SoftInloveRox
Horrible, fascist and poorly acted
LouHomey
From my favorite movies..
Ginger
Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.
cynthiahost
It's such a shame that turner classic movies are politically correct against buying the north American rights with subtitles to further explore third Reich cinema on their channel on TCM import. Why? Cause they are afraid because of Hitlers legacy, they are afraid they may not get the audience they hope for.They are afraid that viewers will get mad at Douglass Sirk and Ingrid Bergman for doing anything under Hitler Remember how they reacted against Her and Roberto? they are afraid of that.I think. This is one picture that they should of been already showing on TCM import. This would not offend the target they serve only moderate fans of classic film as much as us fans of history. There is hardly any political propaganda here. I didn't under stand German except for words like "Pheelite",.But the plot is the nature of the good old days of high school and it's antics.Mr Heinz Ruhmann portrays a successful person, Johannes Pfiffer, who's at a secret club meeting at a German pub, Three old Elderly men in the back of the pub. Sitting around a big punch bowl drinking possibly hot whiskey or brandy. They are discussing things and secrets,including stale wart character actor Albert Florath.Then comes in Johannes successful joining in the gang. Whether this is a form of masonic organization is not understood.Well they start talking about the good old days in high school. All of a sudden he realizes he has missed the fun of going to high school, since he took private classes.So he decides to fool everyone about his age and go back to high school. This is funny consider he's not a teenager any more and no one seems to question him. He rooms near the school run by Hedwig Wangel, who played Zarah Leander's assistance and friend in The way of Freedom. His girl friend Marion , Played by Hilde Sessack, worries that he has gone so she finds out where he went.The funny thing about this picture besides everyone is younger than Ruhmann and every one hates school. Hans Richter is the worse. There's one moment where he throws a spit ball at Erich Pronto, who plays the teacher,. He then forces all the students to open up their pads to see he did it but the bell rings so he get by.There's a funny antic that Heinz and fellow student , both are adults,Rudi Knebel played by Clemmens Hasse. Where they sneak a sigh in front of the schools before everyone comes to school , claiming that it's closed for the day due to some problem. Everyone believes it.This angers the school faculty . Hannes Falls in love with the daughter,Eva, played by Karen Himbolt, of the Gymnastic Director Zues.Marion finds the redneck town and finds Hannes and tries to convince, after a night of passion, to give all this up. But he changes his mind. He decides to do one big prank for some reason I don't understand. He gets the girls from the neighboring school to get together with the boys at his school dancing in the class.Erich Pronto is over sleeping and late for class.Then he comes in Impersonating the chemistry professor. .Then bad things happen when a visiting district school manager shows up with the faculty . Then he's forced to actually play the professor until then real Pronto shows up. He then admits being a grown up and Lets Zues know he's in love with his daughter. The only confusing part it comes back to the original scene at the bar. Was this a drunken dream?
Marcus Cyron (MarcusCyron)
"Die Feuerzangenbowle" is absolutly one of the Best Movies ever and the Best German Movie at all. In my personal Ranking the "Feuerzangenbowle" is under my TOP 8 Movies. Between "The Life of Brian" it's the funniest Movie. It's made during the II. World War near Berlin. At one Time the British and US-Bomber came and at the other Time this Movie was made. Such a funny Movie in such a Dark Time. In the Beginning the Movie was forbidden by the Nazis but the they need every Laugh for the poor German Humans.The Cast of this Movie it outstanding in the German History. There are not only Stars, no - but every Character is perfect casted. The leading Man Heinz Rühmann is the Best Actor in the History of German Movies. And here he has his Best Part before his Character-Time from the End of the 50s to the End of the 60s. He played the leading Role in the Oscar nominated Movie "The Captain of Koepenick" and a supporting Role - his only Hollywood Movie (he was too old this Time and don't wanted to leave Germany for longer Time) - Stanley Kramer's "The Ship of Fools". The "Halliwell's" means, he is Great in this Movie. It's truly sad for non-German speaking Persons that they can't see his Movies (you can but at the most important Countries like USA, UK, Canada, France, Japan and Australia are non-English or non-Motherlanguage not often shown and seen)sorry for my bad English (I learn and try - learning by doing)
Starbuck-13
That a over 50 year old movie would make students of all faculties pour into the campus theatre year after year is a phenomenon. The secret of this films huge success is the message which hardly anybody is able to miss - that school in spite of all the hard work was fun! Remembering one's own school time will cause an emotional state of well-being, and there you have it!Aside from these factors, the movie's humor is timeless, the actors were very talented and their characters just wonderfully weird. Many people have seen this movie so often they can speak every line - and with larger audiences, the film is starting to evolve into an interactive experience à la Rocky Horror Picture Show, with the audience shouting at the characters and carrying alarm clocks, candles and flashlights into the theatre to switch on in the exact right moment.If there is one true German cult movie - this is it!
jan onderwater
Classic Heinz Rühmann vehicle with Rühmann very good and funny as Hans Pfeiffer. This is an entertaining film to be sure, but it can not begin to compete with the 1st adaptation of the material (So ein Flegel,. 1934, q.v.); by staying more closely to the original set-up of the story than the first version, the film is also a bit stuffy at moments and hardly more than a series of comic situations. Helmut Weiss' direction is good routine, but misses the talent to make into great comedy.The biggest disappointment may be the main supporting cast with good actors like Erich Ponto and Paul Henckels. I can not know what assignment the director gave them, but they act like hams thereby killing off any humour in their parts; Hans Richter as one of the other pupils did a much better same job in "Unser Fräulein Doktor" (1940, q.v.).Also watch for some latent (though by now innocent) Nazi-propaganda here. In a conversation between two teachers, one of the old guard and the other of the new, there is talk of the arrival of new times ("Die neue Zeit") when the older one says to the younger that now his time has come with introducing new teaching methods. Too far fetched? In a couple of scenes before this talk we see a disciplined class with the younger teacher saying to Rühmann: Bei mir nicht - Not with me, with the old guard you may do what you want, but not with me, in my class is order (not verbatim).Again remade into a terrible film in 1970 by Helmut Käutner.
