

''Der Kongress tanzt'' takes place during the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...

, that took place in 1814/1815 after the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...

, a meeting between the powers that was to set the frontiers of the world.

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

Alexander is traveling incognito among the people in the tradition of his ancestor

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

, coming across a witty and charming Viennese glove seller, the young Christel Weinzinger. She announces her business by throwing flowers with a visiting card into each carriage that drives past. As the story unfolds, Christel is accused of an assassination attempt and finally condemned. The punishment is however waived and Christel is again free. The Tsar, having fallen in love with Christel, uses the visiting card, in order to visit her in her business. A romance develops, with Prince Metternich and his army of spies intending to use the situation to further his own agenda. This however clashes with Pepi, his secretary, who is also in love with Christel. Christel tells her friends about the romance, which is naturally not believed. Only as the Tsar arrives with a splendid carriage to fetch her, does astonishment set in. The romance is terminated when

Napoléon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

escapes from the island of Elba and marches upon Paris. The Tsar, as all other rulers, has to leave. Christel stays behind, miserable, but finds solace with Pepi.

Cast

;German version * Lilian Harvey as Christel Weinzinger *

as Czar Alexander of Russia *

as Bibikoff *

as Prince Metternich *

as Pepi *

as The Countess *

Adele Sandrock Adele Sandrock (; born Adele Feldern-Förster; 19 August 1863 – 30 August 1937) was a German-Dutch actress. After a successful theatrical career, she became one of the first German movie stars. Early life Sandrock was born in Rotterdam, Net ...

as The Princess *

Margarete Kupfer Margarete Kupfer (born Margarete Kupferschmid; 10 April 1881 – 11 May 1953) was a German actress. Partial filmography * '' The Canned Bride'' (1915) * ''Frau Eva'' (1916) * '' The Queen's Secretary'' (1916) * '' When Four Do the Same'' (1917) ...

as The Countess *

Julius Falkenstein Julius Falkenstein (25 February 1879 – 9 December 1933) was a German stage and film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1914 and 1933. Falkenstein was Jewish, but secured a special permit to continue making ...

as The Minister of Finance *

Max Gülstorff Max Walter Gülstorff (23 March 1882 – 6 February 1947) was a German actor and stage director. Biography Gülstorff was born in Tilsit, East Prussia. He first appeared in 1900 at the Rudolstadt municipal Theater and moved to Cottbus in 1908. ...

as The Burgermeister * Paul Horbiger as Heurigen Singer * Boris Romanoff as Dancer *

Ernst Stahl-Nachbaur Ernst Stahl-Nachbaur (6 March 1886 – 13 May 1960) was a German film actor. Early life Stahl-Nachbaur was born in Munich, Germany and died at age 74 in Berlin. Selected filmography * ''Das Geschlecht der Schelme. 1. Teil'' (1917) * ''Das v ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

;English version * Lilian Harvey as Christel *

as Prince Metternich *

as Czar Alexander I / Uralsky *

as Countess *

Gibb McLaughlin George McLoughlin (19 July 1879 – 30 June 1961), known professionally as Gibb McLaughlin, was an English film and stage actor. Early days McLaughlin was born in Sunderland, County Durham, England in 1879. For about 10 years he was a sales ...

as Bibikoff * Reginald Purdell as Pepi *

Philipp Manning Philipp Manning (23 November 1869 – 9 April 1951) was a British-born German actor. He was born in Lewisham to a British father and a German mother. He was sent to Germany for his education and settled there. He often played British characters i ...

as King of Saxony * Humberston Wright as Duke of Wellington *

Helen Haye Helen Haye (born Helen Hay, 28 August 1874 – 1 September 1957) was a British stage and film actress.
New York Times. 3 Septem ...

as Princess *

Spencer Trevor Spencer Trevor (29 May 1875 – 22 May 1945) was a British stage and film actor. He was born as Spencer Trevor Andrews. In 1897 he married the actress Mary Davis (1870–1944) and with her had a son, John Spencer Trevor Andrews (1897–1984); t ...

as Finance Minister * Tarquini d'Or as Heurige Singer ;French version * Lilian Harvey as Christel Weizinger *

as The Countess *

as Alexander Uralsky *

Armand Bernard Armand Bernard (born Armand Joseph Bernard; 21 March 1893 – 13 June 1968) was a French comic actor and composer known mainly for his prolific work in film. Selected filmography * '' Le traitement du hoquet'' (1918) * '' The Little Cafe ...

as Bibikoff *

Pierre Magnier Pierre Frédéric Magnier (February 22, 1869 - October 15, 1959) was a French actor who began on the stage in the 1890s and became a prominent silent film actor in France. He was the second actor to portray '' Cyrano de Bergerac'' in any film in ...

as Metternich *

Odette Talazac Odette Talazac (1883–1948) was a French film actress.Capua p.129 Talazac was the daughter of tenor Jean-Alexandre Talazac and his wife, the soprano Hélène Fauvelle. She began her career singing in music halls before turning to the theater an ...

as The Princess * Robert Arnoux as Pepi * Sinoel as Finance Minister *

Jean Dax Jean Dax (born Gontran-Théodore-Louis-Henri Willar; 17 September 1879 – 6 June 1962) was a French actor who appeared in more than seventy films during his career. He appeared in Maurice Tourneur's 1928 film '' The Crew''Waldman, p. 142 Select ...

as Talleyrand *

Paul Ollivier François Hilarion Paul Olivari, stage name Paul Ollivier (10 February 1876 - 10 June 1948) was a French film actor. Selected filmography * '' The Phantom of the Moulin Rouge'' (1925) * '' The Queen of Moulin Rouge'' (1926) * ''The Imaginary Voy ...

as Le Maire de Vienne * Tarquini d'Or as Heurige Singer

References

*'' Movies of the 30s'' edited by Jürgen Müller,

Taschen Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen. History The company began as Taschen Comics, ...

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kongress tanzt 1931 films 1931 musical comedy films 1931 romantic comedy films 1930s historical comedy films German musical comedy films German romantic comedy films German historical comedy films Films of the Weimar Republic 1930s German-language films German black-and-white films German multilingual films Operetta films Films set in the 1810s Films set in Vienna UFA GmbH films Films directed by Erik Charell Films produced by Erich Pommer Balls (dance party) in films Depictions of Napoleon on film Cultural depictions of Klemens von Metternich German historical romance films 1931 multilingual films 1930s historical musical films German historical musical films Films set in the Austrian Empire Congress of Vienna 1930s German films